KASPAR – GAME ANALYSIS
Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser (April 30, 1812 – December 17, 1833) was a youth in 19th-century Germany who became the subject of various legends due to his mysterious appearance and life. Who he was and where he was born were never definitively known. When Hauser first appeared in Nuremberg on May 26, 1828, he exhibited strange behaviors and was in a bewildered state. His behavior and speech were incomprehensible. Although he appeared to be about 15-16 years old, he psychologically resembled a three-year-old child. He was unable to eat or dress himself. A letter he carried stated that he was given to a servant for care on October 7, 1812. There were other letters on him, thought to be written by his mother. These letters contained his identity information and stated that his father was a cavalryman. The educator Georg Friedrich Daumer first took on the boy’s education. Later, the 4th Earl of Stanhope took over this task. The Kaspar Hauser case became the subject of various plays, essays, novels, and poems.
The Author (Peter Handke)
Peter Handke was born out of wedlock in Austria on December 6, 1942. He is a law school graduate. He started writing after 1966. His mother committed suicide, which affected him greatly. His unconventional and rebellious personality has been criticized by many. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2019. He still lives in Paris.
General Features of His Plays
- The phenomenon of language is of great importance in his plays. The visual aspect is secondary.
- He addresses the artificiality of language, its inadequacy in establishing relationships between people, and its gradual alienation from humanity.
- Handke argues that reality cannot be created in theater and writes works where theatricality is at the forefront.
- He values the relationship between the audience and the play.
- There is no sequence of events, character, or action in his plays.
- He makes use of the technique of intertextuality in his plays.
- His plays have multiple meanings.
The Plot of the Play Kaspar
Kaspar is a character of unknown origin, time, and gender. Before coming on stage, he struggles behind a curtain. This image is like a child in the womb. When Kaspar first steps on stage, he cannot control his movements. According to the author, his appearance is very theatrical. He has a bewildered expression. His movements are mechanical but resemble human steps. It gives the impression of a child learning to walk for the first time. He tries not to fall as much as he can. His movements are dominated by arrhythmia and disharmony. From the moment he enters the stage, he tries to control his movements and eventually succeeds. Afterwards, he interacts with the objects around him and tries to perceive them.
Then the Prompters enter the stage. The Prompters speak continuously throughout the play, without their voices overpowering Kaspar’s. While the play continues with Kaspar in the foreground, it progresses with the sentences of the Prompters in the background. Kaspar is in a constant state of exploration on stage. He tries to learn human movements as if he wants to get rid of his mechanicalness. He has a quick grasp. The Prompters are teaching him to speak. There is no specific flow in the Prompters’ sentences. Kaspar gradually learns to speak and begins to communicate with the objects around him. Over time, his movements also improve. The Prompters try to teach him what is ‘good’. They try to shape Kaspar into an ideal human form.
The words and sentences, which are more understandable at the beginning and occasionally interrupted, deepen as Kaspar begins to create himself. Kaspar gradually begins to philosophize and talk incessantly. He increasingly resembles the Prompters. By the end of the play, Kaspar seems to have experienced everything about being human. He is now able to express himself. He has become an individual. However, at the end of the play, Kaspar gives the impression of the Kaspar who knew nothing when he first came on stage.
The Characters of the Play Kaspar
- Kaspar: He resembles Frankenstein or King Kong. His gender is indeterminate. He has a theatrical costume and makeup. At the beginning of the play, he has difficulty moving. In the later parts, his mobility increases. At the beginning of the play, being devoid of language, he is also devoid of communication. He is directed like a puppet by the Prompters. Therefore, he can be said to be a naive character. Based on the sentence “I want to be like someone else once was,” it can be said that he has the desire to ‘be a normal person’.
- The Prompters: They exist in the play as a representation of modern social authority. It is left to the direction whether they are seen on stage or not. They are like puppeteers directing the character of Kaspar. They are cold characters who speak in the imperative mood.