Sabina Berman's play Heresy from The Agony of Ecstasy starts immediately with a scene involving interrogation, persecution and, of course, torture. Throughout the work, there are several familiar situations that could be compared to previous readings. Personally, I find quite a few similarities between "Heresy" and Miller's The Crucible; both plays involve subjects of accusation that are intangible and easily made, but are difficult to defend against and disprove. In The Crucible, accusations were made of witchcraft, while those in Heresy were made regarding beliefs and religion.
An example of persecution based on belief can be found on pages 135-136, involving a confrontation between Don Luis and Doña Isabel. As Doña Isabel shows disbelief regarding the existence of Jesus, Don Luis retaliates using physical violence (though not quite classified as "torture"), slapping her consecutively and grabbing her hair.
In addition to physical torture, Heresy also displays once again the power (and terror) of psychological torture. On page 156, Doña Francisca, as a result of not giving her interrogators what they wanted to hear, is carried out naked before all the prisoners in their cells. When she is forced to approach her son, she cannot bear for him to see her as she was. This situation directly parallels what happened to the prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Great analysis, Franz! I also found the idea of “spectral evidence “ and the intangibility of the accusation to be a significant theme between the two stories, Heresy and The Crucible. I believe that enforcing a common religion or belief amongst a group of people is especially problematic because of the nature of the request/command. Following the scene you mentioned where Don Luis physically abuses Doña Isabel, Don Luis says something particularly noteworthy: “I was born human. That’s all I know for certain. All the rest has been attributed to me by others…And if the devil was the god governments ordered, I’d pray to the devil” (136). In this line, Don Luis reveals that his motivation for converting into Catholicism is not because he truly believes in the Catholic faith, but for political and economic reasons (and the threat of torture if he were to be anything other than Catholic). It seems that the reasons for being Catholic include everything besides being a true believer. However, as intangible and trivial religious belief seems to actually be, the inquisitors are able to use this fact to their advantage and force people to practice Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis Franz! There definitely are some parallels between Heresy and The Crucible. In each play, the citizens are forced into a certain way of living, they are being crushed by expectations. When any kind of free choice is shown that differs from the norm, i.e. witchcraft in The Crucible or not truly believing in Catholicism in Heresy, great punishments are bestowed upon the rule-breakers. These great punishments are usually what bring about the presence of the physical and psychological tortures you also spoke of. Focusing on Hersey, the stripping of Dona Francisca was definitely prime example of the psychological torture. Not only was she stripped of her clothing alone, she was also forced to be unclothed in front of her son, this action goes against so many of her personal beliefs, making the torture that much more prominent and effective. For the physical torture, it is thrust upon the audience within the first few pages of the play. An unnamed man is being tortured to tell them what the reader can assume would be his Jewish name. One belief that is not the status quo, and this is where he has ended up. It is the twisted truth a once cruel time.
ReplyDeleteI agree there are definitely elements of The Crucible in Sabina Herman's play. I think what is especially true about both is the idea of false confessions and "saving" oneself by confessing. It's interesting that both works revolve around religion as well. One would think religion is concerned with making sure truth is pursued but it is clear in both of these accounts, that is sometimes not the case. Rather, victims of these persecutions are encouraged to confess against "heresy". Therefore, this proves that truth can often be warped depending on who holds power at any given time.
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