Gulliver’s travels

Diapositive 1

Gullivers travelsWritten by Jonathan Swift in 1728Adpated by Paul Stebbings in 2013 for a theatre performance

Four British actors from the TNT company in London performed Gullivers travels on January 29th in Lyon.Nick Whitely played Gulliver, while Joffre Alsina, Kathryn Duffy and Paula Jones created a series of vivid characters of all shapes and sizes.Biography of Jonathan SwiftCalibri 24Jonathan SWIFT Jonathan SWIFT was born in November 30th 1667 and he passed away in October 19th 1745. He was an Anglo Irish. His best work is Gullivers Travels, this story was a real sucess ! In the four books, Jonathan SWIFT used satire to try to improve the British society.

SUMMARYGulliver is travelling and his ship is destroyed in the storm. He arrives on the island of Lilliput . He is captured by Lilliputians who are very small people : approximately six inches in height ( so they are about fifteen centimetres tall !) . Gulliver becomes a national ressource, he is integrated in the army to help them in their war against the people of Blefuscu who are hated for doctrinal differences concerning the proper way to crack eggs. But Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu, and sets sail for England.Summary book 1

Summary Book 2Gulliver arrives in Brobdingnag, a land of giants and iscaptured. The farmer takes Gulliver on a tour across the countryside, displaying him to onlookers. The king knows nothing about politics.

SUMMARY BOOK 3

The main character who is called Gulliver discovers the Flying Island which is called Laputa.

The inhabitants who live on this Island are scientists. They have a very special view of science and their own logics.

The Flying Island moves in relation to the Island below which is called Balnibarbi, and the inhabitants of this Island were immortals.

Summary Book 4On his fourth day, Gulliver comes to a country, where the inhabitants are the Houyhnhnms, they are rational-thinking horses who rule, and the Yahoos serve the Houyhnhnms.He wants to stay with the Houyhnhnms but his bared body reveals to the horses that hes very much like a Yahoo, and hes banished.The Assembly of the Houyhnhnms kingdom determines that Gulliver is a Yahoo and asks him to choose : either he must live with the uncivilized Yahoos or return to his own world.He chooses to leave. Once back in England, he buys two horses to be as far away from his familly as possible.

SATIREIn this book, Jonathan Swift criticized English rulers.Indeed, he laughed at them, when he wrote that Gulliver came to the island to save them.Actually, he came to dominate them, as Englishmen used to do.Satire Book 1Guliver pretended to be very important because of a message for the king which would inform him of a terrible threat. The king and Gulliver spoke about Gullivers country, behaviors or customers and the king was shocked and chagrined by the selfishness and pettiness of Gullivers country so for the king, Gulliver doesnt matter a lot.The writer wanted to make us understand that the English men are actually very tiny and rather pretentious.Satire Book 2On the flying island named Laputa there are many scientists. Jonathan Swift tried to make us understand that these people pretended to know many things (not everything) but actually they were selfish because they didnt want to share and explain their knowledge. In fact, scientists from Laputa were afraid to tell them what they knew , because maybe the people wouldnt trust them to rule the world !Satire book 3 Satire Book 4 Jonathan SWIFT criticized the idea of perfectionism.

Even if the Houyhnhnms pretended to have created a perfect society without violence, actually they didnt tolerate differences and they wanted to kill the Yahoos.SPECTATORS REACTIONSThe spectators were thrilled and were entertained for one hour and a half . The theater peformance was so funny that the spectators laughed a lot . At the end , the spectators clapped their hands for the comedians and some gave them a standing ovation . Most spectators really enjoyed this satirical performance except two or tree who were not discrete enough because they snored a little too loud . What a nuisance for the comedians and for other spectators ! PUPILS PERSONAL REACTIONSHow great it was to see the theatre performance of Gullivers travels because the comedians played very well. Even if they had to play a lot of roles at the same time.

I didnt understand everything but I could understand most of the performance because the comedians didnt speak too fast and they didnt use a difficult vocabulary.

I really liked when the spectators rewarded the comedians and applauded them. MathildePersonal reactionsMy personal reactionsI liked the theatre performance a little because it was too long, but I really liked the performance of the actor who played the role of Gulliver.I didnt understand some parts of the play. Simon

Personal reactionsThe actors were fantastic and humorous.

I disliked the gangnam style dance.

I didnt mind that three comedians played so many different roles.

I really liked listening to them speaking English. How wonderful ! What an outstanding show ! How great it was to go to Lyon to see such an awesome theatre performance !PhilippeI think it was very instructive if we are speaking about a political system or if we are speaking about ethnology.I appreciated the theatre performance because the actors performed well and they were very professional. They didnt giggle. Nolan

To my mind, the director of the play has cleverly denounced the scientists who wanted to dominate people. He has respected the story of Jonathan Swift and has managed his stage direction very well. It was original and well played.

LaurneHow great it was to see the theater performance of Gullivers Travels because the comedians played different roles, they were professional actors ! But I didnt understand everything because English is difficult for me and I havent got a rich vocabulary

ColineThe theatre performance was funny, I really liked listening to them.

I didnt mind that three comedians played so many different roles, it was original.

At the end of the play I gave them a standing ovation.

Thodorine

I liked this theatre performance.The stories were interesting, funny, and it was well played by good actors. It wasnt disturbing that the performance lasted an hour and a half.They made a very good adaptation of the book.

JonasI liked the theatre performance of "Gullivers Travels" because there was a lot of humour, and even if I did not understand everything I understood most of it. The actors played very well their roles, they had good ideas as when they walked on stilts to play the role of the giants or, when they walked on their knees to play the role of the dwarves.The only thing which I didnt like was that the theatre performance was a little bit too long Antoine Personal reaction I really liked the theater performance because the comedians played very well and they had a very good accent.

How great it was when the comedians came on the stage walking on stilts, or on their knees, it was so funny !

It was so outstanding to go to see such an awesome theatre perfomance .

What a nuisance it was when some pupils snored a little too loud ! Manon I didnt mind seeing a theatre performance in English because I like English and I understood what the comedians said . I liked the performance , because it was funny even if some times it was a little bit strange . Some passages were a little boring , but it was interesting.Amaurie EXTRACTS FROM THE PLAY READ BY PUPILSGulliver : I am not tiny I am very big. Actually I am huge hugely important. I have news for the King ! Stop pushing me ! Give me the respect you would like to receive ! ()I am an Englishman and I have come to save your country.

AntoineMinister of Defence from Lilliput : Ladies and gentlemen of Lilliput, as Minister of Defence, it is my duty to protect you. I have consulted the experts and I can assure you that giants do not exist. () Er well when I said to you that giants did not exist, I was actually correct. GiantS do not exist, but this giant does exist. Tie him uper Tie him down Nail him to the ground ! Now you see I have protected you from it. That is surely why I was appointed Minister of Defence.

MathildeHorse Judge: No Yahoo, however reasonable, can become a Houyhnhnm. This is biological, racial truth. () we dont know how to lie and we have created a perfect society without violence, argument or disagreement among us. We cannot tolerate that our society be disturbed by Yahoos, that is why we will destroy and kill them. Exterminate the Yahoos ! We will be pure, we will not tolerate differences. You are the best of Englishmen, that is why we must expel you.

JonasHorse Judge : We will be pure, we will not tolerate differences. Go back to your England Gulliver. You are the best of Englishmen, that is why we must expel you.ColineGulliver : Ah ! Humans they stink ! Stinking humans ! Pull back the curtains ! Hide these monsters from my sight ! I hate you, disgusting beasts !()You are a mirror and when I look at you I sink into a deep hatred not only of you but an even deeper hatred and horror of myself.()There they are ! Yahoos ! Am I doomed, doomed forever to live with you ? Where are the noble horses ? I am as noble as a horse ! I am a Houyhnhnm !

NolanGulliver : I am Captain Gulliver, commander of the good ship Antelope sailors, stand before the flag and salute the majesty of Great Britain !()Sailors, we make this voyage for profit, for ourselves and our dear country. But let us remember that at all times we also represent Great Britain, our noble homeland, the mistress of arts and arms, the scourge [skM:dF] (flau) of France and arbiter of Europe, the seat of virtue, religion and truth. Britain the pride of the world ! Imagine how terrible it is to be born a foreigner !

Manon DGulliver : I could destroy you with one swipe of my hand, but I will not because I am an English gentleman and despite your stupidity and foolishness I respect you, whatever your size, however different you are from me. Can you understand that in your tiny brains ?

SimonMinister of defence from Lilliput : I will launch Gulliver on our enemies. Gulliver, I know you said that you would not enslave the Brobdingnag for us, but Im sure that if I, as the Minister of Defence, asked you to take this sack of gold, then you would think again about these principles of yours, liberty and all that Liberty is not something to share with our enemies, the Brobdingnag bottom egg eating bastards ! We must destroy evil dictatorship, it is a matter of morality !

MarouanneScientist from Laputa : See these clouds and this comet. Well, do you see this mushroom ? Come closer Gulliver. When we manage to combine that mushroom with that cloud and tie it onto that comet, we shall create a bomb to destroy the world.

PhilippeGulliver : What is wealth ? what is desire ? why do we die ? why does power corrupt ? why is liberty not the natural condition of man ?

TheodorineGulliver : If Im not mad, then the world is mad. You are a talking horse, so be it. Since (puisque) men have abused the power of speech and reason, I see no objection to an animal so noble and strong as a horse having the opportunity of perfecting themselves and society. ()

AmaurieGulliver : I come from England. England is a Christian country where people care for each other, where there are houses for the poor, were beggars (mendiants) are regularly given bread or at least on Christmas Eve, where dogs are treated with kindness and no man is kept a slave, except in the colonies which are far away. England is a kind and just society where no man is kept in chains.LaurneScientist from Laputa : Where would science be if we looked at everything with perspective ? Take the theory of gravity, it is clear that what is up is up and must fall down. And yet (cependant) the planet rotate around the sun. Here is a brilliant theory that defies common logic. Now stand on your head and drink this water. How did the water arrive in your stomach ?You dont know, neither do I. It defies logic. That is why science is illogical, intuitive, mysterious.We must keep science from the people or they will not trust us to rule the world.

OnurTHE END !