Around this time every year, I put together a mini syllabus of Gothic works commonly read in schools. If you missed them in the past, be sure to go back and check out my original Back to School Reading List and my Back to School Reading List: Short Story Edition. This time, I wanted to tackle some theater! Check out the five plays below that bring the Gothic to the stage:
1) Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Though Shakespeare was writing a good few centuries before the Gothic literary movement of the late 1700s, several of his works can be considered proto-Gothics—particularly Macbeth. I’ve discussed this in more detail during my post on The Gothic in Shakespeare, but Macbeth displays many motifs that would later become core tropes of the Gothic novel. For example, one of its main settings is a medieval castle; it features ghosts that have returned to address past wrongs; there are witches with ominous prophecies; and Lady Macbeth prefigures later female villains, both of the femme fatale variety and the Madwoman in the Attic. Many later Gothic writers were strongly influenced by Macbeth, including the author of the very first Gothic novel, Horace Walpole.
2) Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe’s Faust is based on a German legend that predates the Gothic literary movement but perfectly suits the genre. The legend tells of Heinrich Faust, a scholar who grows frustrated with the limitations of his studies. He turns to dark magic and bargains away his soul to a devil named Mephistopheles in exchange for the devil’s services during his lifetime. Goethe’s version also features a tragic romance between Faust and a young woman named Gretchen, whose soul almost becomes lost, as well. Faustian bargains crop up in many later Gothic works, such as Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
3) Salomé by Oscar Wilde
This tragic play is perhaps taught less often than Wilde’s more popular comedy, The Importance of Being Ernest, but it’s definitely still worth a read. If you can, find a version of the play that includes Aubrey Beardsley’s iconic illustrations. Salomé is based on the Biblical story of the stepdaughter of King Herod Antipas, who demands the head of John the Baptist brought to her on a platter as a reward for her dancing prowess. In Oscar Wilde’s interpretation, Salomé is the ultimate femme fatale, using her sexuality to manipulate the king and bring about another man’s death. Wilde’s version is the first to describe Salomé’s performance as “the Dance of the Seven Veils,” which has since become synonymous with erotic dancing and is often interpreted as a striptease. Wilde’s Salomé is a prime example of the Orientalism that permeates Gothic literature.
4) The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Reading The Crucible is a popular way of learning about the Salem witch trials in many schools. Arthur Miller takes a few creative liberties with historical facts, but his play can still introduce students to the major figures and events during this important moment in American history. The Crucible takes John Proctor, one of those hanged for witchcraft, as its central protagonist. It depicts the mass hysteria of the young accusers and the fickleness of the townspeople who so easily turn against each other. Miller’s play, written in the 1950s, serves as an allegory for the McCarthyism of that era, when anyone suspected of Communism was persecuted.
5) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
Several of Tennessee Williams’ plays can be viewed as examples of Southern Gothic, particularly Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The play depicts a Mississippi family struggling with the impending death of their patriarch and the web of lies and deceit that they have created. Various members of the family try to keep Big Daddy from learning that he is dying from cancer. Meanwhile, the younger son Gooper tries to gain control of the family fortune and the older son Brick sinks into depression and alcoholism. Brick’s wife, Maggie, tries to repair their relationship and get him to have an active interest in their inheritance. As in much of Gothic literature, the play hinges on societal taboos: in this case, the taboos of homosexuality, death, and suicide. As a Southern Gothic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof uses Gothic themes to provide commentary on the society of the American South.
Have you read any of these works? Are they on your syllabus for the upcoming school year? What other Gothic plays do you recommend? Let me know in the comments!