FATAL CONFLICT REFLECTIONS IN MARTIN MCDONAGH'S THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE

Abstract

This study focuses on the reasons of mother-daughter conflicts in Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. As the twenty-first century was approaching, a new movement of young playwrights emerged on the UK theatre scene. One of the most controversial and beloved representatives of this wave is Martin McDonagh. The author was born and raised in London as the son of an Irish family. In 1996, McDonagh's first play The Beauty Queen of Leenane was staged in Ireland, and then found its place in London and New York, fascinating much attention. Also staged in Turkey, this play of four characters has become the starting point of McDonagh's extraordinary theatrical career. In the play, Maureen, a forty-year-old single woman, still lives with her domineering mother Mag. For years, Maureen has spent her time by cooking, feeding the chickens, and shopping while taking care of her ailing and grumpy mother on her own. In The Beauty Queen of Leenane Maureen and Mag live an isolated life due to their physical location and relationships with each other. Maureen dreams of escaping her mother's house and her town called Leenane. She blames her mother and sisters for her miserable situation. The harsh, rude and hurtful conversations between mother and daughter always continue with conflict. As the play progresses it becomes obvious that this relationship between the two characters is completely disintegrated.