DEHUMANIZATION IN SARAH KANE'S POSTMODERN PLAYS

Abstract

Postmodernism explores society’s perspective on stereotypes and ways in which cultural aspects evolve in a globalized world. It focuses on human experience in different forms by taking its motives from historical and societal issues. Postmodernism in drama is based on postmodern philosophy which originated in Europe in the twentieth century. Postmodern theatre, also known as the new theatre, is a reaction against modernist drama. It makes the audience question and evaluate the differences between reality and art. It dwells on the idea that there is no ultimate truth. Plays written in this mode of drama involve images and allusions, and the audience plays an important role, involving in the performance. Moreover, postmodernist drama is innovative in terms of its technique and in defying social conventions. This paper aims to discuss Sarah Kane’s plays Blasted, Phaedra’s Love, Crave, and 4.48 Psychosis as postmodern plays in relation to dehumanization employed as a recurrent theme in the plays. Violence, rapture, alienation, exploitation, and frustration are some of the themes Sarah Kane explores in the above-mentioned plays. This paper argues that Kane considers theatre an instrument to exhibit the ugly images of life. Kane’s plays portray hideousness of life in tandem with the use of postmodern theatrical elements.