There is nothing more fascinating than a good historical drama; something about a true story that packs an extra punch, an added shiver down the spine. However, it is important to be aware that dramas based on historical events are exactly that: based.
In any case, it is quite impossible to give a “true” rendition of history. History is a too cumbersome and overcomplicated thing to ever drop neatly into a plot line with villains and heroes premade. It is necessary for playwrights to adapt, mould and simplify when producing an effective tale. However, rather than berate theatre for not attempting the impossible task of historical accuracy, is it not more interesting to focus on what insights historical theatre can provide us with?
Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the best known musicals in the world. Famous for its incredible music, and ability to turn challenging subject matter into fast-paced, yet easily digestible entertainment. Hamilton has brought historical drama to the attention of theatre critics across the globe but, of course, the musical is not completely faithful to the real life of its eponymous hero.
Hamilton’s complicated relationship with the slave trade is simplified in his favour, allowing the audience to sympathise more easily with the story’s protagonist. His duel with Burr is depicted as taking place directly after and due to Jefferson’s election, whereas the real duel took place many years later. However, this simplification is necessary to produce engaging story arcs and characters who, whilst being certainly well-rounded, are not so overly complicated that the audience does not know who to sympathise with. Instead, Hamilton gives us an opportunity to examine broader themes of the period; the importance of honour or the atmosphere of ambition in newly independent American society.
The most interesting thing, historically speaking, about Hamilton is its self awareness. During the song ‘History Has its Eyes On You’, Washington reflects on how vulnerable his story is to manipulation by future generations. The play has a wonderful sense of its own being in this way, with Lin Manuel Miranda clearly pointing out both his own manipulation of historical fact and a broader warning about the malleability of history, emphasising our lack of control over how history is recorded and perceived. Miranda’s very transformation of these historical figures into characters emphasises this point.
Martin McDonah’s Irish plays, such as The Cripple of Inishmaan or The Lonesome West, although highly comedic, also contain several insightful comments on life in 20th century rural Ireland. His plays are permeated with a sense of claustrophobia and emphasise the poor quality of life experienced in tiny, rural communities at the time. McDonagh creates a complexity to the reception of his characters, simultaneously provoking laughter and sympathy. He encourages a wider compassion for the ordinary, luckless inhabitants of history, whose stories although not grand or well recorded are nevertheless worthy of attention.
It is also interesting to consider how plays could be interpreted as historical artefacts in and of themselves. Shakespeare’s Richard III portrays King Richard as a ruthless and irretrievably corrupted murderer, by blaming him for the death of the princes in the tower, despite the fact that the true events of this story were, and still are, unknown. By doing this, Shakespeare manipulates historical figures and facts to promote the Tudors who usurped Richard’s throne as a just and righteous house; an attempt, perhaps, to gain favour with the contemporary monarch, Elizabeth I. Richard III, therefore, gives us an excellent insight into the ways in which theatre was used as propaganda in Tudor England, as well as a tool employed by Shakespeare to further his political advancement.
We can not use historical plays alone to learn about history. However, they can supplement and support our understanding, provoking questions about how history is shaped and by whom, providing an alternative route, from the dusty tomes of the history shelves, to engagement with our past and the stories of our ancestors.
