Abstract

Sharon Pollock’s Blood Relations (1984) is based on the infamous legend of Lizzie Borden and the murder mysteries of her father and stepmother at their family home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Despite her acquittal, Lizzie remained the suspect by society facing ostracism. Pollock's play creates a scenario some ten years after the murder, portraying a different side to the myth. Her feminist play invites the audience to sympathize with Lizzie, regardless of the speculations surrounding the heinous act. However, this paper goes beyond feelings of sympathy by portraying the suspected patriarchal pariah and father-killing figure as the hero of the oppressed.

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