Cloud Nine: cultural context

Cloud Nine: cultural context

Cultural Context

Colonial Era

  • The play presents a distribution of power pattern intrinsic to the colonial era in its setting for Act 1.
  • The characters of Betty, Joshua, and Ellen give a firsthand glimpse into the lives of the colonised and the women, suppressed by the control asserted by English men.

Homosexuality and Repression

  • Part of Cloud Nine’s cultural context is the exploration of hidden homosexual desires. Characters like Harry and Edward highlight the repressive societal norms against homosexuality, especially under the British Empire.
  • Besides, Gerry’s relationship with Edward in Act 2 throws light on the struggles of a gay man even in the comparatively relaxed 1970s.

Victorian Conventions

  • The play contrasts the Victorian conventions (Act 1) with the modern-day liberal society (Act 2). The Victorian setting is rife with societal morals that constrict the characters’ expressions of their true identity.
  • Formal language, repressive norms, and gender roles are explicit in the Victorian setting of Act 1 that inhibit personal freedom.

Modern Day

  • Act 2 dips into the cultural context of the 1970s London, with its changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality.
  • Personal liberation, open sexuality, and negotiating gender roles shape this period’s cultural rendering in the play, leading characters like Betty and Victoria towards a self-realising journey.

Gender and Sexuality

  • Cloud Nine evidences an innovative exploration into the themes of gender and sexuality. With a man playing Betty, a woman playing Edward, and a white man playing a black character – Joshua - Caryl Churchill is forcing the audience to challenge their perceptions.
  • The casting of characters is in itself a comment on gender fluidity, racial stereotyping, and societal conventions.

Feminism and Masculinity

  • The play incorporates a feminist perspective, highlighting the struggles of women in patriarchal societies both in the colonial and modern eras (Betty and Victoria).
  • The concept of Masculinity is also thoroughly explored through characters like Clive, who represents the dominance and sexual control associated with the male gender, and Edward, who counters this stereotype.