Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Theme of Selfhood in 2 Plays

A recurring theme in literature involves the nature of the self as characters are shown delving into issues of selfhood, or identity. Selfhood is seen in relation to society and the degree of individuality allowed by a given society. Different literary styles may treat this issue in different ways. Realism is a literary style that implies a reality that is the same for everyone, and selfhood is sometimes seen in this approach as an illusion or as an ideological tool of the existing cultural system. However, this need not be the case, and indeed realism can be a strong criticism of the culture that is in place, holding out for the elevation of selfhood while commenting on the oppressive nature of the culture preventing the full development of selfhood. Both realism and non-realism in fiction can be utilized in service of this specific goal. Identity is often explored in terms of contrasting individual rights and responsibilities in a social setting. Sometimes the individual is celebrated over society, and at other times society is seen as the more important and as requiring more allegiance from every individual in it. The identity of the characters in both Six Characters in Search of an Author and Candide is explored in a social setting, and the characters are defined in terms of how they contrast with the norm in that social setting as well as by individual character traits.

An overtly non-realistic portrayal of society is seen in a play by Luigi Pirandello. Appearance versus reality is a theme that infuses Pirandello's play Six Characters in Search of an Author. The technique used by the playwright is extremely theatrical and has a long history--the play-within-a-play was used often by Shakespeare and can be found in the works of other major dramatists. The playwright often uses such a device to comment on the process of playwriting itself, showing within a performance of a play the act of creating and presenting

...

Page 1 of 8 Next >

More on Theme of Selfhood in 2 Plays...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Theme of Selfhood in 2 Plays. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:29, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690079.html