Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Christian Dahl

Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Bidragets oversatte titel: Tragedie og teatralitet i The Island

Christian Dahl

Institut for Kunst- og Kulturvidenskab

1 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

The article discusses the theoretical and generic problems of defining classical and modern tragedy vis à vis contemporary re-adaptations of Greek tragedy. It argues in favour of combining studies in reception history with the aesthetics of genre, and it does so through a re-examination of Fugard, Kani, and Ntshona's re-adaptation of Sophocles's Antigone in their famous anti-apartheid play, The Island (1973). Through the analysis of this particular play and its relation to Sophoclean tragedy, the article seeks to explain why the modern aesthetics of theatricality, which has often been invested with a potential to liberate by modern dramatists and theorists, has always been difficult to reconcile with tragic drama; more specifically it thus argues that the conflict of tragedy and play, role and player, action and play, which is crucial to the performance of The Island, has a more general relevance.

Bidragets oversatte titel	Tragedie og teatralitet i The Island
Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Modern Drama
Vol/bind	57
Sider (fra-til)	1-18
ISSN	0026-7694
Status	Udgivet - 1 jan. 2014

Emneord

Det Humanistiske Fakultet
tragedie, teatralitet, politisk teater, Athol Fugard, The Island, G.W.F. Hegel

Citationsformater

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AB - The article discusses the theoretical and generic problems of defining classical and modern tragedy vis à vis contemporary re-adaptations of Greek tragedy. It argues in favour of combining studies in reception history with the aesthetics of genre, and it does so through a re-examination of Fugard, Kani, and Ntshona's re-adaptation of Sophocles's Antigone in their famous anti-apartheid play, The Island (1973). Through the analysis of this particular play and its relation to Sophoclean tragedy, the article seeks to explain why the modern aesthetics of theatricality, which has often been invested with a potential to liberate by modern dramatists and theorists, has always been difficult to reconcile with tragic drama; more specifically it thus argues that the conflict of tragedy and play, role and player, action and play, which is crucial to the performance of The Island, has a more general relevance.

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KW - tragedie, teatralitet, politisk teater, Athol Fugard, The Island, G.W.F. Hegel

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KW - Theatricality

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JO - Modern Drama

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ER -

Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Abstract

Emneord

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Citationsformater