Puppets

Question 1

What is the responsibility of the puppets in the play?

Answer 1

• both central and extremely difficult
• as their task is to re-enact the deeply harrowing personal accounts of the effect of the Apartheid State on people’s lives
• mediate this horror

Question 2

How do the puppets represent humanity?

Answer 2

• as they attempt to move and breathe as we do
• cross the barrier of the here and now
• become metaphors for humanity

Question 3

What does the element of two puppeteers create?

Answer 3

• this bestowed upon the puppet a metaphorical element of vulnerability
• while calling to mind the professional comforters who accompanied witnesses during TRC proceedings

Question 4

What did the dual puppeteers work to do?

Answer 4

• divide and cut down individual control over the puppet’s movement and speech
• encourages us to enter into the illusion that the puppet has a life and responsibility of its own

Question 5

How is the fact that the puppeteers are visible significant?

Answer 5

• allows us to use the emotions visible in the puppeteers’ faces to inform our understanding of the puppet’s emotions
• brought to life by the puppeteer and the willingness of the audience

Question 6

What do the victim puppets represent?

Answer 6

• tellers of the true stories of the TRC
• tell stories which are direct transcriptions of actual stories

Question 7

What is the irony of the victim puppets?

Answer 7

• the ‘real’ stories are told by puppets
• clown like antics of the police were acted by real people

Question 8

What is shown through the victim puppets?

Answer 8

• victims are mere ‘shells’ of humanity after their ordeals
• have no soul left

Question 9

How is the use of the dual puppeteers of the victim puppets important?

Answer 9

• represents how the real story has to be told through 2 people
• the victim and the translator

Question 10

Whos is the crocodile seen as?

Answer 10

• Pa Ubu’s advisor
• giving him advice on how to deal with facing the TRC

Question 11

What does Niles do?

Answer 11

• tells Pa Ubu to pass the blame
• disposes of the evidence

Question 12

What is Niles symbolic of?

Answer 12

• evil character
• P.W. Botha (aka “Ou Krokodil)
• how the ruling party was able to shred/deny the evidence that they were involved in the torture of apartheid
• subservient animals, living under water
• able to hide easily and not be seen
• like Pa Ubu who is never tried for his part in apartheid

Question 13

What do the 3 heads of Brutus represent?

Answer 13

• the foot soldier
• the general
• the politician
• the 3 forms of people involved in the ordering execution of apartheid

Question 14

What does the suitcase torso of Brutus represent?

Answer 14

• the evidence which is hidden/planted/carried by the people who actually partook of the tortures

Question 15

What does the vulture represent?

Answer 15

• death because they feed off carrion or dead bodies
• could symbolise the victims of apartheid

Question 16

What is the significance of the vulture being the only mechanical puppet?

Answer 16

• only non-speaking, mechanical puppet
• questions whether death is seen as mechanical

Question 17

What does the shadow puppet represent?

Answer 17

• Alfred Jarry’s character in “Ubu Roi”
• a dictatorial leader
• who just took from the peasants without any consequences
• symbolic of Pa Ubu’s inner thoughts, ideas or greedy ways

Question 18

What is the relation between the shadow puppet and Pa Ubu?

Answer 18

• Ubu Roi took from the peasants without consequence
• Pa Ubu is involved in apartheid yet reaps none of the consequences

Question 19

What is the significance of the dance with the Ubu Roi puppuet who ends up whipping Pa Ubu?

Answer 19

• symbolic of how Pa Ubu is controlled by higher authorities
• punished if he does not do his “job” of torturing people