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ANIKÓ LUKÁCS
important to note, however, that this poetic speech itself carries the rituality
that can be found in the “concept” of the Theater of Cruelty. There are many
references to this by Artaud, especially using the recurring concept of magic,
which is closely related to Gluckman’s definition, all the more so because it is
not merely defined as one of several building blocks, but becomes in essence
“the theater itself [that] appears to us, all in all, to identify itself with the forces
of ancient magic," which comes to life by identifying with the magical.’” Ar¬
taud’s poetic-metaphorical discourse thus focuses on mysticism, which in this
case is concentrated on concepts of magical forces and spells, linking to the
aforementioned phenomenon beyond perception; aiming to outline a mani¬
festation of the transcendent. But the interpretation of this transcendental
presence requires clarification: in Gluckman’s view, the term “religious” refers
to an act and belief that refers to an existing spirituality,'* which in this context
is more concrete and defined than the ritual, which is abstract. This neatly cor¬
relates to the same idea and its lack of concrete boundaries in Artaud’s essays.
Following this train of thought and applying it to a framework of religious
discourse, the lack of God on Artaud’s stage should be noted: “far from be¬
lieving that man invented the supernatural and the divine, I think it is man’s
age-old intervention which has ultimately corrupted the divine within him.””
— thus referring to a murder of God reminiscent of Nietzsche’s ideas, the
consequence of which was a split between God and man, ending their inherent
unity. Artaud, therefore, considers the false divinity created by man unaccept¬
able, and, as he says, we have to rediscover a true religious, mystical concept,”°
which, according to Gluckman’s work, can be found in the ritual.
RITES OF PASSAGE —
THE CONCEPT OF RITUAL APPLIED TO THE PLAY
It is interesting to note that, although the existence of various ritual elements
in Albee’s play is often referenced in academic discourse, this is mostly spe¬
cific to certain parts of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The reason for this is
probably due to the structural build of the narrative because throughout the
course of the plot the ritualistic character of the play varies in intensity, but it is
nevertheless conceivable to examine it as a whole from a wider perspective. Ar¬
nold van Gennep’s schema can provide help in the matter for the way in which
he describes the construction of rites of passage. In his view, the fundamental
16 Artaud: The Theater and Cruelty, in Ibid., 86.
17 Artaud: PREFACE: The Theater and Culture, in Ibid., 11.
18 Gluckman: Ibid., 22.
19 Artaud: Ibid., 8.
20 Artaud: Metaphysics and the Mise en Scene, in Ibid., 46.
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