A STYLISTIC APPROACH TO BRENDAN BEHAN’S THE HOSTAGE

Author (s) : S.Alamelu & R.Saraladevi, R.Vennila & P.Vasantha

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Abstract :
Beginning from the Irish Literary Theatre, which was founded in 1899, the concept of ‘Irishness’ deeply influenced the development of Irish Drama throughout the 20th Century. Indeed, theatre in Ireland has been a powerful tool in identifying and maintaining national consciousness, and the plays prove the importance attached to nationalism by Irish dramatists in the early 20th Century. Since theatre is the mirror of human life, the plays provide a detailed record of the changes and development of Irish society during and after the struggle for independence. The function of language in theatre is significant because language is the medium for all kinds of descriptions and criticism of the playwrights, and it is a tool for people to communicate with each other. Stylistics divide language into two; written language and spoken language. Written language is then divided into two; poetry and prose. However, theatre seems to be left out of this elementary classification. This might be because dramatic texts were written not to be read but to be staged, i.e. presented orally. Therefore, discourse analysis becomes useful at this point. In order to conduct a linguistic examination of dramatic texts, Searle’s Speech Act Theory, and Grice’s Cooperative Principle can be applied to the plays to define the style and also the purpose of the writers. At the turn of the 20th Century, nationalism was considered one of the most important elements of social life in Ireland, and the struggle for independence could be seen in many dramatic texts. However, in the course of history the view of nationalism has gone through some changes. Ireland’s main enemy was British oppression and the ongoing exploitation at the time of the establishment of Irish National Theatre. The new enemies of changing and developing Ireland became to be excessive nationalism, fanatical patriotism and religiosity which cause the repressive atmosphere in the country. Brendan Behan’s The Hostage is one of the plays in which we can see the changing attitude towards nationalism in Ireland in the second half of the 20th Century. A stylistic approach to Behan’s play will provide us a better understanding of this changing attitude along with its reasons within the scope of social and cultural circumstances of Ireland.

Keywords : Cultural circumstances of Ireland, Hostage

Conference Date : 17/09/2021

Pages : 258

Paper ID : IESMDT256