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Research Paper | Literature | Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026 | Pages: 453 - 457 | Iraq
Enacting Trauma in Caryl Churchill?s Blue Heart
Abstract: This paper examines the representation of trauma in Caryl Churchill?s Blue Heart (1997), focusing on trauma as both dramatic structure and linguistic collapse. After World War II, the concept of trauma has taken an essential part in English drama. Postmodern playwrights utilize different forms of trauma (historical, psychological, structural, and collective) to represent the inexpressibility of trauma. They utilize theatrical techniques such as non-linear temporality, and fragmented narrative to achieve this goal. Drawing on Sigmund Freud?s concept of repetition compulsion and the trauma theories of Cathy Caruth, and Dominik LaCapra, the study explores how Churchill transforms trauma from a thematic concern into theatrical form. Through the repetitive structure of Heart?s Desire and the progressive breakdown of language in Blue Kettle, Churchill enacts psychological trauma rather than merely describing it. The analysis demonstrates that fragmentation, repetition, and linguistic disruption function as dramatic strategies that embody the traumatic experience and challenge conventional narrative coherence.
Keywords: Caryl Churchill, Trauma Theory, Repetition Compulsion, language collapse, Postmodern Drama, Blue Heart
How to Cite?: Alaa Radhi Makki, "Enacting Trauma in Caryl Churchill?s Blue Heart", Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 453-457, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26601202532, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26601202532