Love_as_a_Universal_Expeience_in_Cosi

Cosi shows that love is a universal human experience. Discuss. The concept of love as a universal experience is shown through the ideals of the characters in Cosi. Lewis Nowra uses the protagonist’s in his play to show the different views held by alternating characters. Lucy and Nick both share the view of love as an indulgence compared to important social and political issues of the time. The play explores the notion of “free love” in neither a positive or negative way. Henry opposes the view of love being fickle and has very strong feelings about the love men and women share because of his parents. The perception of love as an indulgence is most strongly endorsed by the characters of Lucy and Nick. Both believe that social and political issues are much more important compared with love. According to Nick “only mad people in this day and age would do a work about love and infidelity” when there were much more pressing issues, in their eyes, going on in the world around them. In Lucy and Nick’s belief system fighting for the politically oppressed seems to outweigh any notion of love and while they are in a relationship is more out of shared politics and sex then love. Even at the beginning of the play Lewis shares his friends ideas and when introduced to the idea of directing Cosi Fan Tutte he shuns the opera about fidelity, as he deems it not relevant to the social context of the time. This represents the idea of love as an “emotional indulgence for the privileged few” of stable social existence. Although Lucy and Nick present strong arguments for the idea that love should be second to basic human needs at the same time is supports love as a universal experience otherwise why would Nowra have written a play which is underpinned by a debate about the importance of love, something to which all people can relate. Lucy and Nick also agree in the philosophy of free love, which Cosi explores extensively. Free love is a philosophy that a persons right to engage in romantic relationships in whichever way they wish and Cosi shows this in a negative light. Doug holds a simplistic view of free love as it hold no other meaning than the freedom to be promiscuous and infidel with whomever he pleases. He links love directly to sex, which links in to him seeing women as sexual objects clearing linking to his opinion of Cosi Fan Tutte as a “old fashioned opera-this in the era of free love and orgies”. In making Doug the character most preoccupied with it free love is portrayed in a fairly negative way; Doug is the most dangerous character in the play and also the one who provides the most comedy even if the way he refers to free love in a way that is particularly offensive. Nick is the other character aligned with the downfall of free love through his affair with Lucy, which echoes Doug’s ideas. In Nick’s opinion fidelity doesn’t mean anything as “Lucy isn’t possessive about you [Lewis] and I’m not possessive about her. What the fuss'” This makes him very disliked by the plays audience. By aligning Doug and Nick with free love Nowra is encouraging the audience not to endorse this philosophy. On the other hand Henry is very opposed to free love. Henry strongly combats the view of love as a fickle this and his major reason for this is because of the respect he has for his parents. Henry feels that Cosi Fan Tutte’s depiction of women as unfaithful is offensive to the memory of his mother who remained faithful to his father while away at war. He find the question of whether “woman can remain true a ttttragedy”. It is in fact this angry that causes Henry to physically attack Nick in defence of his parent’s honour. Nick’s casual attitude about sex causes Henry to further enforce that his “motttther only loved my fattther, no one else”. Each character has their own ideas and opinions of love and by doing Cosi Fan Tutte is gives not only the patients but also all other characters the opportunity to discuss love. It endorses that love truly is a universal experience as at some point in each characters life they have had a experience with love.