Ludwik Hieronim Morstin’s Ancient Tetralogy

Abstract

The article focuses on Ludwik Hieronim Morstin’s series of plays known as the ancient tetralogy, which comprises Panteja [Panthea], Obrona Ksantypy [The Defence of Xanthippe], Penelopa [Penelope] and Kleopatra [Cleopatra]. When considered as a series, these plays could be seen as representatives of the drama of history and myth, realized through a reinterpretation of events, characters and their stories. An analysis of selected aspects of Morstin’s plays aims to prove that Morstin creatively revised the original stories, discovering the dilemmas of his time in the roots of ancient culture. In the discussed works, the characters and motifs taken from ancient Greece are scrutinized as if from the inside, through the lens of everyday life. Morstin attempted to articulate what was new and to fill the gaps in the stories’ message. He confronted the established tradition, thereby disputing myths and legends. As a result, he revealed the timeless and current meanings of historical and mythological narratives in the context of the 20th-century hic et nunc.