ABSTRACT
In the second act of The Plough and the Stars, Sean O’Casey presents a silhouetted figure in a window at the back of the stage. The figure is that of Patrick Pearse making fervent speeches to inflame people’s emotions during the Rising. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Langon from the Irish Volunteers stands in the middle of the stage, tri-colour flag in hand, and cries “th’ place for Ireland’s battle is here” (O’Casey, 1954, p. 213). O’Casey brings the battle from the street to the stage, and redirects attention from the revolutionaries to their audiences both in the fictional play which is being performed as well as in the house in the theatre. By the fourth performance at the Abbey Theatre, Lieutenant Langon’s prophesy is fulfilled and the significance and meaning of the Easter Rising starts being debated inside the theatre when rioters interrupt the performance.
