Papers by Özlem Özmen Akdoğan
Litera: Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, 2022
Coming from a working-class background and having met many notable intellectual socialists prior ... more Coming from a working-class background and having met many notable intellectual socialists prior to his dramatic career, Trevor Griffiths dedicated his playwriting to debate about the present and future of socialism in Britain and elsewhere. Despite Griffiths’s loyal attachment to socialism, his works provide a criticism of the left, left-wing parties, lack of unity among the proletariat, and lack of support and cooperation of the leftist parties in his country. The Party (1973) is one of those plays in which he provides a dialectical approach to an ideal understanding of socialism that is based on unity between the workers, the party as an organisation and the intelligentsia. Griffiths’s main concern is to lay out some of the reasons for the failure of the left and claim that a true socialist revolution can never be possible unless a commitment is achieved by all involved parties. This paper discusses socialist Trevor Griffiths’s play The Party as a criticism of the left in relation to prevalent concerns of Britain in the 1970s. While evaluating the reasons for Griffiths’s criticism, the discussion of the play is also related to the Paris student riots as a casein-point failed socialist revolution attempt due to similar problems Griffiths observes in his country.
Cankaya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
In Howard Barker’s Gertrude-The Cry (2002), all the things most popularly known about Shakespeare... more In Howard Barker’s Gertrude-The Cry (2002), all the things most popularly known about Shakespeare’s play Hamlet are subverted and transformed to a great extent. In this adaptation, the title character of the source text is changed from Hamlet to Gertrude, who is presented as a villainous woman in Hamlet with her potential involvement in her husband’s murder and subsequent marriage to Claudius. Barker alters the status of Hamlet as the tragic hero and makes his mother the new heroine of the play who does not conform to any of the norms set for her in Shakespeare’s text. Instead, Gertrude behaves as a woman extremely driven by erotic desire towards several male characters in the play. This paper analyses Barker’s rewriting as an attempt to challenge the norms of womanhood represented in conventional literary works. The transformations in Barker’s version are also related to women’s role and status in society at the time the play was written. Regarding the dominant ideas of the play su...
Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
İngiliz edebiyatının önde gelen kadın oyun yazarlarından biri olan Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Co... more İngiliz edebiyatının önde gelen kadın oyun yazarlarından biri olan Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country's Good (1988) [Ülkemizin İyiliği] adlı oyununda hem savaş sonrası İngiltere'ye yönelik bir eleştiri hem de tiyatronun iyileştirici işlevi hakkında bir propaganda sunar. Thomas Keneally'nin The Playmaker (1987) adlı romanından esinlenilen bir oyun olan Our Country's Good, on sekizinci yüzyılda Avustralya'ya götüren bir gemide bir grup mahkûmun yaşadıklarını canlandırarak tiyatronun iyileştirici etkilerini konu edinir. Our Country's Good, geleneksel cezalandırma yöntemlerine inanan ve ağır cezaya alternatif olarak tiyatro yoluyla kurtuluş olasılığını öne sürenlerden oluşan farklı otorite figürlerini ele alır. Hükümlülere uygun cezalandırma yöntemleri konusunda görevlilerin çelişkili görüşlerini Foucault'cu bir bakış açısıyla incelemek mümkündür. Bu okuma, Foucault'nun, iş ve egzersiz yoluyla suçluların davranışlarının düzeltilmesi anlamına gelen ceza reformu önerisine dayanmaktadır. Bu makale, ceza kavramının toplumsal işlevine odaklanmakta ve Thatcher yıllarında İngiltere'de bu konulara ilişkin egemen ideolojinin ışığında Wertenbaker'in oyununda tiyatro ve ceza arasındaki ilişkinin temsilini analiz etmektedir.
Kadın/Woman 2000, Journal for Women's Studies, 2022
This paper discusses the social reasons for agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as observed i... more This paper discusses the social reasons for agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as observed in the women characters of British playwright Sue Townsend’s issue-based play Bazaar and Rummage (1982). The depiction of three agoraphobic women in a context characterised by patriarchal dominion constitutes the core of Townsend’s play. Although their problematic condition is presented rather comically, from their accounts, it seems apt to argue that societal oppression is the reason for their longlasting seclusion and constant fear of the outside world. The play offers a rummage sale as an opportunity for women to step outside and conquer their fear. Accordingly, in terms of presenting the psychological condition of women characters and associating the possible solution to their problem with a market occasion, Townsend’s play illustrates an example of feminist criticism. In this study, the play’s analysis is based on the 1980s context dominated by Thatcher politics, and Townsend’s portr...
Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 2021
This article argues that the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day (1989) b... more This article argues that the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day (1989) by Merchant Ivory evokes nostalgia as a trope that glorifies the imperial past of the British through portraying extravagantly both the butler protagonist’s professionalism and his attachment to the country house (Darlington Hall), one of the symbolic places used in heritage cinema. In the novel, Stevens’ sense of nostalgia is presented as a sensual impetus or a blueprint to revisit the past to construct a more insightful understanding of the self. Analysing both uses of nostalgia in the source text and its adaptation, this article reveals that the Merchant Ivory adaptation (1993) limits its nostalgic perspective to depicting the idealised imperial past, and it does not evoke any dissident conception of nostalgia for the audience as the novel provides through its protagonist’s retrospection for the reader. Discussing the politics and contextual background of the adaptation, it concludes t...
Cankaya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2022
In Howard Barker's Gertrude-The Cry (2002), all the things most popularly known about Shakespeare... more In Howard Barker's Gertrude-The Cry (2002), all the things most popularly known about Shakespeare's play Hamlet are subverted and transformed to a great extent. In this adaptation, the title character of the source text is changed from Hamlet to Gertrude, who is presented as a villainous woman in Hamlet with her potential involvement in her husband's murder and subsequent marriage to Claudius. Barker alters the status of Hamlet as the tragic hero and makes his mother the new heroine of the play who does not conform to any of the norms set for her in Shakespeare's text. Instead, Gertrude behaves as a woman extremely driven by erotic desire towards several male characters in the play. This paper analyses Barker's rewriting as an attempt to challenge the norms of womanhood represented in conventional literary works. The transformations in Barker's version are also related to women's role and status in society at the time the play was written. Regarding the dominant ideas of the play such as personal will and sexual liberation in light of the relevant legislations of the New Labour as the ruling party in Britain in the early years of the twenty-first century, Barker's play is also discussed as a politically driven adaptation.
Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
One of the pioneering women dramatists of British literature, Timberlake Wertenbaker provides bot... more One of the pioneering women dramatists of British literature, Timberlake Wertenbaker provides both a criticism of post-war Britain and propaganda of the ameliorating function of theatre in her play Our Country’s Good (1988). As a play based on the novel The Playmaker (1987) by Thomas Keneally, Our Country’s Good builds upon the issue of redemptive effects of theatre by portraying a group of convicts on a ship that takes them to Australia in the eighteenth century. Our Country’s Good portrays different authority figures consisting of those who believe in traditional means of punishment and who suggest the possibility of redemption through theatre as an alternative to severe punishment. It is possible to analyse the conflicting views of officers concerning the appropriate punishment methods of the convicts from a Foucauldian perspective. This reading draws on Foucault’s proposal of a penal reform that requires the use of carceral transformation through work and exercise resulting in the correction of delinquents’ behaviour. This paper focuses on the social function of punishment and analyses the representation of the conflation between theatre and punishment in Wertenbaker’s play in light of the dominant ideology concerning these issues in Britain in the Thatcher years.
Kadın/Woman 2000, 2021
This paper discusses the social reasons for
agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as
observed i... more This paper discusses the social reasons for
agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as
observed in the women characters of British
playwright Sue Townsend’s issue-based play
Bazaar and Rummage (1982). The depiction
of three agoraphobic women in a context
characterised by patriarchal dominion
constitutes the core of Townsend’s play.
Although their problematic condition is
presented rather comically, from their
accounts, it seems apt to argue that societal
oppression is the reason for their longlasting
seclusion and constant fear of the
outside world. The play offers a rummage
sale as an opportunity for women to step
outside and conquer their fear. Accordingly,
in terms of presenting the psychological
condition of women characters and
associating the possible solution to their
problem with a market occasion,
Townsend’s play illustrates an example of
feminist criticism. In this study, the play’s
analysis is based on the 1980s context
dominated by Thatcher politics, and
Townsend’s portrayal of agoraphobia is
discussed as a criticism of her society in
which patriarchal hegemony plays a central
role in women’s forced confinement.
Hacettepe University Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2021
The Arden Shakespeare published a poetry collection titled On Shakespeare's Sonnets in 2016 in wh... more The Arden Shakespeare published a poetry collection titled On Shakespeare's Sonnets in 2016 in which several contemporary poets have responded to one Shakespearean sonnet of their choice. Most of the themes in the sonnets such as the transience of earthly life, the endurance of love, and the procreation of beauty are retained in their modern versions. However, recent approaches to these themes do not follow the sonnet tradition due to the poets' adherence to modern topics, as seen in the poems of Douglas Dunn, Jackie Kay, and Andrew Motion, and an emphasis on realism instead of the romanticised exaggerations in the sonnet genre, as observed in the poems by Alan Jenkins, Carol Ann Duffy, and Elaine Feinstein. In some of these poems, love for the beloved, for instance, is treated alternatively as a temporary feeling that cannot endure the passing of time. The platonic ideal of love for the beloved is reconstituted with a mother's compassion for her son. The idea of the procreation of beauty is replaced with an adoration of the regenerative power of nature. In some others, the influence of the contemporary context is evident with indications of urban images such as traffic, technology, and shopping malls. Through such examples, this paper aims to discuss some of the rewritten versions of Shakespeare's sonnets to explore the idea that recontextualisation and subversion of the source text are central to the practice of Shakespearean adaptation despite the initial tenet of the production of this particular collection, which is to celebrate Shakespeare's literary heritage.
International Journal of Human Studies (IJHS), 2021
Scottish playwright Stef Smith's Human Animals (2016) recounts the fictional story of a governmen... more Scottish playwright Stef Smith's Human Animals (2016) recounts the fictional story of a government exterminating all animals in London with the pragmatic pursuit of building commercial construction sites on their natural habitats. In line with recent trends of thought, dramatic texts are getting more engaged with different natures of the relationship between human animals and non-human animals. In this context, animal studies posit a focal place in the analysis of Smith's contemporary play, Human Animals. Animal studies take into account the interconnections between humans and animals, thereby making it possible to problematise the concepts of anthropocentrism and speciesism in works of literature. This study aims to analyse Stef Smith’s Human Animals as an example by using critical animal studies perspectives with an emphasis on the essentialist human-animal divide. In a more specific context, the article reveals the impact of anthropocentrism through a case study that exemplifies humanity’s vicious plans to eradicate all non-human beings for the sake of profit and personal interest. Stef Smith presents different characters which embody disparate viewpoints and exposes the anthropocentric nature of humanity. Smith’s portrayal of a dystopian setting not only aims at criticising anthropocentric line of thought but also exposes humanity’s tendencies towards speciesism.
Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 2021
This article argues that the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day (1989) b... more This article argues that the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day (1989) by Merchant Ivory evokes nostalgia as a trope that glorifies the imperial past of the British through portraying extravagantly both the butler protagonist’s professionalism and his attachment to the country house (Darlington Hall), one of the symbolic places used in heritage cinema. In the novel, Stevens’ sense of nostalgia is presented as a sensual impetus or a blueprint to revisit the past to construct a more insightful understanding of the self. Analysing both uses of nostalgia in the source text and its adaptation, this article reveals that the Merchant Ivory adaptation (1993) limits its nostalgic perspective to depicting the idealised imperial past, and it does not evoke any dissident conception of nostalgia for the audience as the novel provides through its protagonist’s retrospection for the reader. Discussing the politics and contextual background of the adaptation, it concludes that Merchant Ivory’s film version of Ishiguro’s novel exemplifies characteristics of heritage cinema to convey dominantly conservative ideologies such as elitism and nationalism as common norms upheld in Thatcher’s Britain.
Hacettepe University Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2020
This article discusses two of Harold Pinter's political plays, One for the Road and Party Time as... more This article discusses two of Harold Pinter's political plays, One for the Road and Party Time as examples of dystopian drama which criticise the contextual background of 1980s Turkey and 1990s Britain respectively. This reading illustrates that dystopian images observed in Harold Pinter's political plays, One for the Road and Party Time are used as responses to certain socio-historical problems of two different locations. While the panorama of a military state in One for the Road provides a criticism of the political atmosphere of Turkey following the 1980 coup, the economically unbalanced and depoliticised society presented in Party Time resonates with the socioeconomic inequality of Britain during the Thatcher and Major periods. Unspecified settings of the plays, ambiguous characterisation, and hierarchical social structures presented in these works are viewed among the dystopian elements which help Pinter criticise the political atmosphere of Turkey following the 1980 coup and the unbalanced socioeconomic background of contemporary Britain. Discussing dystopian narrative elements-that are commonly studied in relation to the novel genre-in relation to dramatic texts offers the idea that although there is no reference to particular states or political figures in these plays, dystopian elements such as totalitarian regime and state violence derive their material from the real events of the two countries. By way of this dystopian perspective, it is aimed to discuss the necessity of observing the close relationship between Pinter's plays and their historical background despite their seeming distance from their political milieux. A reading of Pinter's works with an emphasis on their dystopian images also helps to interpret Pinter's detached attitude to the politics of his plays from an alternative perspective.
Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 2019
Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen(2015) is a contextual play as the work derives its material from an act... more Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen(2015) is a contextual play as the work derives its material from an actual historical event, the abolition of capital punishment in the 1960s, and presents this topic at a time in which the same issue is debated again in 2015. The play refers to two distinct socio-historical backgrounds, 1960s Britain as the context of the plot, and the 21stcentury as the context of the audience/reader. Hangmentakes place in a very specific date in history, the year in which hanging was suspended in Britain. The portrayal of what seems to be the last hanging case in the country makes it possible to problematise the integrity of the judicial system at the time. Presentation of the rivalry between two famous executioners in the country, Harry Allen and Albert Pierrepoint, also underlines the play’s socio-political relation to a certain context. What is equally noteworthy about Hangmenis McDonagh’s choice of this topic at a time in which the issue of capital punishment is raised again in Britain. Concerning recent arguments about the reintroduction of death penalty in 2015, it is observed that McDonagh also initiates a discussion concerning the legitimation of state violence through a depiction of the history of hanging. In light of this observation, the aim of this article is to discuss McDonagh’s topical dark comedy as a political intervention in the debate over death penalty in Britain by providing appropriate case studies of several hanging offences in the history of Britain.
European Judaism, 2018
Julia Pascal’s The Yiddish Queen Lear, a dramatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear, merges r... more Julia Pascal’s The Yiddish Queen Lear, a dramatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear, merges racial identity politics with gender politics as the play both traces the history of the Yiddish theatre and offers a feminist criticism of Shakespeare’s text. The use of Lear as a source text for a play about Jews illustrates that contemporary Jewish engagements with Shakespeare are more varied than reinterpretations of The Merchant of Venice. Identity politics are employed in Pascal’s manifestation of the problematic relationship between Lear and his daughters in the form of a conflict between the play’s protagonist Esther, who struggles to preserve the tradition of the Yiddish theatre, and her daughters who prefer the American cabaret. Gender politics are also portrayed with Pascal’s use of a strong woman protagonist, which contributes to the feminist criticism of Lear as well as subverting the stereotypical representation of the domestic Jewish female figure in other dramatic texts.
David Hare’s play Fanshen (1975) traces the improving social conditions of the peasants following... more David Hare’s play Fanshen (1975) traces the improving social conditions of the peasants following land reform introduced during the Chinese Revolution. This event was a significant landmark in the history of China and socialism. David Hare, as a socialist writer, presents the positive aspects of this case of remaking society in Chinese history with an aim to provide an example for European societies. In the play, socialist revolution is represented as the source of improvement for the lives of the peasants, which are, in Hare’s conception, similar to the working class in modern society that needs to be educated about its potential to bring about positive change in society. This paper argues that Fanshen offers socialism as a better system towards the formation of an improved state, and criticises the failed systems in England and Europe resulting from the unsuccessful practices of the leaders and politics of the period.
Keywords: David Hare, Fanshen, land reform, Chinese Revolution, socialism, working class
Öz
Türk tiyatrosunda politik olayların konu edilmesi ilk kez halk tiyatrosundaki orta oyunl... more Öz
Türk tiyatrosunda politik olayların konu edilmesi ilk kez halk tiyatrosundaki orta oyunlarında görülür. Ülkemizde Tanzimat Dönemi’nde gelişme gösteren politik tiyatro, çağdaş edebiyatımızda Cumhuriyet’in ilanı ve çok partili sisteme geçiş gibi siyasi dönem değişiklikleri ile birlikte önem kazanır. Toplumsal sorunların öne çıktığı 1950 ve 60’lı yıllar ise politik tiyatro örneklerinin en çok görüldüğü yıllardır. Politik tiyatronun gelişimi, oyunların yazıldığı dönemde ülkede yaşanan siyasi olaylara bağlıdır. Örneğin Tanzimat ve İstibdat Dönemi’nde Sultan Abdülaziz baskısından söz eden oyunlar yazılırken II. Meşrutiyet yıllarında, sanatın özgürleştiği ortam eserlere yansır. Bu dönemin ardından, Cumhuriyet’in ilanıyla beraber politik tiyatro, ikiye bölünmüş bir toplumun yaşadığı geçiş sürecini gözler önüne serer. Ülkemiz için politik tiyatronun en önemli yılları olan 1950 ve 1960’larda ise toplumsal düzensizlikten duyulan rahatsızlık ön plandadır. Günümüzde de hâlâ politik tiyatroyla ilgilenen gruplar olmasına rağmen, 1971 muhtırası ve 12 Eylül 1980 darbesinin ardından gerilemeye giren politik tiyatro eski verimini kaybetmiş gibi görünmektedir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Politik tiyatro, Siyasi olaylar, Halk tiyatrosu, Tanzimat Dönemi, II. Meşrutiyet, Cumhuriyet, 1971 muhtırası, 1980 darbesi
Abstract
The Development of Political Theatre in Turkey
The use of political subjects in Turkish theatre is first observed in theatre-in-the-round in folk drama. As political theatre makes progress during the Tanzimat Reform Era in Turkey, it gains importance with transition periods such as the proclamation of the Turkish Republic and the development of the multi-party system. It was in the 1950s and 1960s when social unrest was unignorable that works of political theatre were most written. The development of political theatre depends on the political events of the period in which it is produced. For instance, while plays written in the Tanzimat Reform Era and the Period of Autocracy depict the oppression of Sultan Abdülaziz, the liberation of art is reflected in the works produced during the Second Constitutional Era. Following this period, political theatre displays the transition period experienced by a divided society with the declaration of the Republic. In the political theatre of the 1950s and 1960s, civil unrest resulting from social disorder is in the foreground. Although some theatre groups still continue dealing with political issues in our day, political theatre, which has regressed after 1971 memorandum and 1980 coup d’etat, seems to have lost its former efficiency.
Key Words: Political theatre, Political events, Folk drama, Tanzimat Reform Era, Second Constitutional Era, Republic, 1971 memorandum, 1980 coup d’etat
The European Conference on Arts and Humanities 2013 Official Conference Proceedings. 206-213
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Papers by Özlem Özmen Akdoğan
agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as
observed in the women characters of British
playwright Sue Townsend’s issue-based play
Bazaar and Rummage (1982). The depiction
of three agoraphobic women in a context
characterised by patriarchal dominion
constitutes the core of Townsend’s play.
Although their problematic condition is
presented rather comically, from their
accounts, it seems apt to argue that societal
oppression is the reason for their longlasting
seclusion and constant fear of the
outside world. The play offers a rummage
sale as an opportunity for women to step
outside and conquer their fear. Accordingly,
in terms of presenting the psychological
condition of women characters and
associating the possible solution to their
problem with a market occasion,
Townsend’s play illustrates an example of
feminist criticism. In this study, the play’s
analysis is based on the 1980s context
dominated by Thatcher politics, and
Townsend’s portrayal of agoraphobia is
discussed as a criticism of her society in
which patriarchal hegemony plays a central
role in women’s forced confinement.
Keywords: David Hare, Fanshen, land reform, Chinese Revolution, socialism, working class
Türk tiyatrosunda politik olayların konu edilmesi ilk kez halk tiyatrosundaki orta oyunlarında görülür. Ülkemizde Tanzimat Dönemi’nde gelişme gösteren politik tiyatro, çağdaş edebiyatımızda Cumhuriyet’in ilanı ve çok partili sisteme geçiş gibi siyasi dönem değişiklikleri ile birlikte önem kazanır. Toplumsal sorunların öne çıktığı 1950 ve 60’lı yıllar ise politik tiyatro örneklerinin en çok görüldüğü yıllardır. Politik tiyatronun gelişimi, oyunların yazıldığı dönemde ülkede yaşanan siyasi olaylara bağlıdır. Örneğin Tanzimat ve İstibdat Dönemi’nde Sultan Abdülaziz baskısından söz eden oyunlar yazılırken II. Meşrutiyet yıllarında, sanatın özgürleştiği ortam eserlere yansır. Bu dönemin ardından, Cumhuriyet’in ilanıyla beraber politik tiyatro, ikiye bölünmüş bir toplumun yaşadığı geçiş sürecini gözler önüne serer. Ülkemiz için politik tiyatronun en önemli yılları olan 1950 ve 1960’larda ise toplumsal düzensizlikten duyulan rahatsızlık ön plandadır. Günümüzde de hâlâ politik tiyatroyla ilgilenen gruplar olmasına rağmen, 1971 muhtırası ve 12 Eylül 1980 darbesinin ardından gerilemeye giren politik tiyatro eski verimini kaybetmiş gibi görünmektedir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Politik tiyatro, Siyasi olaylar, Halk tiyatrosu, Tanzimat Dönemi, II. Meşrutiyet, Cumhuriyet, 1971 muhtırası, 1980 darbesi
Abstract
The Development of Political Theatre in Turkey
The use of political subjects in Turkish theatre is first observed in theatre-in-the-round in folk drama. As political theatre makes progress during the Tanzimat Reform Era in Turkey, it gains importance with transition periods such as the proclamation of the Turkish Republic and the development of the multi-party system. It was in the 1950s and 1960s when social unrest was unignorable that works of political theatre were most written. The development of political theatre depends on the political events of the period in which it is produced. For instance, while plays written in the Tanzimat Reform Era and the Period of Autocracy depict the oppression of Sultan Abdülaziz, the liberation of art is reflected in the works produced during the Second Constitutional Era. Following this period, political theatre displays the transition period experienced by a divided society with the declaration of the Republic. In the political theatre of the 1950s and 1960s, civil unrest resulting from social disorder is in the foreground. Although some theatre groups still continue dealing with political issues in our day, political theatre, which has regressed after 1971 memorandum and 1980 coup d’etat, seems to have lost its former efficiency.
Key Words: Political theatre, Political events, Folk drama, Tanzimat Reform Era, Second Constitutional Era, Republic, 1971 memorandum, 1980 coup d’etat
agoraphobia as a psychological disorder as
observed in the women characters of British
playwright Sue Townsend’s issue-based play
Bazaar and Rummage (1982). The depiction
of three agoraphobic women in a context
characterised by patriarchal dominion
constitutes the core of Townsend’s play.
Although their problematic condition is
presented rather comically, from their
accounts, it seems apt to argue that societal
oppression is the reason for their longlasting
seclusion and constant fear of the
outside world. The play offers a rummage
sale as an opportunity for women to step
outside and conquer their fear. Accordingly,
in terms of presenting the psychological
condition of women characters and
associating the possible solution to their
problem with a market occasion,
Townsend’s play illustrates an example of
feminist criticism. In this study, the play’s
analysis is based on the 1980s context
dominated by Thatcher politics, and
Townsend’s portrayal of agoraphobia is
discussed as a criticism of her society in
which patriarchal hegemony plays a central
role in women’s forced confinement.
Keywords: David Hare, Fanshen, land reform, Chinese Revolution, socialism, working class
Türk tiyatrosunda politik olayların konu edilmesi ilk kez halk tiyatrosundaki orta oyunlarında görülür. Ülkemizde Tanzimat Dönemi’nde gelişme gösteren politik tiyatro, çağdaş edebiyatımızda Cumhuriyet’in ilanı ve çok partili sisteme geçiş gibi siyasi dönem değişiklikleri ile birlikte önem kazanır. Toplumsal sorunların öne çıktığı 1950 ve 60’lı yıllar ise politik tiyatro örneklerinin en çok görüldüğü yıllardır. Politik tiyatronun gelişimi, oyunların yazıldığı dönemde ülkede yaşanan siyasi olaylara bağlıdır. Örneğin Tanzimat ve İstibdat Dönemi’nde Sultan Abdülaziz baskısından söz eden oyunlar yazılırken II. Meşrutiyet yıllarında, sanatın özgürleştiği ortam eserlere yansır. Bu dönemin ardından, Cumhuriyet’in ilanıyla beraber politik tiyatro, ikiye bölünmüş bir toplumun yaşadığı geçiş sürecini gözler önüne serer. Ülkemiz için politik tiyatronun en önemli yılları olan 1950 ve 1960’larda ise toplumsal düzensizlikten duyulan rahatsızlık ön plandadır. Günümüzde de hâlâ politik tiyatroyla ilgilenen gruplar olmasına rağmen, 1971 muhtırası ve 12 Eylül 1980 darbesinin ardından gerilemeye giren politik tiyatro eski verimini kaybetmiş gibi görünmektedir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Politik tiyatro, Siyasi olaylar, Halk tiyatrosu, Tanzimat Dönemi, II. Meşrutiyet, Cumhuriyet, 1971 muhtırası, 1980 darbesi
Abstract
The Development of Political Theatre in Turkey
The use of political subjects in Turkish theatre is first observed in theatre-in-the-round in folk drama. As political theatre makes progress during the Tanzimat Reform Era in Turkey, it gains importance with transition periods such as the proclamation of the Turkish Republic and the development of the multi-party system. It was in the 1950s and 1960s when social unrest was unignorable that works of political theatre were most written. The development of political theatre depends on the political events of the period in which it is produced. For instance, while plays written in the Tanzimat Reform Era and the Period of Autocracy depict the oppression of Sultan Abdülaziz, the liberation of art is reflected in the works produced during the Second Constitutional Era. Following this period, political theatre displays the transition period experienced by a divided society with the declaration of the Republic. In the political theatre of the 1950s and 1960s, civil unrest resulting from social disorder is in the foreground. Although some theatre groups still continue dealing with political issues in our day, political theatre, which has regressed after 1971 memorandum and 1980 coup d’etat, seems to have lost its former efficiency.
Key Words: Political theatre, Political events, Folk drama, Tanzimat Reform Era, Second Constitutional Era, Republic, 1971 memorandum, 1980 coup d’etat
Lear’s Daughters marginalises the former protagonist King Lear by presenting him offstage and prioritises his imaginary wife instead who is absent in the original play. As the title also suggests, in this rewriting, the emphasis is not on Lear who is just a lecherous imperfect father, but on his three daughters who suffer from parental neglect. The male protagonist of the original work is reduced to a lesser degree, and his daughters are not responsible for his tragedy any more. Feinstein reinforces her feminist stance by eliminating the male characters, making the Fool an androgynous character, and making the daughters and Lear’s wife the new protagonists. Lear’s Daughters deals with the problem of gender inequality as well as protesting the social and economic deterioration during the Thatcher period. Accordingly, this paper argues that Elaine Feinstein, as a feminist playwright, brings together both social and political critique concerning women by implicitly criticising Thatcher’s policies; hence contemporising the issue of women’s subordination in Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Keywords: Elaine Feinstein, Women's Theatre Group, Lear’s Daughters, Shakespeare, King Lear, Feminism, Patriarchy, Rewriting, Thatcher.
Keywords
Shakespeare, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Edward Bond, Arnold Wesker, Howard Barker, Lear, The Merchant, Gertrude-The Cry, re-writing, adaptation
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