Sean O'Casey (1880-1964) was an Irish playwright who blended Realism and social commentary to create some of the most important Irish dramas of the twentieth century. As a politically active writer, O'Casey used his plays to give a voice to the working-class inhabitants of Dublin's poorest districts. He is noted for his ability to effectively use tragicomedy to highlight the important social issues of his time.
Tragicomedy is a literary genre that combines elements of tragedy and comedy. By juxtaposing such different tones, writers can inspire readers to both laugh and cry. Examples of tragicomedy include The Merchant of Venice (1598) and Waiting for Godot (1953).
The Life of Sean O'Casey
Early life
Sean O’Casey (1880-1864) was born in Dublin on March 30, 1880, into a Protestant family. As the youngest of thirteen, he was known by his birth name, John. When O’Casey’s father died during John's childhood, the family’s financial situation quickly deteriorated. They were forced to move from house to house around the slums of Dublin.
As a child, John suffered from ulcerated eyeballs. This affected his ability to learn, and after three years of formal education, he left school functionally illiterate. He taught himself to read and write, using texts by Shakespeare. This early exposure to classic literature would have a massive impact on young O’Casey. At fourteen, he entered the workforce, working a series of manual labor jobs before securing a position as a railwayman.
With a growing sense of class consciousness, O’Casey’s political ideology started to form around socialist and communist ideas. He was drawn to the rapidly growing Irish independence movement. During this period, Dublin was a hotbed of organizations that were building a new sense of Irish nationalism. This identity was rooted in aspects of Irish history, language, and culture and sought to win independence from the British Empire.
As an outspoken socialist and rabble-rouser, O'Casey refused to accept the rigid class system. He was fired from one of his first jobs as a newsboy for refusing to doff his cap to the paymaster.
Politicization
In 1906, he joined the Gaelic League and learned to speak Irish. He changed his name from John to the Gaelicized version, Sean. As the question of independence became more important in the political conversation, O’Casey saw the fight for workers' rights as central to the struggle. He began to write for a labor union newspaper and was openly critical of both British colonialism and the duplicity of religion in the oppression of the working class. During this time, he rejected organized religion and left the Protestant church.
By 1913, Dublin was a city on edge, as conditions for the working poor deteriorated, and labor unions and political radicals called for revolution. The Dublin Lockout was a widespread strike called by workers to protest low wages and unsafe work conditions. The wealthy Dublin Corporation employed the metropolitan police to violently break up the strike and suppress the workers. Galvanized by this brutal repression, O’Casey helped form the paramilitary group the Irish Citizen’s Army to defeat workers' rights.
During Easter week 1916, Dublin erupted in violence as Irish nationalist revolutionaries staged a coup. The Easter Rising saw militant groups seize key buildings in the city center in an attempt to form the independent Irish Republic. In the week-long battle that followed, the rebels fought against the British military in the streets of Dublin. Hundreds of people, including civilians, were left dead in the wake of the failed rebellion.
O’Casey was disgusted by the violence and loss of innocent life and how it seemed to disproportionately affect the city's working class. While he still supported the struggle for Irish independence, O'Casey rejected violent revolution and instead focused his political energy on writing.
Revolution in Ireland, 1916-1923
For centuries Ireland had suffered under British occupation. Without proper representation in the British government, Ireland was underdeveloped, with some of the highest rates of poverty in the British Empire. By the turn of the twentieth century, a growing sense of Irish nationalism led to calls to end the centuries of British occupation. A collection of Irish nationalist groups called for a renewed sense of Irish identity and complete independence.
In 1916, The Easter Rising saw a faction of Irish rebels attempt to establish a republic by military action. With little support amongst the general population, the attempt failed. In response, the British executed all of the Rising leaders to discourage future attempts. This action backfired as the executions generated a great deal of sympathy for the nationalist cause. Many people saw the dead leaders as martyrs.
Sean O'Casey saw the struggle for Irish independence as a class struggle. Pixabay.
The Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) saw the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fight a guerilla war against British forces throughout the country. The bloody conflict ended in a stalemate. A treaty was drawn up to grant the south of Ireland independence while the north would remain a British territory.
Many nationalists saw this compromise as a betrayal, and the IRA split between those into Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty factions. The Irish Civil War (1922-1923) was a short but bloody conflict that pitted former comrades against each other.
The 1916-1923 period in Ireland was a bloody and highly formative time in the country's history. Sean O'Casey lived in Dublin through this time and witnessed the daily struggles of ordinary people in extraordinary times. His most famous works capture the grim realities of war on the working class.
Literary Career
As the conflict raged in Ireland, O'Casey wrote poems and nationalistic ballads for the labor newspapers, at the same time attempting to write his first plays, including The Harvest Festival (1919). From 1918 to 1923, he unsuccessfully submitted several plays for production at Dublin’s distinguished Abbey Theatre.
In 1923, the Abbey accepted O'Casey's play, The Shadow of a Gunman. This tragicomedy, set during the Irish War of Independence, was the first installment of what would be become known as the Dublin Trilogy. O'Casey quickly followed it with Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926). In each play, O'Casey blended the fight for Irish independence with a deep sense of class politics by presenting the perspective of characters from Dublin's working class.
The Dublin Trilogy was considered groundbreaking because it explored the impact and outcome of the violent conflicts that Ireland had just emerged from. O'Casey unflinchingly depicts the real cost of war on the working class and exposes the limitations of patriotic idealism. The plays were highly successful and lucrative but also courted controversy. During one of the early performances of The Plough and the Stars, the audience was so outraged by the play's content that a riot ensued.
The Abbey Theatre is one of Ireland’s most illustrious cultural institutions. Founded in 1904 by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), the theater fostered many of the country's most renowned playwrights, including George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and John Milton Synge (1871-1909). Many of Ireland's most famous plays were staged for the first in the Abbey Theater before being produced on New York's Broadway and London's West End.
Sean O'Casey developed his talent at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Pixabay.
When the Irish Free State was established, the new government realized how vital this institution was and granted the Abbey a government subsidy to produce works of cultural importance. The Abbey was the first theatre to receive such an endowment in the English-speaking world. It is now known as the National Theatre of Ireland.
W.B Yeats was a dominant figure in the Abbey Theatre during O’Casey’s career. As a founder, he held power in deciding which plays were staged. Yeats did not like the experimental nature of O’Casey’s The Silver Tassie (1929) and rejected the work in a scanting letter.
In 1926, O'Casey started to enjoy international success as Juno and the Paycock was staged in London’s West End to positive reviews. O’Casey received the Hawthornden Prize in literature. He left Ireland for the first time and moved to England. In 1927, O'Casey met and married a young actress named Eileen Reynolds.
After the success of his Dublin Trilogy, O’Casey’s work became increasingly experimental. In 1929, the Abbey Theatre rejected The Silver Tassie as being too abstract. W.B Yeats' rejection letter was particularly cutting to O'Casey, who responded with a vicious written attack that damaged his reputation and limited his ability to secure funding for later productions.
Exile and death
Throughout the rest of his career, O’Casey struggled to find success as he dabbled in the Expressionist style with Red Roses for Me (1943), and his works focused on overtly political themes. O'Casey's commitment to antifascism and communist ideals came to the forefront of his later plays. Many critics consider his latter works heavy-handed in their messaging and the trademark wit and humor that made his earlier works so vital.
Some suggest O'Casey lived in self-imposed exile in England, as he never again returned to Ireland after leaving in 1926. He did remain concerned about his homeland. As a committed anti-clerical he used later works like the Bishop's Bonfire (1955) to satirize the Catholic Church's control over Irish society.
In later life, as O'Casey's plays were being staged around the world, he focused on writing his life story in the six-volume collection Autobiography (1963). On September 18, 1964, O'Casey died at the age of 84.
Family
After moving to England in 1927, O’Casey married Irish actress Eileen Carey Reynolds. The couple had two sons, Brion and Niall, and one daughter, Shivaun. Shivaun runs an international theatre troupe called the O’Casey Theater Company which specializes in contemporary productions of O’Casey’s plays.
Sean O'Casey's Writing Style
Sean O’Casey is remembered for his ability to blend Realism with social commentary. As a committed socialist, O'Casey used his writing to showcase the real lived experiences of the inhabitants of the Dublin slums. His most famous works depict ordinary people facing daily struggles of poverty and repression. However, O'Casey does not seek to romanticize their experience. Many characters are shown struggling with alcoholism, domestic abuse, and depression. By exploring these taboo topics, O'Casey sought to highlight the plight of the working poor and affect social reform.
Initially, his early works sought to bolster the Irish independence movement, but he soon grew skeptical of the Irish society that emerged after the revolution. Later in his career, O’Casey’s socialist ideology increasingly came to the forefront of his work as he focused on works depicting the struggle of workers against capitalistic oppressors. O'Casey was also a vocal opponent of organized religion and saw religion as dividing the working class.
O'Casey was noted for his ability to balance humor and tragedy. Pixabay.
O'Casey was considered a master of dialogue. His characters are everyday people in real situations using real language. He captures the accent and dialect of the Dublin slums to portray characters who face dark times with humor. They are often blessed with the gift of gab which they use to blend humor and commentary with deep insights. They dream big but are often frustrated by the limitations of reality.
This sense of gritty Realism often caused controversy, as O'Casey liberally used blasphemy and profanity to present the real voice of the people. His works are also noted for their extensive use of songs and ballads, which match the musical nature of the character's speech patterns.
O'Casey's work is noted for his use of ballads and patriotic songs. The musicality of O'Casey's work led to Juno and the Paycock being adapted into the Broadway musical Juno (1959).
Sean O'Casey's Famous Works
Sean O'Casey was a prolific playwright with dozens of published works. Here are a few of some of his most popular plays.
The Harvest Festival (1919)
The Harvest Festival is O'Casey's earliest surviving play. One of the many works rejected by the Abbey Theatre before his initial success, this three-act play is set in a Dublin city church in 1913. As the riots and violence of the Lockout rage across the city, a group of characters gathers to prepare for the annual Harvest Festival. O'Casey uses the setting to explore the tensions among the working poor and the hypocrisy of religious zealotry. The play was published in the USA in 1979.
The Shadow of a Gunman (1923)
This tragicomedy about mistaken identity is set during the Irish War of Independence. When a poet named Donal Davoren is mistaken for an IRA gunman, a series of errors and misunderstandings lead to the play's tragic climax. The play explored the brutality of the Irish War of Independence and the callous nature of all sides involved. Although O'Casey was committed to the cause of Irish independence, he did not seek the cost of patriotism. The play showcases O'Casey's ability to balance the tragic nature of war with the comical absurdities of everyday life in the Dublin slums.
Juno and the Paycock (1924)
Juno and the Paycock is O'Casey's most popular work. This three-act play is set in against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War. It follows the misfortunes of the Boyle family as they deal with the crushing reality of the poverty, alcoholism, and violence that make up daily life in the Dublin slums. Once again, O'Casey was unflinching in his portrayal of the true cost of war. Characters are broken and traumatized by the fighting; they question the usefulness of ideology when it comes to feeding a family.
O'Casey's work often deals with specifically Irish themes; audience members may not always be aware of the historical and political context of the action. However, Juno and the Paycock was successfully staged for audiences worldwide mainly due to its universal themes of class struggle and dysfunctional family dynamics.
In the play's title, The word paycock reflects how the word “peacock” is pronounced in a Dublin accent.
The Plough and the Stars (1926)
The Plough and the Stars is the final installment of the Dublin Trilogy dealing with the events of the Easter Rising in 1916. As with previous installments, O'Casey focuses on a cast of working-class characters. Acts I and II of the play are set in November 1915 as a group of revolutionaries meet to discuss their dedication to the cause of Irish independence. Acts III and IV cover the tragic events of Easter week, dealing with the death and destruction which rocked Dublin.
The play's name comes from a flag used by Irish socialists known as the Starry Plough. The flag represents the importance of labor and the worker in all revolutions.
O'Casey was concerned with how the working class was disproportionally affected by the struggle for independence and raised important questions about the country's future.
The play was controversial in its inception. Even before it was staged, O'Casey faced censorship due to his liberal use of blasphemous and profane language. The inclusion of a prostitute character also incensed the conservative Catholic society of the time. Finally, the play was being staged as the memories and experiences of the War of Independence and Civil War were still fresh. Many audience members were involved or had been affected by the events of the Easter Rising.
After the first few opening nights, word about the play spread through Dublin. Political protestors infiltrated the audience. In Act II, the prostitute character quotes one of the leaders of the Easter Rising. Upset that O'Casey was disrespecting the memory of their leader, the protestors rioted and forced the play to shut down.
Sean O'Casey Quotes
Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis – Juno and the Paycock.
The play's final line is a prime example of O'Casey's ability to capture the musical lilt of the Dublin accent. By presenting dialogue as it would have been actually spoken, O'Casey captured a sense of realism in his plays.
Comedy and tragedy step through life together, arm in arm, all along, out along, down along lea. A laugh is a loud echo of a sigh, a sigh the faint echo of a laugh. – The Green Crow
In this collection of O'Casey's essays and recollections, he explains the deep connection between sorrow and joy. O'Casey's most famous works are tragicomedies that explore the gap between fantasy and the reality of everyday life in the slums.
There’s no reason to bring religion into it. I think we ought to have as great a regard of religion as we can, so as to keep it out of as many things as possible. – The Plough and the Stars
As a lifelong socialist, O'Casey had a deep hatred of organized religion. He saw religion as divisive and damaging to the struggle to unite the working class. The Ireland of O'Casey's time was deeply Catholic and highly conservative. Feeling limited by this oppressive atmosphere, O'Casey spent the second half of his life in exile.
That’s the Irish all over – they treat a joke as a serious thing and a serious thing as a joke. - The Shadow of a Gunman
O'Casey was committed to the cause of Irish nationalism but also felt that no topic should be off-limits for humor. Witnessing the violence of the revolutionary period in Ireland had a profound effect on O'Casey. Unable to fully condone or romanticize the revolution, he instead wrote plays that showed the real cost of patriotism.
Sean O'Casey - Key takeaways
- Sean O'Casey is an Irish playwright known for his realistic depictions of life in the slums of Dublin.
- O'Casey's work is noted for its mixture of Realism and political ideals.
- O'Casey was motivated by Irish nationalism and socialism; his works deal with the experiences of everyday people.
- O'Casey's most famous work is Juno and the Paycock.
- O'Casey is famous for his witty dialogue and ability to balance tragedy and comedy.
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