WARDA OR THE CONSTRUCTION/DESTRUCTION OF CHARACTER

Abstract

The character in a play produced by the playwright is created through several theoretical tendencies and several methods. In the research into drama throughout centuries it has been clear that neither plays nor characters can be defined simply. Within this scope where there are problems with definitions the characters created by Jean Genet are extraordinary, unique and disturbing. Of course each character in a play requires to be interpreted in a unique way; this study focuses on one of the playwright’s plays in which he delivers 96 characters and the character Warda, the woman of the streets that he concocts. This was not a random choice. Though examples of this are not present in his prose there are many examples of his use of women as an image in his dramatic works and we thought that this would serve as an example of the way Genet creates his characters. In choosing Warda, we believe that she holds an important place amongst his characters and is representative of a woman of the streets. In analyzing Warda we hope to provide an example of how Genet in his creation of characters scrapes the ‘id’ of a character and presents his audience with a mirage and incarnation thus explaining the playwrights’ conception of plays and drama.