The Psychogeography of Berlin: David Hare’s Berlinand Mark Ravenhill’s Over There

Abstract

Psychogeography deals with the psychological impact of geographical conditions on people. Guy Debord and the Situationists use it on a political level for the radical transformation of metropolises. Thus, many writers utilize the concept as a technique for analysing the psychological landscape of cities. In the plays under consideration, David Hare and Mark Ravenhill portray how their characters respond to the effects of the Berlin Wall as a physical barrier as they attempt to represent pre-Wall and post-Wall global circumstances. Hare and Ravenhill explore the physical and psychological boundaries between Berliners with a critical eye on the daily life of Berlin. In this context, they portray Berlin as a borderland and demonstrate the impact of the Berlin Wall on people’s identities, political views, and life. The playwrights describe Berlin as a mysterious city separated by a defunct wall, with Berliners living under the oppression of global capitalism and consumerism. Using a Debordian framework, this study examines the existence of psychogeography in David Hare’s Berlin and Mark Ravenhill’s Over There.