Review article
Facing evil. The tragedies of Stanisław Wyspiański The Malediction and The Judges
Maria Jolanta Olszewska
Abstract
The article presents an analysis of Stanisław Wyspiański's two tragedies, Klątwa and Sędziowie, in terms of the elements of ancient tragedy pertaining to their structure and considered universally by scholars as the ideal of playwriting. The importance that Wyspiański attached to tragedy as a genre, determined by the categories of unity of time, place and action, as well as the way of thinking about the world and human existence, is evidenced by his letters, notes and his Studium o Hamlecie (A Study on Hamlet). Wyspiański created his particular variant of the modernist tragedy with its own epistemological goals and the language of axiology. His tragedies represent the philosophy of a borderline situation that allows the heroes to acquire tragic knowledge. Although both are set in the countryside, they go beyond the naturalistic convention and come close to a tragic miniature. The heroes of Klątwa and Sędziowie bravely fight against God identified with Fate, thus defending their dignity. In this way, they rise to the rank of tragic heroes. The peasant hero in his quest to know the Truth transcends his social status and becomes a universal man. Therefore, the discussed tragedies of Wyspiański can be regarded as an in-depth metaphysical reflection on the world, which experiences, in Friedrich Nietzsche’s words, the "death of God".
Keywords
Stanisław Wyspiański; evil; tragedies; Klątwa (The Malediction); Sędziowie (The Judges); God; faith
Hrčak ID:
289450
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2022.
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