The Dream Play, a semi-autobiographical work by August Strindberg created during his 'inferno crisis,' serves as a metaphor for life, reflecting its complexities, challenges, and fluctuations. Designed in a dream-like format, the play navigates the intricate pathways of human emotions and thoughts, as well as the unpredictability, mystery, conflict, and insecurity of the external world. Strindberg skillfully achieves this dual representation both thematically and structurally. It is likely one of the first works to establish the dream format as a distinct genre. This theatrical approach is facilitated by the extensive use of symbols and poetic imagery that permeate the text, providing a haunting, surreal ambiance. This paper aims to analyze the play, focusing particularly on the symbols and images utilized by the author.
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The Dream Play, a semi-autobiographical piece by Augustus
Strindberg, written during his ‘inferno crisis’ is a metaphor for life
itself with its twists and turns and ups and downs. The play
structured in a dream mode, takes one through the intricate alleys and
by-lanes of man’s inner world of emotions and thoughts and the
unpredictability, mystery, conflict and insecurity associated with the
world outside. The Dream Play tries to successfully achieve this
mastery of dual portrayal, both thematically and structurally. The
play is probably the first of its kind in adopting a dream mode as a
genre in itself. This kind of a theatrical presentation is made possible
by the excessive use of symbols and poetic images which literally float
across the text, lending it a haunting, surreal experience. The paper is
an attempt to interpret the play with special emphasis on the symbols
and images employed by the author.
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