A Theatrical Presentation Of The Incest Theme In Antonin Artaud’s The Cenci

As the only “the theatre of cruelty” successfully staged during Antonin Artaud’s lifetime,The Cenci embodies many of his theoretical and manifesto visions.This paper will take the theme of incest in this work as the starting point,combine with stage movement records,theater reviews and other materials,and explain that in the stage practice of The Cenci,Artaud built a stage symbol system around two crimes against human nature,using various elements such as language,body movement and sound,in order to fully stimulate the audience’s senses.Through this,he transforms the traditional viewing of the two into a relationship of power and energy between two communities coalescing in the theater space,thus playing a ritualistic role of theater,trying to create a trance-like mental state in order to trigger a drastic change in the audience’s body and spirit in reality.The introductory section of this paper focuses on the rationale and background of the chosen topic,the creation of a work based on the events of the Cenci family before Artaud,and a brief explanation of the concept of “presence”.The current status and focus of Artaud studies in China and abroad are summarized,as well as research on the work The Cenci.The main part of the thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter reveals the diverse stage symbolic system constructed by Artaud and the unconventional perceptual experience it generates through a close reading and analysis of the script and stage movement,in terms of lines,movements,and sound.The second chapter focuses on transcending the traditional relationship of spectatorship in stage practice,where performance is not about creating a certain character,but about presenting the brutal power embedded in events on stage in a generative process.The audience leaves the individualized psychological experience and is transformed by this force as a “group”.On the one hand,in the process of generating power on stage,through the actor’s unreserved presentation and sacrifice of self and body,he shows the audience that life itself has an inseparable cruelty,and that this attribute is closely related to violence and suffering.On the other hand,as the taboo of incest is broken,the audience will recognize in the release of energy the instinctive desires that have long been repressed by the civilized order,and will then be awakened in a state of ritualistic ecstasy that will last and thoroughly affect the audience.This exploration by Artaud further inspired the pioneering dramatists of the1950 s and 1960 s,represented by Grotowski,Living Theater and others,to pioneer new developments in theatrical art.The theater artists of the late twentieth century increasingly hoped that theater could have a more profound impact on the audience through rituals in the real world outside the theater.At a time when theater art is facing the impact of new media art such as film and television,“presence” as the unique nature of theater that distinguishes it from other art forms has become the focus of exploration by Western dramatists,and Artaud is undoubtedly their pioneer,and the staging of The Cenci and its value,though controversial,fully reflects Artaud’s thinking about theater and theater art.