Play within the Play (Cosi intertextuality prompt)

Nowra creates structural and stylistics parallels between the actual play and the opera/play within it – and to what effect? (15 mins timed)

Nowra ties the two concepts of fidelity within his actual play (Cosi) and the opera by Mozart (Cosi Fan Tutte). The structure of the play itself follows with the opera. The basic concept of the opera is that two guys pretend to go off to war but instead disguise themselves as albanians to see if their women would cheat on them and be unfaithful while this is all taking place in the midst of a war. The basic concept in the play by Nowra is that Lewis (the main character) goes off to the mental institute to help out with a play instead of going to the moratorium which shows his partner’s infidelity towards the end while this is all taking place in the midst of a war.  Parallels can be instantly drawn from this connection as both plots have very similar aspects, such as both having a test of faithfulness, both being in the middle of a war and both having lovers that are separated at some point and both proving the lack of loyalty (however, the opera proves women are unfaithful but Cosi proves that both are unfaithful). This effect almost foreshadows the end of the play as the concept of the opera is revealed in the middle of play when Roy shows his love for it as he explains the plot of it. The parallel is shown heavily when Lewis says the line: “Woman’s constancy is like the Arabian Phoenix. Everyone wears it exists, but no one has seen it.”. As the character directly quotes the opera, it is seen that this line is applicable to both scenarios which shows the parallel between the opera and the play heavily. This connection almost shows a repetition in literature but mainly how history repeats itself and how this concept of faithfulness and unfaithfulness is timeless and will happen over and over again which creates a powerful effect for the audience to see and perhaps experience this endless loop.