“Throughout comedy the emphasis is on human limitations rather than on human greatness” (John Morreal Comedy Tragedy and Religion). To what extent does Jez Butterworth focus on human weakness and ineptitude in his play ‘Jerusalem’?

Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’ creates a comic vision focusing on the ambiguities, turmoil and hypocrisies of the society presented on stage. Butterworth focuses on the characters’ degeneracies in which the form of humour tends to be the exposure of their unruly behaviour and their reluctance to conform to social norms. “The most basic difference between comedy and tragedy lies in its central characters, who are not heroes, and often, as with Shakespeare’s Falstaff, are anti-heroic” The key character Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron partially embodies the idea of human limitation and anti-heroism; throughout the play this is uncovered between his portrayals of superiority. Butterworth has also constructed characters with significant weaknesses and flaws to be used as a tool of exploitation but also as a form of laughter to highlight his philosophical thoughts about the truths of society. The difference between this and any typical Shakespearean comic drama ensures that in every way possible the play is subversive and goes against norms not only within the text- but with universal comic traditions.
The central protagonist Johnny, has otherworldly attributes linking back to elements of mythological rural England with ideas that he was “built into the land” with an overtone of Christian allegory ; he is also very much exposed in the sense of all his bad facets are used to tie the whole play together. “But comedy concentrates on the incongruities in human beings, especially their shortcomings.” Johnny’s shortcomings are very much presented in the audience as the ‘relief theory’ where the actual humour comes from a release of awkwardness and discomfort. A lot of the instances that really emphasise Johnny’s limitations come in the form of Marky. There is an uncomfortable tension surrounded with the idea that “Your dad don’t pay tax. Your dad’s a gyppo. He’s going to prison.” And so within one sentence, Johnny’s underlying discrepancies are announced publicly. The use of the word “gyppo” automatically gives an external opinion on how Johnny is viewed by society and how the seemingly superiority held by Johnny may not be continued outside his rural bubble. This home truth would affect audiences in both a positive and negative way as they would not know whether to laugh at the alcohol-induced character who craves Bacchanalian parties- or cringe at the man who clearly goes against social norms to appease his rejection and would rather focus on “whizz” than his son.
Butterworth expands on this by ultimately knocking down his superiority that is very prominent throughout, by the physical power of Troy Whitworth; a complete adversary compared to Johnny himself. “We’ll bury the hatchet all right. Right in your fuckin’ skull, pikey” portrays the dark humour of the play and how even though Troy’s continuous threats and the use of the word “pikey” can be seen as a comic devices they are not empty; they hold an underlying aggression that is soon expressed in a climactic humiliation. A rather tragic view of Johnny’s loss of power is through the explanation of how he had pissed himself- “pissed all over your trousers, your coat. And, you know what they done? They undone their flies and they pissed on you too” moves the comedy quickly into a darkness and begins to unravel the true loneliness that seems to be a constant in Rooster’s life. He seems to be mystified by his own outrageous nature- which more often than not render him helpless and lowly. It’s the teenagers who tell him how, when drunk, he has at various stages smashed his own TV during his party, and caused a “fracas” at his local pub. His reaction to all these stories is bewilderment “I’d never do that” and “that’s a mystery” which offer a complete lack of power and knowledge that he so clearly tries to maintain – and a slight bit of vulnerability on his part. Johnny’s weaknesses and ineptitude seem to be masked by wit and extensive stories but he is one of the main offenders for being affected by their own limitations – even if his are subtle. Therefore, through his characterisation of Rooster, Butterworth does emphasise and focus on Johnny’s limitations by either exploiting his vulnerability or using a community of opinions to degrade him.
On the other hand, Johnny’s greatness is also a focal point within the play. “Twenty years back, Johnny Byron was the Flintock fair” implies that he used to be the main source of entertainment- attaining an almost legendary status and some kind of mythical greatness. The rendition of his birth story “You get close and stare into those black eyes, watch out. Written there is old words that will shake you. Shake you down.” links to conversation with Dawn later on where after looking into his eyes does in fact start to shake. This makes us question just how powerful he actually is, does he have a hold on the rest of the characters in the play? The comparison between Rooster and a Jesus like figure occurs sporadically within the play - an idea that he was in fact resurrected “They pronounce him stone dead” yet they seem to find him in a beer tent finishing a pint. This is an act of power to regain an exceptional status and Butterworth uses inter textual references to Christianity in order to give the audience a sense of Byron as an indestructible creature.
Butterworth uses Wesley as a stock character in order for him like Ginger, to become the butt of many jokes. With characters like this their limitations tend to only be expressed through portrayals of humour- Wesley’s being his Morris dancer attire. The notion that he got “roped in” just because “The boys. The lads. The Flintock Men” were taking part offers that he could be seen as someone who plays the part of the ‘natural fool’ – someone who provokes a more sympathetic laughter for their innocence to the situation and their lack of understanding. Butterworth almost invites the audience to laugh at Wesley’s misfortune as the atmosphere on stage would be light-hearted humour as he had been doing the Morris dancer act for “six weeks” solely on the fact that the brewery “They twisted my arm.” Although this situation is very simplistic, there are concealed connotations of town vs country; he has clearly let his dignity be reduced to nothing in order to appease some greater entity of society. “It’s Swindon level decision. Even if I wanted to, it’s out of my hands” shows the progression of how at first, it was basic tolerance, and it now it is resentment. Wesley is constructed in a way that audiences have the ability to relate to his submission to influences in society and in that get an element of escapism from their own realities. “Comedies are written to allow us certain mental distance from the characters and their problems.” Wesley’s characterisation is later developed with possible tragic depth when he gives his comic-tragic monologue in which he focuses only on his unhappiness. It is obvious that Wesley has become resigned to the monotonous regime of the pub. Butterworth constructs this monologue by using continuous short sentences and lists “Bollocks. Me. They trust me” and “Public bar, saloon bar, pool table..” to show a rhythm that could in fact reflect the realistic treadmill of Wesley’s life and the lives of people in England. This is another one of Wesley’s limitations- he is stuck in a cycle of despair.
Phaedra Cox is subject to many weaknesses as the unveiling of her presence in Act 3 allows us to take into account her frailty and innocence and see it as a limitation. The stage directions throughout the whole scene offer a new level of awkwardness (“Phaedra come out the trailer” and “They stop, looking into each other’s eyes. Close. Suddenly she turns and flees”) would create just as Johnny’s behaviour did, a keyhole for audiences to laugh but at the same time also creates a challenge for comedic norms as her story is ambiguous and Butterworth does not grant the audience access to her untold story. Although their conversations suggest some kind of sexual relationship “Liar. I seen you looking at me. You like me just fine” it signifies some twisted intimate affliction between them that can as well show Phaedra’s naivety to the situation. In cases like this the actions of Johnny can somewhat be compared to that of the Commedia dell’Arte where he seems to play the role of ‘Pantalone’ -a caricature of the Venetian merchant retired, mean and miserly, with a young wife. Butterworth creates a fragile image of the wounded innocence of Phaedra Cox by stemming her frailty from a verse in ‘The Werewolf.’ There is a clear link between how the werewolf has “killed some young maiden” yet he cries “how much I love the maiden” suggesting that Phaedra has this emphasised element of innocence, and is in the presence of someone capable of some twisted, sadistic love and murder. Within this song you can see Johnny as an opposite - “please have sympathy” offers that he himself has connotations of innocence which is emphasised with his encounter with the Professor or the idea that that he lives alone in the woods. The use of “so much like you and me” shows the idea that Johnny may be the polar opposite of what is classified as normal - but he is in fact much more like us than realised. One of his weaknesses is that his anti authoritarian acts may just be an act of rebellion against the judgements of society.
The ending of ‘Jerusalem’ reveals both greatness and a painful sense of human limitation as there is an “uncovering of fear, anarchy and joy just beneath the surface of a fragile society. Yet there are signs that a possible happy ending may still be found” and within it focuses on one of the main aspects of the play-loneliness. This, and isolation are a continuous idea even at the end of the play which is not the norm in Shakespearean plays/comedies as they would usually end with a conclusion- and most often in marriage. However “Comedy does not require closure-it can live with loose ends and unanswered questions” which is exactly what the ending does. Johnny’s segregation from not only society but his friends occurs at the end where Butterworth uses a short sentence structure in order to convey the importance of his words “We’re not friends. I’m not your friend. I’m Johnny Byron. I am nobody’s friend.” Shortly after, he offers a monologue to Marky in which he talks in a profound mystical manner – quoting Byron blood and how Marky can always rely on it “Back to the wall. Remember the blood. The blood.” This ending is ironic as it doesn’t end on a solid conclusion and even though he pitched to Marky an idea of family, bonding and alliance he is inevitably left alone in the end. Although not one of the most comedic factors, it clarifies Johnny’s true weakness and limitation: solitude. Butterworth structures the monologue so that it varies in speed and so that every single word packs a punch and is full of palpable sincerity which is hard to come by with Johnny. By using a 'spitfire' and the ‘ashes of the petition' it could insinuate that society and the New Estate will crumble and fall but Johnny's and his green world will never die. The patriarchal idea of the spitfire could also symbolise England and the preparation for war which was the inevitable outcome of the whole play.

Within the play, I feel that there has been a huge focus on limitations over greatness as even though it is subtle, it is very much evident within every character. Butterworth uses their greatnesses to shape the character, but uses there weaknesses as something that can be exploited within the audience to create a comic effect. The human condition is widely expressed as any thematic concern about human nature or society - it's about the fundamental issues of human existence.

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[ 1 ]. The Nature of Comedy- John Morreal
[ 2 ]. The Hero: Comedy, Tragedy and Religion – John Morreal
[ 3 ]. The Effect of Comedy on the Audience: Comedy, Tragedy and Religion-John Morreal
[ 4 ]. Dramatic Comedy- Dr Sean McEvoy
[ 5 ]. Low Versus High tolerance of Disorder: Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion-John Morreal