Revisions of Heroism

Cyprian Norwid’s “Tyrtej” and Stanisław Wyspiański’s “Achilleis”

Abstract

The article compares two dramas dealing with the history and mythology of Ancient Greece: Tyrtej (Tyrtaeus) and Achilleis. The way in which Cyprian Norwid and Stanisław Wyspiański draw inspiration from Antiquity proves to be similar in many aspects: both artists transform the original motifs and qualities of the main characters. They also underemphasise the heroic tone in their texts – not in order to reject heroism as such, but to revise and transform it. The first part of the article deals with Tyrtej, presents the eponymic character, emphasising the transformation of his characterisation in relation to the traditional representations of Tyrtaeus. The second part focuses on Achilleis, a dramatic work that creatively transforms The Iliad, centered on the character of Achilles. The third part discusses the theme of heroism and points out similarities with Thomas Carlyle’s ideas and his concept of heroes (developed in the volume On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History). An analysis of the dramas by Norwid and Wyspiański leads to the conclusion that these authors do not reject heroism, but propose a new model – the heroism of the spirit (revealing many similarities with Carlyle’s ideas).