When Death Dictates Life: Poetics and Politics of Death in the Web series Death's Game

When Death Dictates Life: Poetics and Politics of Death in the Web series Death's Game

First Author: Sreedevi N. S.
Second Author: Dr. Lima Antony

Death's Game is a South Korean fantasy mystery thriller web series written and directed by Ha Byung-hoon that premiered on December 15, 2023, and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The series produced by SLL, Studio N consists of 8 episodes and features a blend of drama and fantasy elements. The storyline follows Choi Yee-jae, a young man who commits suicide after enduring years of unemployment and despair but is confronted by Death. Due to his indifference to life and the trivialization of death, he is tasked by Death with navigating twelve different lives and deaths, with the potential to earn a fresh start if he manages to survive in one of those reincarnations. The series delves into themes of reincarnation, the value of existence, and the repercussions of choices. The paper intertwines classical mythological interpretations of Thanatos with Achille Mbembe's contemporary theoretical framework of necropolitics to scrutinize the character of Death and its deviation from traditional representations in mythology and literature. Furthermore, it delves into cultural attitudes toward life and death and how societal structures dictate the value of individual lives. By integrating thanatology into the analysis, the paper illustrates how Death's Game reflects broader societal concerns surrounding mortality and the human experience, serving as a stark commentary on the challenges of contemporary life.

Sreedevi N S
Assistant Professor of English
Sree Sankara College Kalady
Pin : 683574
Part Time Research Scholar
St. Xavier's College for Women (Autonomous) Aluva 
Pin: 683101
Email: ns.sreedevi@gmail.com
Ph: +91 8281694729
Orcid ID 0009-0005-3290-2572
&
Dr Lima Antony
Associate Professor and Research Guide
Postgraduate Department of English and Research Centre
St. Xavier's College for Women (Autonomous) Aluva 
Pin: 683101
India
Ph: +91 9446552360
Email: limaantony@stxaviersaluva.ac.in
ORCID: 0000-0001-6077-4890