Who Is Belonging In Marina Carr's By The Bog Of Cats

In Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats, the play opens with the Hester Swane dragging a dead black swan across the stage who, as the audience is about to find out, is going it die in the next twelve hours just like the swan from which she takes her name. Playing a vital role in the audience’s reaction to the piece, names within Carr’s play evoke a sense of destiny as characters full their own prophesies.
For instance, Carr choses Carthage Kilbride’s name with distinct purpose. Carthage systematically threatens or destroys everything that Hester holds dear: his affection, her child, and a sense of belonging. In retaliation, Hester says, “Well, Carthage, ya think them were only idle threats I made? Ya, think I can be flung in a bog hole like a bag of newborn pups? Let’s see how ya like this—Ya hear that sound? Them’s your cattle howlin’. Ya smell that smell? That’s your forty calves roastin’. I tied them all in and flung diesel on them. And the house, I burnt the bed and the whole place went up in flames. I’d burn down the world if I’d enough diesel—Will somewan not come and save me from meself before I go and do worse,” (Carr 44). Burning everything Carthage loves, his wealth, Hester razes his life, and then salts the earth by killing his only …show more content…
Tossing her aside like “bag of newborn