Revenge, Poverty, and Social Inequality in The Play Mega-Mega: A Review Of Literary Sociology

Robinsar Simanjuntak (Institut Kesenian Jakarta)
E Sumadiningrat (Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang, Indonesia)

Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan dan Sains Islam Interdisipliner
Vol. 5 No. 3 Agustus 2026: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan dan Sains Islam Interdisipliner

Noer's Mega-Mega is a play that became a milestone in modern Indonesian theater, capturing the lives of marginalized communities with its insight and intelligence. This research explores the issues of poverty and social inequality, comparing conditions in the 1960s with the present. Using a sociological literary approach, data was collected through documentary studies through textual analysis. The aim of this research was to identify the "revenge of poverty" and the structure of social inequality experienced by the characters in Mega-Mega. The results of this study found that the revenge in this play does not appear as an anarchic physical act, but rather through a fantastical utopian escape as a form of escape from structural injustice. Through this research, it is hoped that the results of this research will encourage public awareness and sensitivity to the issues of poverty and social inequality, thus fostering concern and action to find solutions. This includes raising the awareness of stakeholders and policymakers (the government) to seriously implement Article 34 of the 1945 Constitution.