Abstract
The first staging of Martin McDonagh’s play The Beauty Queen of Leenane received extreme praise and box-office success, but this accomplishment was overshadowed by some contradictory comments regarding the playwright’s attitude towards Irish identity and culture. This study aims to argue that the Irish-born dramatist engages with the grotesque conventions while depicting the image of native land, culture, and societal norms. In order to achieve this, our study reveals the ways in which McDonagh’s play interacts with the myth of Atrides, Wolfgang Kayser’s notion of grotesque, Mikhail Bakhtin’s concepts of carnivalesque and grotesque, as well as Julia Kristeva’s state of abject, which are used by the playwright to expose the societal anxieties related to the issues of identity, motherhood, emigration, and rootedness. Eventually, in the collision between mythical matrix and the grotesque depictions, McDonagh raises the spectators’ awareness of the necessity of some individual and societal reforms.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.