Original scientific paper
The Theme of Abraham’s Sacrifice in Croatian and European Drama
Viktoria Franić Tomić
Slobodan Prosperov Novak
Abstract
On the basis of comparative analysis of the dramatic texts of the Croatian and European medieval and early-modern writers, the authors interpret the metamorphoses of the Old Testament narrative of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. Medieval and early-modern dramatic texts on Abraham are classified in the light of scientific myth theories. In doing so, the authors pinpoint the transformation with regard to mythemes, best viewed in the analysis of the dramatis personae relations. Special focus has been placed on the dramatic text Posvetilište Abramovo by Mavro Vetranović, in which for the first time in the world literature the Old Testament character of Sarah, mother of Isaac, is introduced. Vetranović presents the story of Abraham and his son as a dramatised fragment of the Bible pauperum, deciding not to include the motif of lordly predestination of the dramatis personae. Grounding their interpretation on theatrological theorems of Piotr Bogatyrev, the authors conclude that Vetranović is the first Croatian playwright who applied the dramatic procedure of the surplus and deficiency of meaning. From the gender viewpoint, the authors assert that in all early-modern literary texts Sarah’s character is represented as contamination of the Old Testament Sarah and the New Testament Virgin Mary. Closely analysed is also the poem Posluh Abrahama patrijarke by Lukrecija Bogašinović, whose eighteenth-century characterisation of Sarah greatly departs from the traditional patterns of biblical representation. A carnival custom from Perast, recorded in 1715 by Marko Martinović, and a popular play Posvetilište Abramovo, staged by Velimir Deželić for the eucharistical congresss in Zagreb in 1923, are interpreted in the light of Malinowski’s theories of myth and ritual.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
85358
URI
Publication date:
10.7.2012.
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