Dziady (Polish pronunciation:[ˈdʑadɨ],Forefathers' Eve) is apoetic drama by the Polish poetAdam Mickiewicz. It is considered one of the greatest works of both Polish and EuropeanRomanticism.[1][2][3] ToGeorge Sand andGeorg Brandes,Dziady was a supreme realization of Romantic drama theory, to be ranked with such works asGoethe'sFaust andByron'sManfred.[3]
The drama's title refers toDziady, an ancientSlavic andLithuanian feast commemorating the dead (the "forefathers"). The drama has four parts, the first of which was never finished. Parts I, II and IV were influenced byGothic fiction andByron's poetry. Part III joinshistoriosophical and individual visions of pain and annexation, especially under the 18th-century partitions of Poland. Part III was written ten years after the others and differs greatly from them. The first to have been composed is "Dziady, Part II", dedicated chiefly to theDziady Slavic feast of commemoration of the dead which laid the foundations of the poem and is celebrated in what is nowBelarus.[4]
A ban on the performance of the play was an aspect of the1968 Polish political crisis.
The drama's four parts are described below in the order of their composition.
Part II
In this part, published in 1823, Mickiewicz expresses a philosophy of life, based mainly on folk morality and on his own thoughts about love and death. In the drama, Lithuanian peasants are summoning ghosts to ensure them the access to heaven. The first ghosts are two children who are unable to reach heaven (light spirits), as they have never suffered. Then appears a phantom of a cruel heir who is persecuted by birds (heavy spirit). They are obliged not to let him eat, because as a living person he did not act like a human being. The next ghost is a phantom of Zosia (mediumspirit), a young, beautiful shepherdess. Her fault is that she had never returned anybody's love, and love is needed for the act of salvation. The final ghost resembles the main hero of the Part IV, Gustaw.[5]
Part IV
Part IV, also from 1823, is believed to be Mickiewicz's manifesto of his romantic philosophy of life, and also a story about his love for Maryla Wereszczakówna. The main reason for associating bard's and his hero's biography is the resemblance of what Gustaw (the protagonist of the drama) says about his tragic youth. He met a fine girl, with whom he fell in love. Unfortunately, she married a rich duke and, subsequently, Gustaw committed suicide. A similar situation took place in poet's life, but he managed to forgive his lover. When he was depressed, he wrote the IV part of "Dziady", one of the most beautiful Polish poems about love and also a fascinating example of theromantic poetry.
The action of the drama is divided into three episodes — the hour of love, the hour of despair and the hour of admonition. The book shows dangers of people's romantic nature and reading sentimental masterpieces, which do not show the real world. On the other hand, Gustaw is presented as an owner of themetaphysical knowledge. It is him, not his teacher who eventually notions to the philosophy ofEnlightenment and visualizes the true picture of the world, which is the reality conducted by paranormal laws.
Part I
The first part, published after Mickiewicz's emigration toFrance, was probably written in the early 20s, though never finished. Meant to be a picture of "emotion of the 19th-century people", it was immediately given up by the author. It shows a young girl and boy, feeling confused with and trying to choose between the sentimental idea of love, adjustment to the society and respect to own nature.
Part III
This part, published in 1832, is thought to be the most significant one, or even one of the finest poems in thePolish literature. The main character bears a resemblance to Gustaw from the IV part, but he is no longer a "romantic lover". The drama was written after the failure of theNovember Insurrection, an event which exerted a huge influence over the author. In the Prologue the protagonist of the drama writes on the wall "Today Gustaw has died, today Konrad was born". Konrad is a name from the previous Mickiewicz's novel,Konrad Wallenrod. Wallenrod was the hero who sacrificed his life and happiness for his own country's sake.
Mickiewicz dedicated his work to people fighting for Polish freedom in the 1830s insurrection and especially to those who were exiled toSiberia by theRussian Tsar. The book describes the cruelty of Tsar Alexander and the persecution of Poles. It has many mysterious episodes; historical characters appear side to side with ghosts, angels and the devil. Poland, according to Mickiewicz's visions, was meant to be "theChrist of Europe": the national suffering was to result in the release of all persecuted people and nationalities, just as Christ's death brought salvation.
The characters of the drama are chiefly prisoners, accused of conspiracy against the Russian conqueror. The self-named protagonist is called Konrad. He is a poet. In his monologue, commonly known as "The Great Improvisation" (Wielka Improwizacja), he is talking to God about his patriotic feelings and personal misfortune. He compares his works of poetry to the creations of God and nature, and claims that they are completely equal, if not better. Frustrated, Konrad calls God out, accusing Him of letting people suffer — particularly him and Poles under the rule of three foreign empires, and yet still wanting to be called Father, worshipped and loved. The young poet thinks that Creator is baffled by his words and that man knows Him better than any ofarchangels, because he hears no response. He is ready to fight against God (comparing himself toSatan, but claiming that he will be the more challenging enemy, because, unlike his predecessor, in this battle he will use heart, not reason) for improving the fate of his nation and whole humanity. Meanwhile, angels and devils are struggling over Konrad's soul. Another character, a priest called Piotr, has also a vision. When he happens to foretell the country's future, he says one of the most mysterious words of the whole drama. Describing a person who will bring back the freedom of Poland, he says:
"The Son of a foreign mother, in his blood old heroesAnd his name will be forty and four".
The whole drama brings back the hope of Polish independence and gives a great picture ofPolish society in such a difficult a moment. For instance, recognizable words are:
"Our nation is like lava. On the top it is hard and hideous, but its internal fire cannot be extinguished even in one hundred years of coldness. So let's spit on the crust and go down, to the profundity!"
Dziady is known for its varying interpretations. The best known ones are the moral aspect of part II, theindividualist andromantic message of part IV, and the deeplypatriotic,messianistic andChristian vision in part III.Zdzisław Kępiński [pl], however, focuses his interpretation onSlavic pagan andoccult elements found in the drama. In his bookMickiewicz hermetyczny he writes about the influence ofHermetic,theosophical andalchemical philosophy on the book as well asMasonic symbols (including the controversial theory of Mickiewicz being acommunist).
A performance ofDziady took place inKraków'sTeatr Miejski (City Theater) in 1901, directed byStanisław Wyspiański.
After the communist takeover of Poland, the new government discouraged the staging ofDziady. The first postwar production, a major cultural event, opened in November 1945, during the 1945-46 theater season, atTeatr Miejski inOpole. It was guest-directed by Jerzy Ronard Bujanski ofTeatr Stary (the Old Theater) in Kraków, who also starred as Konrad.
Three years later,Leon Schiller began work on a production ofDziady atTeatr Polski (the Polish Theater) in Warsaw. The opening night was planned for December 1948, but was canceled for a number of reasons, some political.
The next production ofDziady in post-World War II Poland was staged only afterJoseph Stalin's death and took place in November 1955 at Warsaw'sTeatr Polski.
The first ever full staging of theDziady was directed byMichal Zadara and was premiered on February 20, 2016. The performance lasted 14 hours and included six breaks. It began at noon and lasted until 2 in the morning.[6]
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