Rabe’s play is set in a Hollywood Hills house shared by the characters Eddie and Mickey, the place of their meetings with their friends Phil and Artie as well as with the female characters. Each of the four men has to find ways to meet the necessary requirements of Hollywood business, and to cope with the exigencies of human communication to which they are unaccustomed – in short: to deal with life.
The impact of this play lies in emotional and verbal aggression: the cathartic shock desired by Artaud’s ‘theatre of cruelty’ is reached by the excessive use of degradation and obscenities.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. HURLYBURLY'S MALE CHARACTERS
- 2.1 Eddie
- 2.2 Phil
- 2.3 Mickey
- 2.4 Artie
- 3. HOMOSOCIAL DESIRE
- 4. MASCULINE RELATIONSHIPS
- 4.1 Eddie and Phil
- 4.2 Eddie and Mickey
- 4.3 Mickey and Phil
- 4.4 Mickey and Artie
- 5. MALE BONDING RITUALS
- 5.1 Drugs
- 5.2 Women
- 5.3 Boasting
- 5.4 Aggression
- 6. SELF-ENACTMENT
- 7. THE VANITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTELLECT
- 8. CONCLUSIONS
- 9. REFERENCES
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes David Rabe's Hurlyburly, examining the portrayal of masculinity and male relationships within the context of 1960s American drama and the "New Realism" movement. The study explores how the characters interact, their coping mechanisms, and the underlying anxieties and desires that shape their interactions.
- Masculinity in crisis: exploring the complexities and contradictions of masculinity as depicted in the play.
- Male bonding and its rituals: analyzing the dynamics of friendship, competition, and aggression among the male characters.
- The impact of social pressures: examining how societal expectations influence the characters' actions and relationships.
- Emotional repression and its consequences: investigating the characters' struggles to express emotions and the resulting psychological effects.
- The use of aggression and violence: analyzing the different forms of aggression and their symbolic significance within the play's context.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. INTRODUCTION: This introductory chapter sets the stage for the analysis of David Rabe's Hurlyburly, situating it within the context of "New Realism" in American drama post-1960s. It highlights the play's use of realistic techniques to depict an everyday environment while incorporating surreal elements for an effect of alienation. The chapter also introduces Antonin Artaud's concept of the "Theatre of Cruelty" and its relevance to Rabe's work, focusing on emotional and verbal aggression rather than solely physical violence as a means of achieving catharsis. The chapter establishes the framework for understanding the play's unique blend of realism and alienation, emphasizing the emotional and psychological turmoil underlying the surface level interactions of the characters.
2. HURLYBURLY'S MALE CHARACTERS: This chapter introduces the four main male characters—Eddie, Phil, Mickey, and Artie—and their roles within the play's setting of a Hollywood Hills house. It sets the scene for examining their complex relationships and individual approaches to life within the context of the demanding environment of Hollywood. The chapter highlights that these characters, while seemingly successful in the superficial sense, grapple with profound dissatisfaction and a search for meaning amidst their cynicism. Each man's unique personality and struggles are briefly introduced as a prelude to further analysis in subsequent chapters.
3. HOMOSOCIAL DESIRE: [This section needs to be populated with content from the original text provided. No information on this chapter was included in the original text.]
4. MASCULINE RELATIONSHIPS: [This section needs to be populated with content from the original text provided. No information on this chapter was included in the original text.]
5. MALE BONDING RITUALS: [This section needs to be populated with content from the original text provided. No information on this chapter was included in the original text.]
6. SELF-ENACTMENT: [This section needs to be populated with content from the original text provided. No information on this chapter was included in the original text.]
7. THE VANITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTELLECT: [This section needs to be populated with content from the original text provided. No information on this chapter was included in the original text.]
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Masculinity, male bonding, American drama, New Realism, David Rabe, Hurlyburly, homosocial desire, aggression, emotional repression, Hollywood, alienation, masculine relationships, social pressure, cynicism.
David Rabe's Hurlyburly: A Comprehensive FAQ
What is this document?
This document provides a comprehensive preview of an academic paper analyzing David Rabe's play, Hurlyburly. It includes the table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords.
What is the focus of the academic paper?
The paper analyzes the portrayal of masculinity and male relationships in Hurlyburly within the context of 1960s American drama and the "New Realism" movement. It explores character interactions, coping mechanisms, and underlying anxieties and desires.
What are the key themes explored in the paper?
Key themes include masculinity in crisis, male bonding rituals, the impact of social pressures, emotional repression and its consequences, and the use of aggression and violence.
What are the main characters discussed?
The paper focuses on the four main male characters of Hurlyburly: Eddie, Phil, Mickey, and Artie. Their complex relationships and individual struggles are examined.
What is the structure of the paper?
The paper is structured into chapters: An introduction, a chapter introducing the male characters, chapters exploring homosocial desire, masculine relationships, male bonding rituals, self-enactment, the vanity of language and intellect, conclusions, and references.
What aspects of male bonding are examined?
The paper analyzes the dynamics of friendship, competition, and aggression among the male characters, including their use of drugs, women, boasting, and aggression as bonding rituals.
What is the significance of "New Realism" in the context of this analysis?
The paper situates Hurlyburly within the context of "New Realism" in post-1960s American drama, highlighting the play's use of realistic techniques while incorporating surreal elements.
How does the paper incorporate Antonin Artaud's ideas?
The paper connects Artaud's "Theatre of Cruelty" to Rabe's work, focusing on the use of emotional and verbal aggression as a means of achieving catharsis.
What are some of the keywords associated with this paper?
Keywords include Masculinity, male bonding, American drama, New Realism, David Rabe, Hurlyburly, homosocial desire, aggression, emotional repression, Hollywood, alienation, masculine relationships, social pressure, and cynicism.
Which chapters lack content in this preview?
The preview lacks content for chapters 3 (Homosocial Desire), 4 (Masculine Relationships), 5 (Male Bonding Rituals), 6 (Self-Enactment), and 7 (The Vanity of Language and Intellect). This content is presumably found in the full academic paper.
- Quote paper
- Volker Lorenz (Author), 2006, Male bonding in David Rabe’s "Hurlyburly", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/93549
