| dc.description.abstract | Collecting scrupulously Zbigniew Herberts references to Shakespeare and investigating
their origin and transformations, the author shows that Shakespeare's texts
have become an important cultural heritage and the element in the fabric of Herbert's
poetic vision.
Herbert uses superficial intertextual links such as names, quotations and open
allusions; he refers to Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It and
The Tempestes. But Shakespeares presence in this poetry is much deeper: it enters the
dialogue in such poems like Las Ardeński, Tren Fortynbrasa and in the essay Hamlet
na granicy milczenia. Herbert red Shakespeare thoroughly and he described reality in
Shakesperares terms of »life is theatre, theatre is life«. The theatrical performance is
the general frame into which Herbert tries to transmit the essance of the experience of
reality. The Shakspeares metadramatic mirror reflects something that cannot be performed.
Besides the metaphore of theatre is used to achieve the universality of the statement
about terror. The author shows, that Herberts point of view is set in Hamlet and
in his both tragical and ironic perspective. The intertextual space embraces the "non-achievement”
of tyranny and - beyond historical expierence - despair about the human
condition and desperate belief in the possibility to oppose evil.
Shakespeares context also open other intertextual space. If the world is "out of
joint”, no value is given forever and everything may be polyvalent. Herberts man balances
between traditional perception of the world and a new existentialism perspective.
He shows that the structure of traditional tragedy is spoiled. The play is no longer tragedy;
instead, it is changed into grotesque and Absolute is changed into history.
Herberts Speaker, especiaily Mr Cogito, plays many roles: he behave like dramaturg,
director in "the theatre of world”, but his favourite is the mask of fool that ironically
looks at the world. In the latest collection, Epilog burzy he changes into a prompter
and he suggests that everyhuman has his own role and his own destiny in life. | pl_PL |
