Summary
Henrik Ibsen: The Emperor and the Galilean
Historical drama I - II
The drama The Emperor and the Galilean is set during the transition of Greece to Christian culture, it deals with the violence that accompanies the death of one and the birth of another. With this play, Ibsen became a modern writer. He did not write a classic tragedy in which the characters speak "the language of the gods". On the contrary, he presented ordinary people with the desire to achieve the illusion of reality.
The Emperor and the Galilean raises the question of whether man has the power to shape history. The main character of the drama is the emperor Julian the Apostate. Through his fate, Ibsen examines the relationship between necessity and freedom, violence and beauty, history as a possible order or constant chaos. The strongest win, and the "will of the world" transforms such winners into its toys. At the same time, individual wishes and efforts have almost no influence. In Ibsen's play, Julian exclaims: Am I the proud master of my destiny or a toy force of history?
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