Common Destiny, Allied Rebellion—The Metaphorical Expression of Swan in By the Bog of Cats

Junyun Xie; Ruiying Yi

doi:10.54097/rz83m717

Authors

Junyun Xie
Ruiying Yi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/rz83m717

Keywords:

By the Bog of Cats; swan; Hester Swane; metaphor.

Abstract

By the Bog of Cats, as one of Marina Carr’s tragedy trilogy, tells the story of Hester Swane, the female protagonist. Abandoned by her mother and her lover Carthage, she suffers from suppression and finally kills her daughter and herself as a rebellion and revenge. Metaphor is an important technique of the play, wherein the black swan metaphorizes Hester Swane. Therefore, this study tries to explore the metaphorical expression of swan in By the Bog of Cats from their common destiny and allied rebellion, aiming to reveal their relationship better and thereby uncover the existential predicaments of women and nature.

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