The Influence of Irish Plays on the Formation of Modern Korean Theatre in Intercultural Characteristics

Abstract

This essay examines the characteristics and meaning of modern theatre in Korea during the 1920s-30s, tracing the historical background and the playwrights’ works in the period especially focusing on the influence of the Irish plays on Korean modern theatre in terms of interculturalism. First, by examining the influence of Irish plays on the development of the Korean modern theatre, I argue that there is a very important difference between the attitudes of Korean intellectuals and other Asian intellectuals in accepting the Western modern theatre. And I also look at the influence of the Irish playwrights in the works of Yu Chi-Jin and Ham Se-deok. Deeply interested in the Dramatic Movement in Ireland, they utilized in their works the dramatic features and the dramaturgy of John Millington Synge and Sean O’Casey. This essay studies the reception of Irish plays by the Korean playwrights and their response to the political and social value of that time as well.