‘we live in pornographic times’ (Stephens, 2008).

 

Today’s workshop explored contemporary plays in their context, focusing on Simon Stephen’s Pornography. Justifying the title of his play, Stephens states that we live in pornographic times. Written three years after the 7/7 London bombings, this texts is a reaction to the anxieties the suddenly killed London’s excitement for the 2012 Olympics. Consisting of seven monologues that can be performed in any order. In numbering each monologue, rather than naming, Stephen’s presents the illusion of countdown to the explosion, thus although the monologues are not dependent upon each other in creating the plot, it would more effective to perform them in order maintaining this chronological countdown.

Arguably the most powerful scene of this play is scene 4 It follows the events of a bomber before he attacks. At first he seems like an average person with a wife and kids. There are no indications of his intentions or the reasons that inspired his attacks; no fundamental religious beliefs are shown, just an average man starting his day. However, in contrast with scene one, this portrayal of the bomber raises questions concerning intention or thought vs. action. The woman in scene one thinks about death, however does never acts upon those thoughts making her innocent. In contrast, the bomber in scene four is presented as an average male going about his day, he thinks about death and acts upon those thoughts, thus making him a criminal. Stephens presents that idea that want separates good from bad; terrorist from victims, is the action. Not thinking about the crime or the intention behind the crime, but committing the crime itself which is irreversible.

Upon first reading this play it become clear that Stephens intentions were not to re-create the atmosphere of London leading up to the bombing, nor was it to show the impact the 7/7 had on Britain as a nation or to portray the existing social barriers between Muslims and non-Muslims. Rather, this play compares westerns to fundamentalists. In addition, the title of this play hold a huge weight behind it meaning. Pornography is a stigmatised term; a taboo that has, over time and with the growth of the world wide web, become somewhat acceptable. Its presents is widely known and pornographic images surround our everyday media, however it still something people keep secret when indulging in it, much the thoughts of death the characters of this play have.