The crypt guardian

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Warden of the Tomb is the only drama of Franz Kafka . It was written between 1916 and 1917 and was published posthumously. It deals with the opaque power relations and shifts at the court of a prince, describing real and irrational forces and currents.

content

Prince Leo and the old forces at court

The prince and his chamberlain talk about whether another one should be employed in addition to the veteran crypt guard next to the family crypt in the park . The chamberlain is more against it, the prince is for it, but he does not simply disregard the arguments of the former. The previous crypt guardian, an old, frail man, is brought in. He is very excited and only when the chamberlain is sent away does he confide his difficult lot to the prince, whom he admires. He says that every night he has to wrestle with the crypt lords, including the ancestor Duke Friedrich and a girl named Isabella. Otherwise they would escape from the park and visit Prince Leo.

The threat to the royal power

The prince is suddenly called to the absent princess, obviously quite deliberately. The chamberlain and the chief steward appearing in the entourage of the princess talk to each other and the latter reveals his great reservations about the prince. He tries to get the chamberlain on his and the princess's side. That does not work, the chamberlain behaves indifferently. The chief steward has nothing but scorn and contempt for the crypt guard, who was crouched in a corner.

The prince appears again, the princess follows him. The crypt guardian is lovingly cared for by the prince. The prince wants to ensure medical care for him, wants to speak to the doctor himself and then resigns.

The princess who stayed behind consults with her chief steward, who as a confidante seems to her to be quite indispensable. Now we learn that the two had probably planned something fatal against Prince Leo. It did not take place today, but it will continue to do so in the future. Finally, the princess speaks about her gloomy mood: "This time it is an extremely sad autumn."

background

In this little drama, Kafka recalls Act I of Hamlet . There, too, guards experience a ghostly apparition of the former king at night. Kafka read the Shakespeare work intensively at this time. The Warden of the Tomb was built in the era surrounding the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I. . He was a representative of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy who died in November 1916 after a 68-year reign. He was followed by a politically weak figure in the person of Charles I.

personal description

The Prince

He's only been in office for a year and his use of power is not yet a matter of course. He doesn't just want to give orders and ignore the concerns of others, he wants to involve them. He does not want to simply issue brief orders to the chamberlain, but first announce them, i. i.e., he wants to discuss. Towards the crypt guardian he develops a care and confidentiality that is touching and alienating at the same time.

The prince is threatened by his own dynastic past, which wants to haunt him in the form of ghosts. At the same time, his wife and her confidante are making mysterious and fateful plans against him. His wife is very far from him and she is unhappy at his court. She reveals her melancholy not to him, but to her chief steward.

The crypt guardian

On the one hand, he is a decrepit old man who can no longer coordinate the periods of his service and the span of the princely reign. On the other hand, he is a symbol of masculinity. He is strong and fights the ghosts all night. A female spirit makes very clear attempts at seduction. His relationship with his granddaughter, with whom he apparently lives alone, has an incestuous aftertaste. In this combination of old age and vitality, he resembles Kafka's father figures from The Judgment and The Married Couple .

The representatives of the court

The chamberlain is irritated by the hesitant manner in which the Prince gave orders and does not want to be involved in any responsibility. He seems to be feeling a power vacuum. He apparently secretly exchanges information about the prince with the chief steward. The former expresses massive criticism of Prince Leo, namely that he would develop into a tyrant despite his friendliness. The chamberlain does not allow himself to be captured by it, but defends the existing conditions at court. Overall, the chamberlain seems insecure in his attitude and does not want to commit himself.

Interpretative approach

The text gives an example of a politically unstable system in which the individual characters move slowly. All discussions, topics and actions remain in the balance and do not come to a concrete conclusion. It is not a time for decisive action. In addition, the dualism of a ruler is described, on the one hand with its individual characteristics and on the other hand with its integration into the dynasty as a general symbolic figure.

Text output

  • All the stories. Published by Paul Raabe , Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1970, ISBN 3-596-21078-X .
  • Retained writings and fragments 1. Edited by Malcolm Pasley, Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1993, ISBN 3-10-038148-3 , pp. 267-272 u. 276-303.

Secondary literature

Web links