Toxic Authority and Theatrical Gaslighting: The Maniac's Madness as a Reflection of Systemic Psychosis in Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Mohammed Lateef Aziz Twayej

Authors

Mohammed Lateef Aziz Twayej Department of English, College of Education, Kufa University

Keywords:

Madness, psychosis, theatrical gaslighting, the ruling class, toxic power

Abstract

The study concentrates on the remarkable connection between reality, madness, and authority in Dario Fo’s genius literary work, Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The study pays much attention to the controversial thoughts such as "toxic authority" and "theatrical gaslighting." It examines the state’s manipulation of truth for the the sake of authority. Drio Fo uses an unexpected character, the Maniac to perform the heroic position in the play. The Maniac is a "certified psychotic" who breaks into a police station and uncovers the authority's much deeper "systemic psychosis" by using his own insanity as a weapon. Regarding the literary analysis and political philosophy, the study proposes that the police station represents a microcosm of a modern society that takes fantasy to control the public. Also, it argues that Fo uses the comedian moments as subversive mirror to expose the inconsistencies of the hegemons. As well as, the study also focuses on the technique of the play to awake the audience’s critical analysis of state-sponsored violence through the use of humor and Brechtian alienation. Finally, it clarifies that the madness and sanity are the only ways to represent truth in modern time where the ruling class are the ones who are actually insane.

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