XI. The Theater of Cruelty (Second Manifesto) Summary and Analysis

In this second incarnation of Antonin Artaud's manifesto for a "theater of cruelty," the author redefines "cruelty" as the result of an extreme concentration of scenic elements and an absolute rigor of the "mise en scène."

Artaud starts by defining elements of the possible content of such a theater. The themes will be cosmic, metaphysical and based on the sacred texts of ancient civilizations from all over the world. The spectacle itself will be formed along the lines of ancient myths which will be materialized in gestures and movement before decaying into sounds and words. It will use an overwhelming number of images and movement which will all merge to form a language of their own. The latter will be purely theatrical and built like the oldest languages...