Accidental Death of an Anarchist- Dario Fo Essay Example
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Dario Fo’s original play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist has been adapted and transformed an innumerable number of times, to greater or lesser success. Most often, adaptations that involve a modernisation or complete transformation of the play can be seen as less successful as they tend to alter the original so much that the original message and intention of the play is lost. However, often when adapting the play to a modern context, a complete transformation is required to satisfy the requirements of a vastly different audience.
Whilst it is difficult for a non-Italian speaker to fully comprehend the message, style and purpose of Fo’s original writing of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, through literal translations and other’s opinions, we can begin to decipher Fo’s original intention in writing such a politically active text. Written in 1970 in response to the “accidental” death of Pino Pinelli, an anarchic railway worker, in the play Fo writes about real life events in a political framework. His central message undoubtedly revolves around his desire to incite a will to act in his audience. As asserted by Joseph Farrel in his introduction to Nye’s adaptation of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, “it was no part of Fo’s scheme to be unduly subtle in his approach or intentions” and, as Fo himself has said, his aim was to provoke “laughter with anger”.
The central message of Fo’s play is indisputably one of political origins, which highlights the utter corruption of the society in which it is based. However, Fo achieves this aim through the mechanism of farce, for, as according to Joseph Farrel, “Farce seemed to him [Dario Fo] the most effective means of provoking thought”. It is for just this reason that Fo disguised such a serious, “hard-hitting” message in the guise of farce, for “farce was a device which prevented ‘catharsis’”, “one of the worst dangers”. Fo believes that laughter “serve[s] a purpose, to grab the
Dario Fo’s original play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist has been adapted and transformed an innumerable number of times, to greater or lesser success. Most often, adaptations that involve a modernisation or complete transformation of the play can be seen as less successful as they tend to alter the original so much that the original message and intention of the play is lost. However, often when adapting the play to a modern context, a complete transformation is required to satisfy the requirements of a vastly different audience.
Whilst it is difficult for a non-Italian speaker to fully comprehend the message, style and purpose of Fo’s original writing of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, through literal translations and other’s opinions, we can begin to decipher Fo’s original intention in writing such a politically active text. Written in 1970 in response to the “accidental” death of Pino Pinelli, an anarchic railway worker, in the play Fo writes about real life events in a political framework. His central message undoubtedly revolves around his desire to incite a will to act in his audience. As asserted by Joseph Farrel in his introduction to Nye’s adaptation of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, “it was no part of Fo’s scheme to be unduly subtle in his approach or intentions” and, as Fo himself has said, his aim was to provoke “laughter with anger”.
The central message of Fo’s play is indisputably one of political origins, which highlights the utter corruption of the society in which it is based. However, Fo achieves this aim through the mechanism of farce, for, as according to Joseph Farrel, “Farce seemed to him [Dario Fo] the most effective means of provoking thought”. It is for just this reason that Fo disguised such a serious, “hard-hitting” message in the guise of farce, for “farce was a device which prevented ‘catharsis’”, “one of the worst dangers”. Fo believes that laughter “serve[s] a purpose, to grab the