“And Can Aught Grieve Save Humanity?”

Abstract

The seemingly inescapable consequences of the climate crisis paint a grim vision of an impending apocalyptic end—one that could lead humankind to extinction through ecological catastrophe. The eschatological perspective and the ecological grief it generates are often articulated through terminology infused with religious connotations, thereby radicalizing the conflict between eco-activists and climate change deniers within competing belief systems. This article examines Cain, A Mystery, a closet drama written by Byron in 1821, in which he anticipates modern anxieties surrounding a post-apocalyptic future. It then turns to A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction, written by Miranda Rose Hall in 2021, which rearticulates the same discourse of human extinction and ecological catastrophe. The play mobilizes this discourse to emphasize the necessity of rethinking human relationships with the environment, while also urging responsibility among theatre-makers to develop eco-ethical modes of production aligned with new conceptions of theatrical practice.