Merdivenler ve Ormanlar: Tennessee Williams’ın Oyunlarında Varoluşsal Bir Metafor Olarak Mekân ve Dekor

Year 2024, Issue: 62, 65 - 87, 30.12.2024

Hysni Kafazi

Abstract

Tennessee Williams, “plastik tiyatro” adını verdiği kavram altında, dramanın ayrılmaz bir parçası olarak mekanın ve dekorun önemini vurgular. Williams’ın mekân kullanımı ve “screen device” olarak adlandırılan belirli yöntemler, Brecht ve Sartre tarafından dramanın önemli bir unsuru olarak kabul edilen mesafenin etkili bir şekilde gerçekleşmesini sağlar. Williams’ın yaklaşımı güçlü bir varoluşçu anlayışı yansıtır. Mekân ve dekoru etkileyici bir şekilde kullanıp bu anlayışı izleyiciye aktarır, dolayısıyla dramatik metni ve diyaloğu tamamlar. Williams’ın mekanı sahnenin sınırlı alanını aşan bir araç olarak gördüğünü göze alarak, bu makalede yazarın mekan ve dekorlarındaki en önemli unsurlarından bazıları ile sembolizm, mekansallık ve varoluşçuluk açısından önemleri ele alınmaktadır. Devamında, bu mekan setlerinden bazı örnekler analiz edilmektedir: özgürlük temasını tasvir eden orman sembolleri (Suddenly Last Summer, 1958), hem mevcut durumlarına hem karar alma sorumluluğuna ve geleceğin belirsizliğine yönelik ıstırabı gösteren izole mekanlar (The Two-Character Play, 1979). Bu durumlara bir yanıt olarak, merdiven imgesi Williams’ın oyunlarında, özellikle The Glass Menagerie (1944), Stairs to the Roof (1947) ve Camino Real (1953) eserlerinde yaygınlaşır. Bu metinlerde kaçış, aksiyon ve hareket, gerçek yangın merdivenlerinden başlayarak, soyut ve karmaşık imgelere kadar değişen mekanlar aracılığıyla, varoluşçu benliğin bireyselliğini ortaya koymasının tek uygulanabilir çözümü olarak gösterilir.

Keywords

Tennessee Williams, plastik tiyatro, varoluşçuluk, insanlık durumu, merdivenler, hareket

Stairs and Jungles: Setting as an Existential Metaphor in Tennessee Williams’s Drama

Abstract

Tennessee Williams emphasizes the importance of setting as an integral part of drama under the concept of what he called “plastic theatre.” Williams’s use of settings and methods, such as the screen device, effectively establishes a sense of distance, which is also considered a crucial dramatic element by Brecht and Sartre. Williams’s approach reflects a strong existentialist understanding, which is conveyed to the audience, particularly using settings that complement the dramatic text and dialogue. Based on Williams’s notion of setting as a means that transcends the limited space of the stage, this article focuses on some of the most important stage elements in the playwright’s settings and their significance in terms of symbolism, spatiality, and existentialism. These sets include images of jungles to depict the thematic notion of freedom (Suddenly Last Summer, 1958) and isolated spaces to illustrate anguish towards the facticity of current situations, but also towards the responsibility of decision-making and the uncertainty of the future (The Two-Character Play, 1979). As a response to these situations, the image of stairs pervades Williams’s drama, especially in The Glass Menagerie (1944), Stairs to the Roof (1947), and Camino Real (1953). This article concludes that, in line with existentialist philosophy, escape, and movement are shown as the only viable solutions for the self to assert its individuality through settings that vary from literal fire escapes to abstract and complex images.

Keywords

Tennessee Williams, stairs, movement, plastic theatre, existentialism, human condition

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