Kateb Yacine’s Le Cadavre encerclé (1954) and Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars (1926): Interpreting Commitment and Revolution

Abstract

The present research paper falls within Comparative Literature. It aims to compare the Algerian playwright Kateb Yacine’s Le Cadavre encerclé (1954) and the Irish playwright Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars (1926). Our major interest in this research paper is to explore the literary affinities between these plays and to analyse their depiction and interpretation of revolution as experienced by both playwrights’ countries, namely Algeria and Ireland. The discussion is organized in three chapters. The first chapter explored the issue of commitment through the lens of Brecht’s theory on Epic Theatre. Our focus is on the characters that prove the political and cultural commitment of Kateb Yacine and Sean O’Casey. The second chapter is concerned with the Quest of Identity, in which we made reference to Stuart Hall’s conception of Identity. The third chapter is about the thematic examination of the selected plays. We focus on the authors’ interpretation of Revolution. The research results in bringing out some recurrent affinities between the two playwrights in their interpretation of Commitment and Revolution.