Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores Shakespeare's influence on the dramatic genre in Ireland through an examination of two representative Irish writers, modern dramatist Sean O'Casey and contemporary playwright Brian Friel. It considers the efforts forged by the Abbey Theatre in Dublin to create an emerging discourse independent from the oppressor. The book focuses on a major historical event that occurred in County Donegal in the 1830s and the Irish erasure. It highlights the question of national identity invoked by Irishman Macmorris, the first Irish character on the English stage, whose presence in V. Henry serves to provoke analysis of the Irish question in the British Empire. The book examines the polypolitical agenda of the Field Day Theatre Company which was established in 1980 in Northern Ireland.