The Wild Duck - Journal 2

“What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?” To what extent do you find this statement applicable in at least two plays you have studied?
I would tend to agree with the above statement. I find that although dramatic works may not be action-packed all of the time, every action and conversation propel the plot forward or in some way serve to build upon or influence an individuals views and ideals. Take, for example, The Wild Duck. It would be hard to claim that the plot within the play is filled with a large deal of action and excitement, on first inspection it would be quite easy to pass of the play as uninteresting, or "dull". But looking closer to the conversations and interplay between characters you can see that this is fact a dynamic and (if not exciting) important point within the lives of these individuals. The introductory act of the play serves to confirm this view; Gregers, one of the main characters, returns to his father's home after a long time away. Simply the non-ordinary occurrence of his homecoming propels the events of the play away from the dullness of everyday life. Gregers finds and creates conflict between both himself and his father as well in the Edkal household. Each conversation, although maybe not actively engaging to us, is a continual revelation of hidden truths and individual views that can and do have a profound impact on how they view the world and each other. It would be hardly apt to call what is revealed to Hjalmar dull when compared to what we can assume of the rest of his life is like. 
The dramatic elements of Oedipus The King are more evident at first glance. Rather than deal with the day to day events preceding the crisis that Oedipus faces, the play begins with the citizenry of Thebes beseeching Oedipus for assistance. The plot of the play then takes over and Oedipus is absorbed in finding out the truth of Laius' murder and Oedipus' own birth. Again, the play contains more dialogue than actual action but we can easily see the significance of the conversations that take place, each serves to reveal another clue to Oedipus or set up his eventual self punishment. At no point in either of the plays is there any need for frivolous actions or conversations, this is true of both theater and any other medium. The fact that we can find meaning any significance in every action and spoken word illuminates that life with these dramas is never dull, the authors present an engaging world for an audience in order to more clearly and effectively portray their own thoughts.