The Sun of the Day

Description

This is an educational play. Educational works in literature and art, from Kalila wa Dimna to La Fontaine’s fables to Brecht’s plays and other works of this genre, aim to guide individual or social behavior. Often, they don’t conceal their intentions. They choose phrases that resonate deeply and are easily remembered. They select the clearest and simplest means of expression. Sometimes, they even employ the direct presentation of wisdom and moral as a weapon. Unlike other art forms that hide their true nature and leave you to discover what lies behind them, this type of play unveils its face and says to you:

“Yes, I want to give you a lesson, so listen to me!”

Faced with this frankness, we listen willingly. And so we have listened, and continue to listen, to the wisdom of Kalila wa Dimna, the fables of La Fontaine, and Brecht’s educational play, Baden. Without becoming weary of what we hear, for preaching itself is an art, as long as it is presented to us in a beautiful form. All I hope for this play, then, is that its content is presented in a way that is not burdensome, and that it achieves, even if only to a small degree, its intended aims.