The Stronger (1889)

Details of the performance of Strindberg's 1889 play, 'The Stronger'

The University of Glasgow

 

Directors / adaptors

Erica Kate O’Neill

Abraham Parkerclare

Cast

Agent X – Esther Bain

MX – Sinead Linsley

Agent Y – Olga Silkina

MY – Imogen Stirling

The Stronger explores the power struggle evident in human psychology, addresseing the ‘Woman Question’ and confronting the audience with timeless themes. Researching the presence of female agency in Strindberg’s plays, we examined the text of The Stronger and identified the key themes of betrayal, infidelity and hierarchy working within a masculine hegemonic society.

Opposing critical assumptions of the misogyny evident in Strindberg’s plays, we explored the roles of the women acting within the confines of this society and discussed whether the female characters in his plays have their own autonomy.

The women present on stage are representative of fragments of one character’s mind. While some parts are incapable of action and controlled by their persona’s ‘agents’, others are capable of speech and autonomy facing the climactic confrontation of a destabilised relationship.

Document
The Stronger script (22.58 KB / DOCX)
Document
The Stronger discussion (15.22 KB / DOCX)