In DNA, Dennis Kelly depicts a group of adolescents whose torturous treatment of a boy escalates until they are all throwing stones at him, one of which hits the boy in the head and ostensibly kills him. The collective violent action of the group is an allusion to death by stoning, a form of capital punishment that involves throwing stones at a condemned person until they die of blunt trauma.
A practice with ancient roots, stoning has been practiced in different societies around the world for different reasons, including as a means of social control, retribution, and religious adherence. Stoning—also known as lapidation—is often carried out in a public setting, where a crowd gathers to witness the punishment. The details of how stoning works can vary based on cultural, legal, and regional factors, but in general the condemned person is restrained in a public place and people gather to watch or take part by throwing stones at the person. The act of stoning continues until the person is declared dead, a process that can be extremely brutal and can take a considerable amount of time, depending on factors such as the number and size of stones used, the accuracy of the throws, and the victim's physical condition.
Death by stoning has a history that dates back to ancient times and is rooted in various cultural, religious, and legal contexts. The origins of public stoning can be traced to ancient civilizations such as the Mesopotamians, Greeks, and Romans. These societies used stoning as a method of punishment for a range of offenses, including adultery, blasphemy, and other moral transgressions.
Stoning is also mentioned in several ancient religious texts, including the Old Testament, in which stoning was prescribed as a punishment for the offenses of blasphemy, idolatry, and adultery. The New Testament includes the story of "Jesus and the woman taken in adultery," which depicts Jesus intervening in the stoning of a woman and saying, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." In some interpretations of Islamic law, stoning is prescribed for offenses such as adultery. However, the practice varies among different Islamic legal schools and regions. The practice has been a source of debate within the Muslim world, with many advocating for its abolition.
Stoning has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and international bodies, which see the practice as a violation of fundamental human rights such as the right to life, the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and gender-based discrimination, as it is believed that the majority of victims of stoning are women. There have been contemporary instances of stoning reported in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and Iran, which is said to have the world's highest rate of execution by stoning. These incidents often spark international outrage and discussions about human rights, gender equality, and the need for legal reform.
