The Crisis of Masculinity: Jez Butterworth’s Mojo

Abstract

During the late twentieth century, crisis of masculinity appears in all societal settings; at work, at school, on the street and in the family. The crisis of fatherhood, anxiety, power, and abuse create the crisis of masculinity. As a concrete example of the masculinity crisis Jez Butterworth’s most discussed stage play Mojo was first performed at London’s Royal Court in 1995. This paper takes Mojo under observation as a frontier play depicting a male identity that portrays rock and roll culture, gangland violence, and male Soho gangsters of the 1950s. With these concepts in mind, this paper analyses the contemporary anxieties related to masculinity through witty, absurd dialogues and homoerotic relationships of this striking play.

Keywords

• jez butterworth
• mojo
• the crisis of masculinity
• father-son relationship