In act 1, when elsa and helen are discussing katrina, elsa says: ‘there’s nothing sacred in a
marriage that abuses the woman’ (p. 23).
using the above statement as a starting point, and referring to the section on ‘drama and real
life’ in chapter four of introduction to english literary studies (iels), write an essay of at least
five paragraphs in which you discuss athol fugard’s depiction of ‘real life’ in the relationships
these three women have with their male partners in the road to mecca.
you must make references to relevant aspects of the play to support your answer.
you may want to include the following points in your discussion:
 fugard’s depiction of katrina’s experience of abuse in her marriage and her ways of
dealing with this
 fugard’s depiction of elsa’s relationship with david and her way of dealing with this
 fugard’s depiction of miss helen’s marriage to the late stephanus and her reflections on
the ways she dealt with it