Fantastical Elements in "Top Girls" VITHYA NANDAKUMAR College

Caryl Churchill’s play Top Girls, which appeared in 1982, depicts key themes such as feminism and oppression throughout history. Through the main character, Marlene, we are able to see aspects of individualism, as Marlene abandons her own daughter, Angie, due to her own career aspirations. In addition, we, the audience are able to see how Marlene becomes alienated; thus, she befriends fictional and historical characters in Act One and introduces the fantasy elements of this play. By all means, this technique does help Churchill to portray the oppression of women; however, it seems that imaginative elements are also introduced to underline other key themes.

The fantasy element of Top Girls can be seen as essential, as it illustrates a distinct contrast between the characters presented. Some characters are submissive to male dominance, whereas others stand up to it. An example taken from the submissive characters is Joan, as she says; "I thought God would speak to me directly. But of course he knew I was a woman." The noun ‘woman’ demonstrates that she acknowledges the gender inequality and division that was present in 13th century Christianity. Joan has clearly been presented to have a strong Christian faith; indeed, she...