''Kordian: First Part of a Trilogy: The Coronation Plot'' (), simply known as Kordian, is a drama written in 1833, and published in 1834, by Juliusz Słowacki, one of the " Three Bards" of

Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Latin, ...

. ''Kordian'' is one of the most notable works of Polish Romanticism and

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

, and is considered one of Słowacki's best works.Christopher John Murray, ''Encyclopedia of the romantic era, 1760-1850, Volume 1'', Taylor & Francis, 2004,
Google Print, p.624
/ref>

History

Słowacki began work on ''Kordian'' about early 1833, completing it in late November that year, while he was in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Agnieszka Szurek
Kordian
gazeta.pl, 2008-07-01 It was published next year in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, anonymously, leading to speculation that it might have been written by the foremost Polish poet, Adam Mickiewicz. Still, it received little positive notice in the first years after its publication. It premiered in 1889 in Austrian-held

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, at the theatre now named after Słowacki. It had to wait until 1916 for its first performance in Russian-held

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. Another notable production occurred in 1956 under Erwin Axer. Other leading directors who have staged ''Kordian'' include Leon Schiller (in the 1930s) and Jerzy Grotowski (1962).Erika Fischer-Lichte, ''History of European drama and theatre'', Routledge, 2002,
Google Print, p.333
/ref> The play has become a classic of Polish theatre

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

. Though ''Kordians title and some of Słowacki's letters indicate that he had planned to write, and may actually have written drafts of, second and third parts, they were never published and, if written, were either destroyed or remain lost. ''Kordian'' has been required reading in Polish schools. In 1994 it aired on Polish TV Theatre.

Plot

After Kordian, a 15-year-old romantic, suffers rejection in love and survives a suicide attempt, he travels through Europe, learning the importance of money. He changes from an adolescent dreamer into a youth in quest of a purpose; in a moment of epiphany, the tragic lover transforms into an idealistic patriot. Inspired by Arnold von Winkelried, he resolves to devote his life to assassinating Russian Tsar Nicholas I (Russia having been one of Poland's three partitioners). Ultimately Kordian fails in his mission because of qualms over the

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

—but possibly escapes with his life. The ending of the drama remains open. The play was translated into English for the first time by Gerard T. Kapolka (The Green Lantern Press, 2011).

Analysis

''Kordian'' comprises three acts, written in

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...

d Polish alexandrines. The play, inspired by the failure of the November 1830 Uprising, is a study of a Polish romantic revolutionary's psyche. Kordian — his name was coined by Słowacki — is a typical romantic hero torn by his emotions. The play is also a

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

and a critique of romantic heroes in general, and in particular that of Mickiewicz's '' Dziady'' (Forefathers' Eve, 1823). Kordian is often contrasted with the latter's hero, Konrad,Kimball King, ''Western Drama Through the Ages: A Student Reference Guide, Volume 1'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007,
Google Print, p.216
/ref> as Kordian contemplates a dishonorable means to achieve victory (assassination) and fails in his task. Słowacki intended to do more than merely show his disappointment with the failure of the November 1830 Uprising; he questioned whether Poland's fate was—as Mickiewicz suggested—in the hands of God, rather than being the plaything of

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

. Słowacki employed old devices as well as new ones, previously not widely used in romantic dramas. He borrowed devices from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

(Kordian is often compared to

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

) but also emphasized fantastic elements as well as contemporary, real-world political events. Imitating

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

's ironical attitude, Słowacki in the introduction to his poem treats the contemporary actors in the revolution rather flippantly. ''Kordian'' is considered a difficult piece to analyze and interpret. A common interpretation, seen by more recent scholars as unsatisfactory, is that of ''Kordian'' as a critique of romantic ideals.

Cultural influences

''Kordian'' has inspired the short story "Gotyk" (Gothic) by

Jacek Dukaj Jacek Józef Dukaj (pronounced: ; born 30 July 1974) is a Polish science fiction and fantasy writer. His fiction explores such themes as alternate history, alternative physics and logic, human nature, religion, the relationship between science a ...

(published in ''Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe'', 2004), which is a

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

continuation of ''Kordian''.Gotyk
, Stronice Dukaja

Influences

* Leon Kruczkowski, ''Kordian i cham'' *

, ''Gotyk''

Notes

External links

Kordian at Wikisource

Motifs in ''Kordian''
{{in lang, pl 1834 plays Polish plays Polish poems 1834 poems Works by Juliusz Słowacki Cultural depictions of Nicholas I of Russia