Madness at the Theatre - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1908020423 ISBN 13: 9781908020420

Publisher: RCPsych Publications, 2012

Synopsis

Madness at the Theatre studies the theatrical representation of madness from the classical Greek period through to the 21st century. Professor Oyebode charts the portrayal of madness by the world's great playwrights across the centuries and argues that whereas acts of madness are described but unseen in Greek drama, Shakespeare brought these behaviours to centre stage. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries aberrant behaviour was portrayed in domestic settings by Ibsen - theatrical madness became a family drama. Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill drew on their own families for their explorations of madness and addiction. Pinter's masterful use of the ambiguity of language finds strong echoes in the psychiatric clinic. Soyinka emphasised the social context - the personal malady as reflection of a greater malaise in society. Finally, Sarah Kane created plays that were the physical embodiment of her inner world. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the language of drama, the depiction of mental illness, and in the wider place of madness as a concept within society.

About this title

Book Description:

Madness at the Theatre studies the theatrical representation of madness from the classical Greek period through to the 21st century. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the language of drama, the depiction of mental illness, and in the wider place of madness as a concept within society.

About the Author:

Professor of Psychiatry, National Centre for Mental Health, University of Birmingham (UK). Also a poet and literary critic.

About this edition

• Publisher: RCPsych Publications
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1908020423
• ISBN 13: 9781908020420
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 110
• Editor: Oyebode Femi