KJCKorea
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This study has been performed to rediscover particular characteristics and limits of Lee Yoon-taek's <Mother> focusing on figuration of memory. For this, it has been aimed at directing comparison between Kim Myung-gon and Lee Yoon-taek. Playwriter, Lee destructs heterogeneous time and space for figuration of memory. The destruction of time and space appears in 'coexist' way. Heterogeneous time and space, that is time and space in the present the mother states orally, time and space of memory in the past and time and space in the other world, simultaneously coexist without any border and separation. With regard to staging of destruction of time and space, the difference between director Kim and Lee lies in 'usage of stage space', 'character destruction', 'gaze'. Concerning the usage of stage space, Kim directs by mixing minimized heterogeneity of two time and spaces, applying the principle of empty space. He also destructs time and space in a similar aspect from the beginning to the end. On the other hand, Lee maximizes heterogeneity of two time and spaces and tries to mix them in an unfamiliar and decisive manner and directs seemingly expanding the destruction of time and space as a play proceeds. Second, regarding the destruction of character, Kim directs minimizing it while Lee maximizes it. Third, Kim makes the mother’s gaze straight to the front, which seems distant between present and past, while Lee changes mother's gaze, making various relations between present and past. Most episodes in the past which the mother remember depend on collective images rather than private images. Most outstanding collective memory images in <Mother> are 'national archetypal image' and 'trauma image in modern history'. Firstly, national archetypal image are discovered in various layers such as objet, tales, action, and songs. A persimmon tree, which most frequently appears throughout the work, is a representative symbol of past space. In addition, old villagers' group movement and choir are typical means for imaging life styles in the past. Kim directs a past life as 'popular image' focused on adults, while Lee directs as 'lyric image' focused on children. The stories of a Sin-Ju-Dan-Ji and Yangsanbok and Sooyoungdae are typical examples as a tale motif for establishing national archetypal image. national archetypal image initially function to express time and space in the past the mother remembers and life styles, and furthermore induces the nostalgia for accustomed but lost ones. The theme most related to among mother's memory is mother's painful life history. Her painful history in modern history is internalized through the image of trauma. That is to say, the modern history and mother's history overlap each other by collectively imaging painful modern history. Trauma of modern history is expressed indirectly or along with a daily life related to Confucian ideology in Act 1. On the other hand, trauma in the colonial period and Korean Civil War is expressed more directly. This work covers a life history depending on mother’s memory, so individualized and subjective images should account for more than general historic images. However, in Act 2, the images of trauma in modern history weaken its fun in play and sympathy of mother's pain as 'subjectivity' as the property of memory shrinks.

<Mother>, Kim Myung-gon, Lee Yoon-taek, Memory, Destruction, Image.