문제극의 관점에서 본 에드워드 본드의 Summer 고찰

Abstract

This paper examines the three factors which inevitably make Edward Bond’s Summer a problem play on Nazism and socialist revolutions in Europe. The existing criticism on the play can be divided into three: that of comparing it with Shakespeare’s The Tempest; that of viewing it as a problem play; that of viewing it as an answer play. However, the first category tries to search for the common denominators based on misreading. The second category focuses either on one of the two main issues, that is, Nazism and socialist revolutions or on less comprehensive issues such as violence and World War II. The third category commits significant errors by overlooking the political problems caused by Xenia, German, David, and Ann. Marthe indicts Nazis who collaborated with bourgeoisie for their atrocities during World War II and justifies the achievements of the socialist revolution led by proletariat. Also, she emphasizes the importance of justice over mercy for the realization of the desirable society. However, Xenia fails to accept the dark reality concerning the past historic events, though she has two heated arguments with Marthe and listens to German’s narrative on Nazi collaboration with her family. German insists on his innocence by revealing no repentance after his narration that he joined in killing many citizens and deserted a great number of dead bodies on the sea during World War II.. Ann and David bid farewell to each other because of their own incompatible political values which they inherited from their own mothers. Therefore, Edward Bond’s Summer is definitely a problem play because it reveals that Xenia’s destructive hypocrisies, her biased history education of Ann, and German’s prejudiced Nazi values can be obstacles to the realization of the just societies in Eastern and Western Europe.