Burned by history: war, violence, and memory in edward bond’s vision of post-apocalyptic humanity

Abstract

This paper explores how Edward Bond portrays war, violence, and memory in his post-apocalyptic plays. This study will focus on the first play Red Black and Ignorant of the trilogy. It aims to show how Bond uses dystopian worlds to critique history and imagine ethical futures. Bond’s play belongs to a tradition of political theatre. Written during the Cold War, the play reflects fears of nuclear destruction and social collapse. Bond’s theories of “rational violence” and “radical innocence” help explain his dramatic goals. This study uses close reading of play, alongside Bond’s essays and interviews. It draws from trauma theory, memory studies, and political dramaturgy. These tools help interpret the plays’ structure, characters, and imagery. Bond reshapes the post-apocalyptic genre by focusing on moral and mental wounds instead of physical ruin. Memory becomes a source of pain and resistance. His use of violence and broken timelines urges audiences to face truth and question forgetting. Bond’s view of humanity is harsh but not hopeless. His plays show that memory can inspire change. The destroyed settings become spaces for moral choice and protest. They argue that remembering can fight injustice. Bond’s post-apocalyptic plays offer deep reflections on war’s aftermath. They show theatre’s power to challenge silence and reimagine the future. By treating memory as both burden and duty, Bond calls for awareness, justice, and hope.