Cosi

In the play ‘Cosi’ by Louis Nowra there are many themes and issues explored. Two themes addressed are love and madness.   Through characterisation, dialogue, setting and the contrast between mental patients and outsiders we are able to grasp the concept of these themes.
Louis Nowra gives many of the characters there own view about the importance of love. As the almost outsiders Lucy and Nick’s opinions of love are quite cynical. “Only mad people in this day and age would do a work about love and infidelity.” Lucy believes “love is an emotional indulgence for the privileged few.” In contrast the patients have a much simpler view on love. As their views reflect onto Lewis as his ideas of love become important “without love the world wouldn’t mean much.”
Louis Nowra has characterised each patient to have their own definition of love.   Doug confuses love and sex and is unable to express any real caring for anyone. He believes in free love “make love not war, eh?”
Roy’s opinion of love is that “love is what you feel when you don’t have enough emotion left to hate...” expressing that hate is a much more powerful emotion than love. “we choose our enemies with greater care than our lovers...”
Julie believes that men expect women to behave in a certain way and, if they don’t, men are judgemental of them. “Men want woman to deceive them because it’ll prove their worst thoughts about women...” Julie also presents another ideal of love; and that is love for drugs. “Some people can’t imagine life without love, well I can’t imagine life without drugs” this presents the idea that love isn’t just about two people it can be expressed in any shape or form.
As Cherry expresses her love through food. She continuously shoves food down Lewis’ to show she cares; as her family brings her cupcakes she associates them as a token of their love. Cherry believes Lewis needs more loving as she expresses “you’re too skinny Lewis.”
Through the theme of madness Louis Nowra explores how...