The Balcony as a Naturalistic play by Jean Genet? 

Naturalism (1865-1914) is a literary movement that by using scientific principles focuses on the objective and detached observation of human nature . Naturalism also observed how environmental, social, and heredity factors impact human nature. “The Balcony” is a naturalistic play due to its setting, detached observation of human nature, pessimism, and objectivism. 

Jean Genet, a French playwright, wrote this drama after WWII in 1956. So the societal unrest, depression, lack of identity, class struggles, absurdity and meaninglessness of life, and religious dogmas were in question in all European societies same as in France. “The Balcony” drama shows a place “The Grand House” and that is also called by Irma as “The House of Illusion” as a setting that is situated in an unnamed European country. “The Grand Balcony” is a brothel house where people from all strata of society come to enjoy the roles whatever they want to become. They can fulfill their hidden desires, dreams, and illusions through their illusionary roles. For example, the roles of Judge, General, and  Bishop are performed by common people because, at  the time of WWII, these positions only belonged to the upper class. The setting serves as a theater along with a brothel house, where people impersonate them to find the meaning of life. The lack of identity and disillusionment force them to live in illusions. As their roles end, the absurdity of life again prevails and takes them to the real life of class differences. The play also shows the time of revolution, when the rebellion side was fighting against the Royal Palace. So, it is obvious that class struggle is causing this civil war. So the Balcony is a microcosm of the whole chaotic society with no balance of power, wealth, and race. Naturalist playwrights wrote in an objective and detached way.

Naturalistic playwrights detached themselves from every kind of emotion, subjective thoughts, and feelings toward the topic of the play. Jean Genet has written, “The Balcony” play in an extremely objective and detached way. Innes says,

 “Genet was a victim of this society, which he now seeks to destroy…..But he does not try to correct the society he denounces. He does not try to substitute one for another since he is against all order.’’(149)

 Genet was the son of whore; he was a revolutionary against all existing Western societies. So, he remains completely objective towards the topic of social anarchism in the play, by not giving a clear-cut view or any argument on which side he actually is, and it is also not clear which side has won the Civil War. The characters of Irma and the Chief of the Police show no real emotions toward each other; rather they give priority to their status, business, and power. Naturalistic playwrights adopted a Pessimistic or naturalistic worldview, in which characters that have less power or agency over their lives often face terrible consequences of their illusions. The characters of “The Balcony” struggle with the impotence of power and are mere puppets of fate. Characters of the play, want to escape from the cruel world outside the brothel house. To fulfill their instinctive desire for power, they masquerade themselves to gain more power. They try to refute the harsh reality of human society and establish orders to belong to the nature and realities of humans through illusions. So, actors who have performed the roles of a Bishop, a Judge, and a General in the brothel house, are those who want to escape from the established order of the world in which they live. Besides, reconciling to an unjust and conflicted world of realities with dreams and illusions results in anxiety and a lack of identity in the end. So, when they accomplish their roles, see them as:

 “…., be nothing, though reflected ad infinitum in these mirrors, nothing but…. [on] image.” 

And they lost their influence which they attempt to control their lives. Lionel Abel says,

 “The main point of Genet in the play is that the destruction of illusions and dreams is the destruction of life. In other words……the reality of life is exposed.”

 An extreme level of inferiority complex in characters leads them to Pessimism, where reality or fate is unavoidable. In the end, Madame Irma exposes her pessimism by denying theatrically:

  “You must now go home, where everything, where everything, you can be quite sure will be even falser than here”

Hence determinist belief of fate or reality plays a significant role in bringing characters to reality, from which they were escaping. In short, we can say that Genet’s play “The Balcony” is a perfect example of naturalistic play due of its setting, pessimism, detachment, and objectivism, however these scientific principles gives more depth to create a reality vs. illusion kind of play.