E109 Study Questions – Pirandello, Six Characters in Search...

1. We’re clearly invited to consider issues of reality and illusion. Explain how the interaction of the "actors" and the "characters" contributes to these ideas.

2. Why did the "author" abandon his characters? Does it have to do with the plot they are involved in, or the theatrical genre, or both? Explain.

3. What kinds of risks (other than confusion) does Pirandello run by using the "play within a play" technique? Consider the general theater-going audience; how would they react? Are issues of believability raised? Etc.

4. Think about the idea that fictional characters are "less real, but truer." Connected to this is the concept that, paradoxically, "theater is truer than life" because of the fixed nature of its reality in contrast to the changing realities of human life. Explain how this play influences you to agree or disagree with the first statement.