Irishness In Sean O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy

Sean O'Casey is one of the greatest Irish dramatists in the Irish Literary Renaissance. His best-known works Dublin Trilogy, including The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and The Plough and the Stars, were created in Dublin slum dialect in the 1920s. They truly reflect the war-worn Ireland from Easter Rising in 1916 to the civil war in 1922. Since the premieres of Dublin Trilogy at the Abbey Theatre, they have gained great popularity in Ireland, as well as England and America, and have firmly established O'Casey's fame in English and American literary circles. However, most critics have focused their studies on the analysis and argumentation of tragic-comedy writing skill in Dublin Trilogy, ignoring O'Casey's thought on Irish culture. Through Lacan's"Mirror Stage Theory", this dissertation tries to study the Irishness reflected in Dublin Trilogy– the Irish national identity.Firstly, the third chapter of this dissertation analyzes the Irishness– the Irish national identity. The Irish are facing the crisis of national identity after nearly 800 years of British colonization. Since the rise of Irish nationalist movements, the Irish begin to search their national identity. However, the attitude of denying English, and returning to the ancient Celtic society is wrong and unrealistic, because the present Ireland is no longer the pure Celtic country due to the large-scale English transplantation in the 16th and 17th century. The Self and the Other relationship in Lacan's"Mirror Stage Theory"claims that the establishment of Self depends on the Other. Similarly, the national identity is formed in the process of contacts and conflicts with the outer cultures and outer nations. So, the Irishness is formed gradually in the course of communications and conflicts with England.The language of the Dublin Trilogy is discussed in the next chapter. Language is the key to define the concept of nation. The large quantity of songs and ballads in Dublin Trilogy represent the memory and history of Celtic ethnicity in Ireland. They are very beautiful and pleasant, but most of them have lost their vigor, and become the testification of Ireland's past glory. On the other hand, the British have spread English language in Ireland widely, while the Gaelic, which is the Celt's language, is dying. In fact, English has penetrated through every layer of Irish life. The Irish not only speak the anamorphic English with Irish accent every day, but also receive great influence from the English and English literature. So, the partition of Celt and English of Ireland advocated by the Irish extremist nationalist is unrealistic essentially.Finally, the fifth Chapter testifies the Irish / English double identity. The residents in Ireland are the descendants of Celts and English immigrants. Although they differ from religion and race: the Celt believing in Catholic and the Anglo Protestant, they have mixed together after hundreds of years'cohabitation. The ideal of a unitary Catholic country appealed by the extremist nationalist does not win the majority of the Irish. The Irish veteran Johnny's betrayal of his comrade in the civil war, and the historical records that the Dublin slum residents disproved the rebel army of Easter Rising, show most Irish people's standpoint, as well as their suspicion about the unitary Irishness. The characters in the Dublin Trilogy, including the members of Irish Republican Army, the masses in Dublin slum, and the Anglo-Irish, all hold the Irish / English double identity to some extent. Meanwhile, the Protestant Bessie's sacrifice in Dublin Trilogy proves that forgiveness and compassion among people could transcend the segregation of race and cleavage of religion. Tolerant and Multi-national Irishness are emphasized at the end of the plays. The dissertation also reveals that the double identity in the plays echoes with the ideology of O'Casey which is explained in the second part of the chapter. His Protestant-family background and working experience co-determine his Irish / English double identity.To sum up, the Celt and the English immigrants have mixed into each other after cohabitation for several hundred years. They are the Irish. The partition of Celt and English of Ireland is unrealistic, because the Irish hold the Irish / English double identity. Considering the pain and agony of war in Ireland, it is significant to acknowledge the Irish / English double identity, and advocate tolerant and multi-national Irishness.