The Turkish translation and staging of Arturo Ui from the perspective of Verfremdungseffekt :|an analysis

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether, and if so, how Verfremdungseffekt has been conveyed in the Turkish translation and staging of Bertolt Brecht’s Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui, the fruit of the efforts of the translator Yücel Erten and the director Ümit Aydoğdu. To that aim, within the framework of Verfremdungseffekt and Pavis’ notion of mise en scène, a comparative analysis is carried out of the original text, the translation, and the Tiyatroadam theatre company’s performance of the play in 2013. By making the familiar strange, Brecht’s Verfremdung aims to encourage the audience to reflect on the socio-economic and political aspects of the events on the stage. Patrice Pavis’ mise en scène offers potentially fruitful insight into the symbiotic relationship between the text and performance, a key feature of Brechtian theatre. As part of the comparative analysis, the role of the director Ümit Aydoğdu and the methods he applied in his production are examined. Aydoğdu’s Arturo Ui suggests that an effective mise en scène can be created if the director remains alert to the needs and resources of multiple semiotic systems. By fostering a symbiotic relationship between these systems, a director may succeed in realizing Verfremdungseffekt in the staging of a translated play, especially if they (like the translator) make effective use of the methods of compensation and amplification. In this sense, by illuminating the roles of the translator and the director, this thesis demonstrates how Erten’s translation serves as a crucial foundation for the achievement of Verfremdungseffekt on the stage in a symbiotic manner.