Metamorphosis - Context.

Kafkaesque nightmares have several characteristics: 

1. Ordinary settings with nightmarish characteristics - Gregor's bedroom becomes his prison.
2. Characters are crushed by total authority -  the theme of total authority is introduced by the first clerk who comes to visit the family.
3. Bizarre and non-sensical situations - Gregor turning into the beetle is obviously not normal.
4. A sense of chaos - the family's rapid breakdown following Gregor's transformation and fast pace of novel gives feeling of chaos.
5. Leaves reader with nausea - the sinking belittling feeling of Kafkaesque nightmares is key to conveying Kafka's message.

1. The novel is written in and set in Prague which had a large Jewish population - the Kafka's themselves are Jewish. Prague's working class spoke Czech but the elites spoke German because Germany ruled Austria-Hungry (modern day Czech).
2. It is clear in the novel that all the women are meant to act in traditional housewife roles. Greta is in charge of providing Gregor's meals and the idea that Greta and Mrs Samsa may have to work is horrific.
3. In stark contrast, Mr Samsa claims he is the man of the house but actually does no work and relies on his son Gregor to make the money. At the time, men who did not work were considered weak and lazy and Mrs Samsa is clearly insecure about this as seen when he realises that Gregor can no longer work.

1. Metamorphosis is set in the city of Prague in Bohemia. Bohemia was going through a period of civil reform when the novel was written. As Europe faced serious economic reform and while tensions rose before WW1, Prague was very austere with limited comfort or luxury. This is reflected in the novel as the Kafkas live in near poverty.
2. In many ways Kafka's novel foreshadows the collapse of the Austria-Hungary empire in WW1. Gregor wakes up as a beetle - Kafka and everyone in Bohemia wake up and find their identities have vanished.

1. Kafka had extremist political views - he was incredibly anti-politics and wanted to avoid all mainstream ideas and views. Kafka said: 'It is when we look at those who appear to be on the margins of mainstream society that we see this struggle writ large.' This idea is clear in Metamorphosis as Kafka is exploring the Samsa family who are a politically extreme depiction of the working class.
2. If Kafka has to be aligned with a political belief system he was a social-anarchist. H believed in removing the authoritarian power of the government and was very anti-capitalism. This is reflected in the novel as the authoritarian figure of the first clerk is villainized.
3. Prague had a large Jewish population in the early 1900s but they faced prejudice and prosecution. Metamorphosis has an underlying political message as it conveys the alienation of the Jewish population in the city.

1. Berkoff felt he truly related to the character of Gregor and the themes of societal repression. Both him and Gregor would have been classed as 'Untermensch' - a Nazi term for non-Aryan people, people considered socially or racially inferior.
2. Berkoff had a difficult childhood and he had a notoriously difficult relationship with his father. After reading Kafka's Metamorphosis he felt his own story as reflected in Mr Samsa and Gregor's relationship. He described the novel as 'the best work of literature' and so was inspired to write his own version.
   

1. Berkoff wrote the play in 1969 which was in a period of huge social reform in England. The 1960s saw the abolishment of capital punishment and the legalisation of homosexuality as well as the fight for freedom and equality across gender and race. Against this backdrop, Berkoff saw Kafka's work on the dread of authority as very moving and so was inspired to write the stage version.
2. The late 60s saw great social and political activism as different groups of people felt they could express more extreme views. This was the perfect setting for total theatre (see Berkoff) and this played a role in the provocative style of Berkoff's play.

1. Berkoff was a Marxist and he was keen to write his own characters because it shook naturalistic theatre and encouraged experimenting using with his total theatre. Following the ideology of Marxism, Berkoff was always quick to challenge societal norms and so the shocking message of Metamorphosis stood out to him.
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Kabuki Theatre.

Berkoff drew a lot on Kabuki theatre when he composed his total theatre. the main themes that are relevant to Berkoff context are:

Stylised motion and dance scenes.

Elaborate costumes, sound and lighting.

Dramatic storytelling - audiences transported to other worlds. One type of it is called Sewa-mono which is plays dealing with commoners and their lives in extraordinary ways - exactly like Metamorphosis. This has phenomenal links to kafkasque nightmares.

Artuad.

Theatre of cruelty! Artuad uses these horrible ritualistic pieces with very little dialogue and shocking, grotesque scenes. There is lots of gesture and non-talking sounds (beetle rustles!) which creates intense atmospheres.

The best time to slip in Artaud theatre of cruelty is whenever Gregor is roaming around in bug form.