On Aristotle’s On Poetics, he pointed out six elements of tragedy: Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, and Melody.
Plot
The plot of the Antigong Agong also follows the Freytag’s Triangle:
Introduction/Exposition: The story begun with the introduction of the characters in the story.
Rising Action: The rising action is when the first conflict(the Dowry) was introduced.
Climax: The Climax is when the group went to Bundok Dahu to look for the antigong agong and eventually they ended up being back in the time that is 100 years ago.
Falling Action: The falling action is when they got back to the present time. It is also here when they had their own realizations.
Resolution: In the resolution, the moral lessons were exposed and the couple lived happily, having two good news: the scholarship and their Dowry problem solved.
Characters
Four Points:
1. They shall be good. In the play, the characters like Samsullah is a good one.
2. Appropriate. The actors were appropriate for the characters given to them. The characters were Tausugs and lives near the Bundok Dahu, and so are the actors. Therefore, they can easily relate to the story.
3. Like the reality. Since the actors were apropriate, they were able to portray their characters well as if they were really thet person.
4. Consistent and the same throughout. The actors of the Antigong Agong did a great job in being consistent in their emotions in the play inspite of many disturbances like noise and their personal emotions.
Diction
With regards to the diction, not having Filipino and English languages as their native tongue, the actors still were able to say every word clearly that makes them a good communicator(actor-audience communication). In the play, the playwright did a great job combining these languages to make the story more interesting and understandable.
Thought
Diction is accompanied by thought. The thought is the meaning behind every word that comes out from the actor’s mouth. The thought of the play is very deep and has been well shown by the playwright. Writing a history into a theatrical play is such a difficult job to do but the playwright did a great job.
Spectacle
Spectacle refers to the overall stage appearance. The play really appeared great. Not only with their beautiful costumes and props together with their very dynamic stage design, but also with the facial reactions of the performers. In every single event or scene in the play, there is a great unison with regards to the performers’ physicall appearance, props and background.
Melody
What is a musical play without music? Antigong Agong, personally, is the finest Musical that I ever watched. It used both indigenous and imported musical instruments to create such a marvelpous production. It is also packed with beautiful songs and dances performed by the performers. The instruments were also used for sound effects that turns the theater into a particular setting in the story.
