The reflections of the phenomenon of violence in the art of theatre and a case study "The Guards of Taj"

Violence, defined as applying brute force and behaving harshly towards those with opposing views, has existed as an integral part of humanity throughout history. It is known that people who tried to live together in peace have taken various measures, set rules and resorted to deterrent punishments throughout history to eliminate violence. One of the ways that humans use to correct their organic connection with violence or to meet the need for violence in their instincts is art. The way violence is addressed in art varies in each period according to the relationship between humans and violence and the type of art. The art of theater, which deals with humans and their lives, has also had a connection with the phenomenon of violence since its existence. This connection has sometimes weakened in situations such as the prohibition of scenes with violence in the Ancient Greek period, and sometimes it has strengthened, as in contemporary theater practices where the display of violence is highlighted. However, in today's 21st century, when violent incidents experienced in society have increased, it is quite difficult to describe how violence is reflected in the art of theater. At this point, it is generally thought that in the literature, violence is limited to analyses conducted on the basis of play texts and on a theoretical level, and that analyses conducted on a practical level are insufficient or insufficient in terms of how violence is reflected on the stage. For this purpose, in this thesis study, the elements of violence reflected in the art of theater were examined in the play "Guardians of the Taj Mahal" written by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Kuvvet Yurdakul and staged by Konya State Theater in the 2024-2025 season. In the study where the qualitative research model was used and the elements of violence were examined through an application, the universe of the play consists of all theater plays that are about violence and staged. The sample of the study consists of the play "Guardians of the Taj Mahal". Interviews, observations and document reviews were conducted in the collection of qualitative research data and the data were analyzed through descriptive analysis.