Theatre and the Stage as an Arena for Male Gender Fantasies

This article argues that theatre can be the arena for gender critique and gender fantasy, criticize traditional images of men and uphold them. It also discusses two contemporary German plays, Die Beißfrequenz der Kettenhunde by Andreas Marber and Kommt ein Mann zur Welt by Martin Heckmanns and the story Der Ausweg by Daniel Kehlmann which stage male characters that struggle with the contradictory expectations on masculinity.