To Damascus

To Damascus (Swedish Till Damascus ) is a three-part drama of the Swedish writer August Strindberg. The first and second part appeared in 1898, the third in 1904. The premiere of the first part took place on November 19, 1900 at Dramatan in Stockholm, the German première on 9 June 1916 in the Munich Chamber games.

Due to his expressionist idiom it is considered a milestone in the development of modern drama.

Action

At the beginning of the first part is true of the unknown, a writer who was expelled because of his impious writings from society, a mysterious beggar and to the lady who was to become his his companion. She leaves the unknown for the sake of her husband, but her elopement is a nightmare; after all they have, destitute, flee to the parents of the lady. There is the lady of her mother, the last - to read the work of unknowns, although he had forbidden her to see - apparently particularly blasphemous. The stranger plunges in a delirium over a precipice and is nursed back to health in a monastery asylum. Under the influence of Konfessors the decisive inner change happens - the unknown man turns away from his pride and his bad sides. He goes through all the stations again and gets a more positive view of God and the world.

In the second part, the stranger falls back his megalomania. He tries to gold and thus to destroy the world order. When he gets the acknowledgment for having really made ​​of gold, he leaves the lady, whom he married and who has now given birth to a child. It can be celebrated at a banquet of " professors " as the world's greatest scientists - until finally it turns out that it was a celebration of a drinking fraternity. From mocked beggars and arrested by the police because he can not pay the bill, he is completely broken. Finally, he returns to the lady who asks him to go to a monastery and there to change his life fundamentally.

In the last part of the recalcitrant Unknown begins again under the guidance of Konfessors with the ascent to high altitude monastery with its inner transformation. Once in the monastery, he is confronted by the Prior with his old sins. The stranger starts to take off his self-pity and his hatred of God. He agrees to become a monk, and met here his evil spirit who is trying to talk him out of the decision and to arouse his pride and hatred of God again. The unknown overcomes him and eventually dies symbolically the death of his old self.

Throughout the piece very strong biblical and metaphysical influences and images are noticeable. Also the name of the piece derives from the travel of the Pharisee Saul to Damascus ago, on suddenly appeared to him in a vision of Jesus and then from the persecutor Saul the Apostle Paul was.

Even if the action largely goes back to personal experiences Strindberg and thus is autobiographical, the statement of the piece is understood as universally human and personal.

Literature Historical classification and significance

After Damascus was the first work of the Swedish writer, after he had overcome his Inferno crisis. With this piece of Strindberg completed the abrupt transition from its more naturalistic phase towards a more expressionistic style, but also included the symbolist and surrealist elements already.

The Swiss theater critic Bernhard Diebold called The Road to Damascus as the "mother cell of the expressionist drama ". In fact, Strindberg found in this drama two forms, which should be typical of the expressionist drama: the resolution of the character and the station Drama.

In the drama form sometimes also referred to as ego drama ask the people involved with the exception of "I - person " - in this case, the unknown - no real person is, but symbolize the psychological aspects and characteristics of the main character. So the lady is standing in After Damascus to common interpretations for the female principle of the soul, the husband of the lady for the primal foe, the demon for the poor and beggars and Confessor for the good parts of the self.

In a station drama, can be regarded as the prototype of To Damascus, the classification is given in file and replaced by a variety of so-called stations. These symbolize the experience of the I - person development and progress of her soul. This form is based on the passion of Christ.

Furthermore broke Strindberg in this piece with the three Aristotelian units ( unity of time, place and action ), which were considered since the Renaissance, more or less for all plays as binding. Although these have not been fully complied with in previous dramas of other poets, but Strindberg ignored so consistently and continuously like few before him. So the piece seems to be about settled " beyond time ": it found no evidence of how much time elapses during the piece; whether it is months, years or decades. There are only some signs that it could be the entire life span of the unknown. Even from a unity of place can not be spoken in 15 different locations throughout the piece. The unity of action is thereby broken, that the various stations - except for the first and last - would be relatively interchangeable.