How do the Shakespearian elements of David Gow's Away, contribute to the overall success of the play.??
             The Shakespearian elements of the play Away, by David Gow, contribute to the overall success of the play immensely. The play contains elements from a number of Shakespeares plays including King Lear and A Mid Summer Nights Dream. It also contains characters from Shakespeare's plays who play very similar roles in Away. For example Tom is very similar to Puck in the way that he has a calming effect over other characters. The play contains issues presented in Shakespeare's plays, which really emphasises their universal significance. The Shakespearian elements also enable the reader to relate to the play, as Shakespeare's reputation is so prominent. The final element that likens the play Away to Shakespeare's plays is the quotes on the cover pages. The quotes come from Shakespeare's plays and make the reader ask questions about the themes and issues presented in the play Away, and also other world wide applicable issues. The Shakespearian elements contribute to the overall success of the play in a number of ways. They make the play deep, thought provoking and relevant to all ages and forms of life, especially Gow's use of themes in the play.
             In Shakespeare's play, King Lear, the main themes are the stripping away of falsehood and artificialities and understanding true human values. This is very similar to Away, where the main themes are stripping away materialistic possessions and social status, and understanding real human values such as love, compassion and family stability and harmony. Gwen especially is materialistic, "Not exaclty....we've got tent" – "We've got a new caravan – everything in it you coukd need". The way in which this relates to the success of Away, is that it enables the reader to understand the universal and timeless significance of the themes being p...