Violence and Love in the Theatre of Sarah Kane

Sarah Kane was a figure of undeniably importance for British theatre during the 1990s, being considered by a great deal of scholars as one of the leading voices of the “In-Yer-Face Theatre” movement, which, despite its short life in mainstream theatre, helped to reinvigorate a declining mainstream theatrical scene. Although her career ended prematurely due to her suicide in 1999, Kane stands as the prime author of the movement, representing the best of what the “New Brutalists” generation had to offer to theatre. Moreover, Kane is now viewed as even more than just that; the connection that her dramas create with past theatrical traditions and authors and the pursuit to innovate the theatrical form make her a far more ambitious character to investigate into. The aim of this thesis is to analyse Kane’s theatrical production, focusing on two thematic aspects of her theatre. The first chapter will refer to violence, which will be analysed through different forms that it takes, and the meaning behind them, in Kane’s dramas. In the second the theme of love will be discussed and how its presence signifies a source of both pain and catharsis for the characters.