An analysis of the historical influence in Sean O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy, focusing mainly on The Plough and The Stars, and The Shadow of a Gunman.

Abstract

This dissertation will critically analyse the historical influence in Sean O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy, focusing mainly on The Plough and The Stars and The Shadow of a Gunman. In focusing on these two plays, I will be concentrating on the 1916 Easter Rising, and the 1920 War of Independence, looking at the factual evidence supporting both these events, then using that evidence to analyse The Plough and The Stars and The Shadow of a Gunman. Furthermore, through this project I aim to address O'Casey's upbringing in Dublin and his involvement in Irish politics throughout the period 1900-1925, and use the information I find on both subjects, to analyse how they influenced The Plough and The Stars and The Shadow of a Gunman. This investigation will be carried out through qualitative research, analysing O'Casey's literature through in-depth textual analysis. In addition to this I will use the works of various critics such as James Moran, author of The Theatre of Sean O'Casey; Thomas Kilroy, author of Sean O'Casey; A collection of Critical Essays and James Simmons, author of Sean O'Casey; Modern Dramatists, to help develop the critical analysis of the historical influence in his work which is a necessary component in completing this dissertation. Through highlighting all of the above, this dissertation aims to gather a greater understanding of the role history played in O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy, paying particular attention to the influence it had in The Plough and The Stars and The Shadow of a Gunman.