Violence in Contemporary British Drama: Sarah Kane's play "Cleansed"

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• The theatrical background
• Sarah Kane's dramatic art
  • Kane's writing: similarities and points of difference in her plays
  • The interaction between realism and surrealism
  • The art of reduction
• A critical analysis of Cleansed
  • Form and content of the play
  • Themes
    • Love
    • Identity
      • Sexual identity
      • The incongruity of body and soul
    • Language
      • The word "lovely"
      • The struggle with language
      • The powerlessness of language
    • Imagery and symbolism
      • The element of flowers
      • The element of light
      • The image of blindness
  • The use and function of violence
    • Influences on Kane and her treatment of violence
    • Physical violence
      • Self-mutilation and suicide as extreme forms of physical violence
    • Verbal violence
      • Words as weapons
  • The spectator's role

  Objectives and Key Themes

  This study examines the use of violence in Sarah Kane's play Cleansed, analyzing its significance within the context of her overall dramatic oeuvre. The aim is to explore the various forms and functions of violence in Kane's work, particularly focusing on the interplay of physical and verbal violence, and its metaphorical implications.

  • The nature and function of violence in Sarah Kane's plays
  • The relationship between violence and themes of love, identity, and language in Cleansed
  • The impact of violence on the audience's experience and the role of the spectator
  • The metaphorical use of violence as a means of exploring complex psychological and emotional states
  • The influence of other dramatists on Kane's treatment of violence

  Chapter Summaries

  The Introduction provides an overview of Sarah Kane's life and work, highlighting her controversial approach to theatre and her distinctive style. It also sets the stage for the study's central question: the purpose and meaning of violence in her plays.

  The theatrical background section explores the context of Kane's work, examining the trends and influences that shaped the landscape of British drama in the 1990s.

  The chapter on Sarah Kane's dramatic art delves into her unique writing style, exploring the ways in which she blended realism and surrealism, employed the art of reduction, and challenged traditional theatrical conventions.

  The chapter focusing on Cleansed provides a detailed analysis of its form, content, and themes. It examines the play's exploration of love, identity, and language, highlighting the complex interplay of violence in these themes.

  The chapter on the use and function of violence in Kane's work delves into the specific forms of violence depicted in her plays, exploring the influences on her treatment of this subject and examining the motivations behind the use of physical and verbal violence.

  Keywords

  Violence, British drama, Sarah Kane, Cleansed, love, identity, language, metaphor, theatre, realism, surrealism, spectator, shock value, cruelty, theatrical conventions, In-Yer-Face Theatre.