A Study on von Trier’s Dogville: An Amalgam of Aristotelian Dramatic Theatre and Brechtian Epic Theatre

Abstract

The purpose of Brechtian epic theatre was to break the illusion of mimesis that is achieved by dramatic theatre through the use of mimetic and teleological drive. Its ultimate aim was to show that the illusion of verisimilitude created by dramatic theatre and realist forms of representation serves only to the affirmation and promotion of the norms and values of the dominant discourse. The aim of this study, accordingly, is to provide a reading of von Trier’s Dogville in terms of Aristotelian dramatic theatre and Brechtian epic theatre in order to argue that the film disregards the function of the characteristics of epic theatre that it employs and thus evacuates the meaning of them by the use of elements of dramatic theatre such as recognition, catharsis, and closure. Von Trier’s Dogville has mostly been analysed in terms of the elements of epic theatre. However, it has been ignored that the film features some fundamental characteristics of Aristotle’s dramatic theatre like recognition, catharsis, and closure. This study, therefore, examines Dogville in the light of Aristotelian dramatic theatre as well as of Brecht’s theories within the context of epic theatre and Marxism to discuss whether the film fails to become a proper example of epic theatre on big screen.