Abstract:
This study aims to investigate and directorially apply Antonin Artaud's concept
of The Absolute in order to destabilise the victim/perpetrator binary between
the characters Beth and Jake in Sam Shepard's play text, A lie of the mind
(1986). Previous theoretical analyses of Beth and Jake in A lie of the mind
frame them as victims of their circumstances and as victims and perpetrators
of violence (Bottoms 1998:16). I will explore the violent relationship between
them in the context of the victim/perpetrator binary set up in the original play
and re-imagine this binary by creating a radical reinterpretation of the
relationship between the characters in a theatre production titled ? (2015). I
argue that a directorial treatment of The Absolute assists in destabilising the
victim/perpetrator binary present in Beth and Jake's relationship.
To reinterpret Beth and Jake's relationship, I explore René Girard's notions of
violence, victimisation, and scapegoating, as well as the Artaudian notions of
Cruelty, The Absolute, and the Theatre of Cruelty. I apply the Girardian
concepts and vocabulary to a reading of the relationship between Beth and
Jake. I also discuss the ways in which Artaud and Girard conceptually relate
to one another. I then provide a practical exploration within the framework of
the Theatre of Cruelty by creating an original production, ? (2015), in which
The Absolute facilitates the destabilisation of the victim/perpetrator binary that
exists between Beth and Jake. In ? (2015), the relationship between Beth and
Jake is reconceptualised and reinterpreted through taking cognisance of the
Artaudian-Girardian framework.
This dissertation concludes that Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty and the notion of
The Absolute are able to destabilise the victim/perpetrator binary between
Beth and Jake by replacing sexual desire in their relationship with
transcendental love, and reconstructing and reimagining their relationship
accordingly.
