Palace of the End
Encyclopedia
Palace of the End is a docudrama
play by Judith Thompson
, that consists of three monologues telling real-life tales of Iraq
before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. The title is taken from Saddam Hussein
’s former royal palace that housed torture chambers.
", and "Instruments of Yearning".
“My Pyramids” refers to the Abu Ghraib
human pyramids. The speaker is Lynndie England
, the U.S. Army reservist who become the face of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
, and who is said to have made prisoners form human pyramids.
"Harrowdown Hill
" refers to the place where the body of Dr. David Kelly
was found a few weeks after he confessed to a journalist that he had lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
. Kelly was the British weapons inspector
in Iraq.
"Instruments of Yearning" are the Jihaz al-Haneen
, the secret police of the Ba'ath Party who detained Nehrjas Al Saffarh, an Iraqi mother, when she was pregnant in 1963. Saffarh survived Saddam’s secret police but was killed during U.S. bombing in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
play by Judith Thompson
Judith Thompson
Judith Clare Thompson, OC is a Canadian playwright who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail once declared that "...in this country, a playwright as good as Judith Thompson is a miracle." She has twice been awarded the Governor General's Award for drama, and is the...
, that consists of three monologues telling real-life tales of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. The title is taken from Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
’s former royal palace that housed torture chambers.
The monologues
The monologue’s titles are "My Pyramids", "Harrowdown HillHarrowdown Hill
"Harrowdown Hill" is a song by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and is the eighth track on his 2006 album The Eraser. The song was also released as a limited edition single in the United Kingdom on 21 August 2006, peaking at #23 in the UK Singles Chart...
", and "Instruments of Yearning".
“My Pyramids” refers to the Abu Ghraib
Abu Ghraib
The city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
human pyramids. The speaker is Lynndie England
Lynndie England
Lynndie Rana England is a former United States Army reservist who served in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in 2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the occupation...
, the U.S. Army reservist who become the face of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
, and who is said to have made prisoners form human pyramids.
"Harrowdown Hill
Harrowdown Hill
"Harrowdown Hill" is a song by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and is the eighth track on his 2006 album The Eraser. The song was also released as a limited edition single in the United Kingdom on 21 August 2006, peaking at #23 in the UK Singles Chart...
" refers to the place where the body of Dr. David Kelly
David Kelly
David Christopher Kelly, CMG was a British scientist and expert on biological warfare, employed by the British Ministry of Defence, and formerly a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq...
was found a few weeks after he confessed to a journalist that he had lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
Iraq and weapons of mass destruction
During the regime of Saddam Hussein, the nation of Iraq used, possessed, and made efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction . Hussein was internationally known for his use of chemical weapons in the 1980s against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War...
. Kelly was the British weapons inspector
United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission was created through the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284 of 17 December 1999....
in Iraq.
"Instruments of Yearning" are the Jihaz al-Haneen
Iraqi Intelligence Service
The Iraqi Intelligence Service , also known as the Mukhabarat, General Directorate of Intelligence, or Party Intelligence, was the main state intelligence organization in Iraq under Saddam Hussein...
, the secret police of the Ba'ath Party who detained Nehrjas Al Saffarh, an Iraqi mother, when she was pregnant in 1963. Saffarh survived Saddam’s secret police but was killed during U.S. bombing in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
External links
- http://www.canlit.ca/reviews.php?id=14440Palace of the End Review" – Canadian Literature – A Quarterly of Criticism and ReviewCanadian Literature (journal)Canadian Literature is a quarterly of criticism and review published out of the University of British Columbia.Canadian Literature was founded in 1959 by George Woodcock, who produced 73 issues before retiring in 1977. After Woodcock's retirement, the University of British Columbia invited William...
] - From Hell – Judith Thompson’s new play finds scapegoats and heroes in Iraq – CBC News – January 16, 2008
- Interview with Judith Thompson – February, 2004