Into the Woods

"Into the woods you go again, you have to every now and then. Into the woods, no telling when, be ready for the journey."

For those of you who know this show, its obvious that its about fairy tale characters that each go "into the woods" to get their wish, to solve their problem, or to complete a task.

However, if you're someone who really knows this show, its more obvious that there is a deeper message written into this show.

This can be interpreted many different ways, for people always have their own views and opinions on works of literature, or plays or movies. And some of you may believe there is no deeper meaning! You may think that the show is just about the Baker, Jack, Little Red and Cinderella all heading off into the woods to get a child, sell a cow, go to their grandmother's and go to the king's festival.

I disagree strongly.

Into the Woods has an incredibly deeper meaning, and once you read between the lines of the show and the different characters it may be easier to decode the message.

The woods represents life. Now, that may sound broad and ridiculous, but its true.

The characters are all living their cozy lives at home, but when they have to go into the woods, or into their own lives, that's when they must face all of their challenges and fears.

Everyone has to go into the woods at some point in their lives. Whether you're a child leaving home and going out into the world to live your life for the first time, or a man who moves to a new location or gets a new job and must go there and face the challenges it offers, you are entering the woods.

In the show, the Baker must go into the woods to find the ingredients to a potion that will release a curse, allowing his wife and him to have a child. He doesn't know what to expect in the woods, but he goes in anyway to complete his task and faces the challenges and dangers in the woods.

Jack goes into the woods to sell his cow, and through a series of events wounds up at the top of a bean-stalk, where he meets the giants. The encounter with the giants represents the coming of age for Jack, and the giants themselves represent the obstacles in life. Jack has gone off into the woods and met these giants, and its up to him to deal with them now.

Almost all of theater has a deeper message written into it, and its very interesting to dig deeper within the script and see what you can find. This show has a much more important message than just going "into the woods", and its an important one to learn, for we will all go into the woods at some point whether we want to or not.