Just when I thought literature couldn’t possibly get any more depressing or darker, I got caught off guard. This extremely controversial work of art is titled Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind. First published in Germany in around the 1890’s, this play shocked many people and received criticism for all it’s controversial topics and was even banned in many places for a while.
This play touched many topics that seemed radical at the time; such as suicide, rape, sexuality, and censorship. I believe that Wedekind wrote this play to expose some major aspects of society that needed reform, but would never get it without exposure. At the time of this play it was considered very taboo to bring these issues up, so he was one of the few brave people to call for change.
It was very shocking to me to see just how blunt this play presents all the issues. From the begging of the play where Welda’s mother refuses to educate her on where children come from, to Mortiz’s horrific suicide when he is overwhelmed with school and his sexuality. The event that moved me the most was Welda’s tragic and unnecessary death due to her abortion pills. If only her mother hadn’t avoided her questions and left Welda ignorant of sex, this could have been easily avoided.
This play helps show why sex ed is such an important class to teach. It just doesn’t work to leave kids oblivious to their sexualities because they will figure it out on their own either way. Educating kids on these topics helps avoid tragedies that could potentially ruin many teenagers lives.
I can’t wait to see this play performed and to see if any parts are censored.
This play was extremely depressing. It reminded me of a Shakespearean tragedy in the sense that everything always ends up in disaster and virtually no one is happy by the time the curtain closes. However, I certainly agree with you that this play brings up very important lessons, like sexual education. Wendla’s mother pretty much led her daughter to her death because she was too afraid to educate her child on the dangers of sex, whereas if she was more forward with this sensitive topic, Wendla could have been alive by the end of the play.
I too want to see this play performed but for the reason that I want to see how the director portrays the underlying message of the play. However, I disagree that the underlying message of the play is sex ed. I think it’s something greater, such as the growth of the children and their transition from childhood into adulthood. Discussed more in details in my post.
How did you guys view the underlying message of the play?
I agree with you when you say that this play is meant to “show why sex ed is such an important class to teach”. Wedekind does a great job showing your point throughout his play. He does so through the character of Wenda and her transition through rape and abortion. I understand that her mother did not want to teach Wenda sex ed because she believed that not teaching sex ed would protect her child but her ignorance was the problem. I agree that Wenda’s death was due to her mothers ignorance and reluctance to teach her sex ed and help her through hardships.
I also cannot wait to see this play in real life and see if any of the content is censored. Although we are now more open to talking about the taboo subjects in this play, there are still some restricts on these topics. Wedekind did a great job in writing this play, in my opinion, because he successfully brought attention to the topics of sexual education, suicide, and rape. If he had not done so, the reforms that have taken place would not happened.