Who dares to portray the demigod Hercules as an
inadequate, i
mpotent failure? Who dares to mock tragic heroines like Antigone?
Who dares to mock the biblical Judith and her bravery? Who would portray an
ideal emperor as one who betrays and sacrifices his empire? The Swiss author
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, reconstitutes t
hese famous ancient myths, motifs, symbols
and archetypes in his works of art and literature in order to provoke
reconsideration of modern
-
day values such as sacrifice, value of human
life,
patriotism and bravery. I
n doing so, he also touches upon issues s
uch as
globalization, nationalism and bureaucratization as everyday problems that the
individual to rise to his/her heroic potential. The research focuses on
Dürrenmatt’s recurring motifs with special emphasis on mythic, historical and
biblical figures in
t
he plays Romulus the Great and
Hercules and the Augean
Stables
Real Time Impact Factor:
Pending
Author Name: Sonja Novak
URL: View PDF
Keywords: myth, Dürrenmatt, comedy, (anti)hero, Hercules, parody, grotesque
ISSN: 2336-9884
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