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A Shift to the Margins: Sean O’Casey’s Role in the Abbey Theatre
Dr Hari Prasad
Abstract:
An Irish author and dramatist, Sean O’Casey, gained popularity as the fervour of Irish political and social movements progressed in Dublin; various empowering movements and agitations erupted, aligning a socio-political upheaval during the early 20th century. He is particularly renowned for his Dublin Trilogy, a series of three plays that vividly portray life in Dublin, Ireland, during a tremendous social and political upheaval period. He had a complex relationship with the ideological perspectives on Irish marginal communities, particularly during the early 20th century. His works often discovered the lives of the marginalised and working-class people in Ireland, particularly in the Dublin slums. His perspectives evolved over time, and his writings reflected a mixture of social, political, and artistic viewpoints. Here are some critical aspects of his ideological perspectives on Irish marginal communities. The trilogy named The Shadow of a Gunman” (1923), Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars are treated as the testimony to his creative endeavours on the Irish theatrical and literary canvas. The depiction of the lives of the working class led them towards social and political issues of the time. Craftily projected characters often contended with poverty, violence, and the complexities of Irish nationalism, making his works reflect the turbulent period in Irish history.