AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMSCI HEGEMONY IN THE PLAY SCRIPT OF FRIEDRICH DÜRRENMATT’S “DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME”

Abstract

This study aimed to describe some idologies appeared in the playscript of the drama entitled “Der Besuch der alten Dame”, to find out its dominant ideology, and to investigate the hegemony occurred in the analyzed drama by using the sociological approach of the Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. The data were taken from the playscript of “Der Besuch der alten Dame” drama written by Friedrich Dürrentmatt which was published in 1985 by Diogenes Verlag in Zürich. The data were collected by employing the reading and note-taking technique. The data were then analyzed by descriptive qualitative technique. The validity of the data was obtained through semantic validity and expert judgment. The reliability of the data was gained through intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. The findings of this study showed that there are 6 ideologies appeared in the analyzed drama namely capitalism, materialism, humanism, feminism, feudalism, and theism. It was found that the most dominant ideology was capitalism. The power of capitalism owned by the dominant class could be seen from the ability of Claire Zachanassian to affect the subordinate class of Güllen society whose ideology was humanistic ones. It was done by applying her hegemony to the subordinate society. The strategy was aimed at shaping the materialism ideology served as a sign of the approval or the success of the hegemony. The form of hegemony in “Der Besuch der alten Dame” was therefore integral hegemony.

Keywords: drama, ideology, hegemony