Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Christian Dahl

Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Department of Arts and Cultural Studies

1 Citation (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.

Translated title of the contribution	Tragedie og teatralitet i The Island
Original language	English
Journal	Modern Drama
Volume	57
Pages (from-to)	1-18
ISSN	0026-7694
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

Faculty of Humanities
Tragedy
Theatricality

Cite this

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title = "Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)",

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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

KW - Tragedy

KW - Theatricality

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0026-7694

VL - 57

SP - 1

EP - 18

JO - Modern Drama

JF - Modern Drama

ER -

Tragedy and Theatricality in The Island (1973)

Abstract

Keywords

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