Silence and Social Isolation in Mike Bartlett’s Artefacts: A Reading through Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory

Abstract

This article aims to explore the dynamics of silence and isolation in Mike Bartlett’s play Artefacts (2008) (Bush Theatre/Nabokov): winner of the Old Vic New Voices Award. This Article aims to consider the workings of silence and isolation in Mike Bartlett’s Artefacts, with reference to Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory as a main framework of analysis. I intended to analyze how external (socio-political) pressures influence the silencing of characters, the subsequent experience of isolation this brings about, and how the study helps to interpret the play in socio-political contexts. Analysis is applied to key characters and scenes in the play within their respective political contexts (the Iraq war in Artefacts), drawing on contemporary communication theories to highlight the methods of silence. The present article will investigate how silence functions as an accommodation to assumed majority opinions which will consequently lead to emotional, social and psychological isolation. This is approached with reference to Artefacts with a focus on cultural and familial norms surrounding the Iraq War. The application of Neumann’s Theory provides insight into how public opinion may inhibit individuality, leading to social conflict and alienation. The play was chosen due to its apparent political leanings to further understand how silence manifests in different contexts, and how Neumann’s theory may be extended to other works by Bartlett, and theater in general. Furthermore, there is an attempt to consider silence in conjunction with the concept of agency and how the characters attempt to conform and resist to these social/political pressures. This methodology allows for a multifaceted understanding of silence not only as a form of conformity, but also as a cause for social conflict, which is relevant to more recent studies of public opinion. In short, it attempts to fulfil the stated aims by using a combination of textual analysis with a more theoretically-based approach in exploring silence and isolation in Bartlett’s play, using Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory framework along with others. The overall finding helps explain the social and political dimensions of Bartlett’s play which will lead to further research into silence in contemporary theatre.