Chapter Codificazione della violenza: l’Elektra di Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Abstract
Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Elektra constitutes an important turning point in the transition from early lyric to theatre. Inspired by Sophocles' drama, but with elements more similar to Euripides', it proposes a linguistic connotation, characterisation of the characters and a completely innovative and unconventional staging. Blood, a concrete representation of the unprecedented violence that characterises the entire drama, is the red thread that links the succession of events. Words turn into weapons and the protagonist's thirst for vengeance drives the action. The finale culminates in a supreme act of violence that sees the roles reversed: the executioners become victims and the victims executioners. This is the only solution to end the circle of brutal suffering.
Keywords
Hugo von Hofmannsthal; contemporary Austrian theatre; Sophocles; Euripides; violenceDOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0278-7.08ISBN
9791221502787, 9791221502787Publisher
Firenze University PressPublisher website
https://www.fupress.com/Publication date and place
Florence, 2023Imprint
USiena PressSeries
Studi di letterature moderne e comparate, 3Classification
Theatre studies