Review: Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth

 by Phoebe Clark

(Wiki Commons)

Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth is a play that is set around a man who lives in the woods, but it about so much more. On the surface, it is confusing, explicit and is inaccessible to the reader. It took me a while to understand what was happening and the stories behind every character, who not only kept changing names and pronouns, lots of whom are never fully explained to us. However, once you look deeper into the motives and passions of the characters, especially the protagonist Johnny, there is a wealth to say and learn from them. 

The inaccessibility is purposeful from Butterworth, I think to show how isolated these characters are. Not just physically, being in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of a town, but isolated from society as well. The book is aptly named after the infamous Christian hymn because it presents a perception, although distorted, of ‘England’s green and pleasant land’. The characters, especially Johnny, have incredible and unique knowledge about the earth and England’s geographical features showing the weight of knowledge of the land, its features and history. I feel they are shown to be an extension of the land in the way they are disregarded by society, in a similar way to a post-industrial revolution in Britain. In the last scene, Johnny calls his ancestors in an almost tribal way, shouting at the trees and banging a drum with passion. This gave me a lasting impression that the character, and his family, are a part of the land. The cover art on the copy I read also confirmed this with a silhouette of a man’s face with beer, leaves, weed and more within his hair - a literal part of him. 

One of the most striking things about the play is its incredible sense of place. It has a quintessential aspect of idealised Britain with the May-day traditions and plentiful land melded with a sense of the new, gritty England with new-estates, low quality drug dealing and over-zealous city councils. It is the contentious act of Rooster pouring his milk in first. This wondrous amalgamation allows the play to feel deeply rooted in the realities of our country. The language mirrors this eclectic nature of England as well by using expletives and the sublime.

Jerusalem also concerns itself with the treatment of the less fortunate within our society, showing the treatment of the lower classes and the people, like Johnny, without a home in the traditional and socially accepted sense. He is mistreated and unwanted by the local council, who are shown to be bullies, pushing someone out of his home because there have been complaints about him. He has been kicked out of and banned from every pub in the area, a clear exclusion from society. By wanting to cut down the forest to build a new development, not only are the council evicting Johnny, there are in turn destroying nature - promoting the metaphor that Johnny is a part of, and can be seen as, nature and people don’t understand him or the value of the land.

Another thought-provoking statement that the play makes is that children are safer in a caravan in the woods, with a man that deals drugs. It brings in the question of our children safe in their homes anymore? Johnny makes it explicit that he doesn’t care whether the kids are there or not, but that they are safer there than at home, a controversial statement, and one that makes people uncomfortable. Phaedra is also worried about no longer being the May Queen, which is why she stays with Johnny. I think this is fear could be seen as the pressure being put on children so young, especially when it is so trivial. This title that has so much cultural significance is a cause of so much pain and worry for Phaedra. But that’s all it is - a title. The ‘May Queen’ does not have any actual authority, but the status is such a huge cause for pressure on Phaedra.

I feel the book has so many interesting aspects and has some fascinating eco-critic perspectives as well as the society and culture of England.