유예의 공간과 불확정적 자아: 〈G코드의 탈출〉에서의 은유적 전치

Abstract

This study explores how metaphor functions as a key driving force in theater, focusing on Yoon Young-sun’s play Escape from G Minor Code. The play delves deeply into Yoon’s existential concerns and questions of existence, making it a suitable case study due to its structural characteristics, where metaphor combines with various theatrical elements to effectively convey its themes. Escape from G Minor Code tells the story of the protagonist, a man who stays in a temporary space, a motel, and experiences a state of existential suspension. The motel serves not merely as a stage setting but as a crucial spatial metaphor that symbolically represents the instability of the characters' identities and their existential crisis. In this space, the man and the woman navigate their memories of the past and present, experiencing confusion and conflict as undefined selves. This spatial arrangement functions as a central metaphor that reveals the play’s thematic consciousness. This study also focuses on the mention of the 'G Minor Code’ by the man, analyzing how this code metaphorically represents the character's inability to escape from a fixed life pattern. This scene holds more than simple dialogue; it serves as a pivotal moment where theatrical metaphor transitions into visual expression, providing the audience with significant psychological and sensory experiences. The metaphor, in this sense, goes beyond linguistic rhetoric and merges with stage direction, actors’ movements, and lighting, creating an interactive connection with the audience. In conclusion, this study aims to demonstrate that metaphor in Escape from G Minor Code is not merely a rhetorical device but a core driving force that propels the theatrical narrative and stage direction. The metaphor reveals the characters’ internal conflicts and uncertainties, functioning as an essential theatrical device that enables the audience’s existential experience. Through this, the play leads to profound reflections on human existence and deepens its thematic exploration.