THE THEME OP PURITY IN CERTAIN PLAYS BY JEAN ANOUILH APPROVED Major Professor Minor Professor Direc 'Ac O A/ tcm&i en Lanf-cua Dean oft the Graduate"'School" :rx; Lowery, Norman S. , The* Thane of Furi by An. Certain Plays by Jean Anouilh. Kaster of Arts (French) » Kay, 19?1, 77 pp., bibliography, 55 titles. The problem dealt with in this discussion is the various aspects of the theme of purity in Le Voyageur sans bagage, Antigone, L'Alonette and Becker; ou 18Horeneur de Dieu, by the French playwright, Jean Anouilh. These particular works were chosen because the researcher has seen them performed or stage and finds them to be excellent examples of Anouilhan plays whose heroes are in search of purity. The purpose of this discussion is to clarify Anouilh*s concept of the search for purity and to shed light upon the various interpretations of a ~ the theme of purity in these four plays. The four plays are each assigned a chapter and are arranged chronologically. A somewhat informal explication le texte method is employed to study each play with particular emphasis on the theme of puritj as it appears throughout the text. This method allows for a basically objective view of the work itself. Each protagonist hand3.es the search for purity in an individually interesting' manner and interprets purity with slight variations on the basic Anouilhan concept of it. Gaston in _Le Voyageur saris bagage sees his path to purity as an escape from his unpleasant past. Remaining pure is achieved by living one's ideals and by being true to one5 s self, Gaston achieves this purity by denying his past and by striving to guide his life according bo his ideals. Antigone, in Anouilh's version of Antigone, also em- phasises being true to one's self in her search for purity by breaking a law which she feels is unjust. Saying "no" to this law and to the authority -which created it, Antigone thus remains pure and, like Gaston, lives her own ideals. In L'Alouette, Jeanne d'Arc strives to be faithful to herself through total dedication to God. During her trial she refuses to compromise as the English judges would Hire for her to do. The techniques of flashback and a play within the play furnish fascinating insights into the character of Anoui1h1s J eanne. Finally, Thomas Becket tries to defend God's honor and his own during his search for purity in Becket ou 1'Honneur de Dieu. When he becomes Archbishop of Canterbury,. Becket is faced with the conflict of wills—God's and the king's. In his attempt to remain true to God, or pure in the Anouilhan sense, Becket refuses the king's demands. Each protagonist herein studied interprets purity in his own way. In general, purity represents that part of human nature which has not yet been tainted by such exterior elements as money and unjust authority. In each case, the Anouilhan protagonist holds tenaciously to his ideals in an attempt to retain his innocence. 3 This discussion concludes that Anouilh uses the theme of purity to attack such social ills as money, degeneration of the family, injustice, and hierccracy. Anouilh portrays the fight for purity as providing stimulation and varying degrees of satisfaction to his characters even though they do not attain perfection. THS 0? ?UtilT Y III CERT AIN PLAYS BY JEAN ANOUTLK THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements i-'or the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By Norman E. Lowery, B. A, Denton, Texas May, 19?1 PREFACE The Theme of Purity in Certain Plays by Jean Anouilh is a study of the search for purity as seen in Le Voyageur sans baggage, Antigone, LfAlouette, and Becket cu 11 Honneur de Dieu, where the leading characters reject such aspects of the human condition as family life, religion and au- thority in an attempt to remain pure. This rejection is an important and interesting aspect of the contemporary theater and warrants consideration and study by those in- terested in the works of Anouilh. He has dealt with the theme of purity in various ways and in divers plays. The four plays studied herein have been seen in theater pres- entations by the researcher and are good examples of' Anouilh's treatment of the theme. Other students of Anouilh might find different plays to be the best representatives of the theme of purity, but these four are the more illus- trative of this theme of the ten works that the researcher has seen performed on stage. The following chapters treat the four plays in chron- ological order tracing the character development of each protagonist and discussing those facts, persons and circum- stances which affect his plight as they relate to the major topic of this thesis. Only to strengthen, stress or clarify iii a point will reference sometimes be made to other plays by Anouilh which are not included in this study. The arrange- ment of the discussions of these plays as fche yappeared helps to demonstrate the development of the theme of purity and Anouilh1s interpretation of purity with respect to cultural and historical events. The designations of Sources Frequently Consulted and Other Sources have been assigned to the bibliographical material used in this study. The Sources Frequently Con" suited include those .references used extensively throughout the thesis in footnotes and quotations, including the four plays themselves. The Other Sources listed in the biblio- graphy have been consulted mainly for an overview or a general understanding of the Anouilhan theater. The articles by Jean Anouilh are to be considered informative biblio- graphical materials since they have provided a better understanding of Anouilh1s theories and views of the theater during the first half of the twentieth century. Several scholars have published extensive studies on the theater of Jean Anouilh, including Pol Vandrorome, Philippe Jolivet, and Hobert de Lupp£. But perhaps the most well- organized and comprehensive are The World of Jean Anouilh, by Leonard Cabell Pronko and Jean Anouilh; Poet of Pierrot and Pantaloon, by Edward Owen Marsh. It is hoped that this thesis will provide some additional light to the subject of purity iv and. may be of value to those persons interested In bhe Anoullhan theater. TABLE 0? CONTENTS Page PREFACE . . . . .. iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. GASTON1S SEARCH FOR PURITY IN LE VOYAGEUR SANS BAG AGE . . ~. T . ~ 10 III. ANOUILH'S ANTIGONE IN SEARCH OF PURITY . 2 ? IV. JEANN25S QUEST FOR PURITY IN L'ALOUETTE . k2 V. THOMAS ESCKST IN SEARCH OF PURITY 58 • • • VI. CONCLUSION 70 BIBLIOGRAPHY 7k vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Few airs the French theatergoers and readers today who do not enjoy the plays of Jean Anouilh and who do not esteem his dramatic art. This dramatist, whose far-ranging and divers subjects extend from the story of Joan of Arc in the play LsAIouette bo the plight of a World War I amnesiac in Le Vcyageur sans bagage, succeeds in interesting 'and exciting his spectators. He is likewise adept in taking historical subjects such as that of Thomas Becket in Becket ou 11Honneur de Dieu and modernizing them by way of language, tone and action so as to suit the mood and intellect of the twentieth- century theatergoer and reader. Only since World War II has Anouilh become known in the United States. His first play successfully performed in the United States was not until the appearance of Le It?;! (3-es voleurs in 195^. However, his success here has not matched that which he has received in Europe. His first successful presentation in New York City was followed by triumphant performances of L'Alouette in 1955 and Becket in I960. The latter was, in fact, such a success that, winning the Antoinette Perry Award, it was recognized as the test play of the 196C-61 season and was produced as a movie. In spite of such fame, ether plays by Anouilh which have