I think that this play took a comedic stance on serious issues that are faced commonly in daily life. The more colloquial and vulgar language used almost makes some of the matters discussed seem superficial and far-fetched, when in fact, they are quite important. The source of the comedy comes from the sheer madness of the situation and setting in this play. Two criminals, one who shot a priest, and one who has killed “8” people, discussing their belief in God and whether or not they should be forgiven. When imagining two inmates having a conversation in prison, one would not assume that they would be discussing whether or not Jesus exists. The way that they are talking seems funny when we role-play it as classmates because it is simply not within our scheme of imagination, it doesn’t seem real to us. However, after finishing the play, it seems much more realistic than what it did to me while we were reading it in class. When you have so much time to think, you would naturally ponder some of the more philosophic and seemingly mundane questions that you wouldn’t have time to when you are focusing on other things. Lucius found solace in believing in Jesus and stayed sane by trying to think of things other than the fact that he was in prison. I think that the play was intended to be comedic. If the same depth of message had been delivered in a more serious way, it would have been too hard for the audience to absorb the different viewpoints presented by the characters along with the events of the play.
