The Berlin Antigone

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The Berlin Antigone is a novella by Rolf Hochhuth . Just like the drama Antigone by Sophocles, she takes up the legend of the mythological figure Antigone , who, contrary to the applicable laws, buries her brother. The work was first published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on April 20, 1963 and appeared in book form in 1964 with ten drawings by Werner Klemke . In 1968 it was filmed for West German and Hungarian television.

background

The historical background of the story is the transfer of 269 executed women to the Berlin Anatomy Department in the years 1939–1945. The bodies were used for experimental purposes.

The work also contains the dedication “For Marianne”; Marianne is Hochhuth's first wife and the daughter of Rose Schlösinger , who was a member of a socialist, anti-fascist resistance group ( Rote Kapelle ). She was executed by beheading in 1943 for resisting. The fate of Rose Schlösinger forms the biographical background of the fictional story "The Berlin Antigone".

content

The protagonist of the novella is Anne; she is charged with stealing her brother's body from the anatomy on a night of fire in order to bury him in the invalids cemetery.

Anne is subordinate to the general judge. However, she got engaged to his son Bodo against his consent before her act.

Bodo tries to get Anne acquitted with his father and thus save her; as a judge, only he can save his son's betrothed from execution. Father and son get into a conflict; Finally, Bodo shoots himself in a Russian farmhouse believing that Anne is already dead.

First, however, the judge general tries to save Anne from death by all means possible. In doing so, however, he makes himself suspicious of other organs of the Nazi regime ; the public prosecutor's attention is drawn to his very mitigating argument about Anne's act. Nevertheless, he has too much respect for the general judge and he remains unmolested.

Anne, however, does not seem to notice the attempts of her future father-in-law and does not respond to all of his attempts to meet her. She remains silent about the funeral she has carried out alone and does not react to accusations of complicity or to deadlines that give her twenty-four hours to think about it.

She is caught in her fear and hopelessness; When she learns of Bodo's suicide, she loses all hope, so that she also plays with the idea of ​​killing herself. She hides a shard of glass under her headscarf, but the prison guard found it and confiscated it.

Anne's petition for clemency is rejected and she is brutally executed by an executioner. An addendum reports on the equally cruel execution of the Hitler assassin on July 20, 1944 , which was filmed and shown as amusement in the Reich Chancellery. Even Propaganda Minister Goebbels is said to have "held his hand in front of his eyes several times".

Figure constellation

Figure constellation

Language and style

The novella is written in a very factual, sober style, so that it looks more like a chronicle. In addition, Hochhuth adopts the language used by the Nazi regime (both in direct and indirect speech) to point out the ideology of this power system that despises people.

Motive farewell letter

The farewell letter that Anne writes to Bodo reflects the mental exertions Anne is exposed to in order to withstand death. Thanks to the letter, a calm farewell to Bodo is possible. At the same time it is the reason for the tragic outcome of the novella. Because Bodo is reading the letter, he kills himself, although Anne has not yet been executed due to an extended cooling off period.

Motif Acts 5:29

The cipher Acts 5:29 appears several times in Anne's reflections . Peter formulates a principle for action before the high council in Jerusalem: “One must obey God more than men” ( Acts 5:29  EU ). In this way, thoughts about the presence or absence of a god are triggered in Anne. She is concerned with whether there is a God who can legitimize her act - that is, the stealing of her brother's corpse. Furthermore, the theodicy question plays a major role: Why does an almighty caring God allow suffering like Anne experienced? Anne does not know the content of this passage. This reflects their uncertainty about the existence of God.

Hochhuth addresses itself directly to the reader and asks him to position himself on the ethical dimension of the action.

Hitler sculpture by Arno Breker , 1938

Motif bust of Hitler

There is a bust of Hitler in the trial room of the court. Constantly present, Hitler watches over the process. Hitler thus becomes a dramatic figure who, however, only acts passively. He is the legislative power behind the decisions of the judge general. Because it is not subject to any criticism, the impression of a final and absolute judgment in the Nazi injustice system is reinforced.

Structural structure

Hochhuth's novella shows the typical tension arc of a drama (five-act scheme according to Gustav Freytag ).

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Television games

The novella was filmed as a television play by ZDF in 1968 , the script was written by Leopold Ahlsen . It was directed by Rainer Wolffhardt and the first broadcast was on November 24, 1968. Donata Höffer played the role of Anne Hofmann , while Dieter Borsche played Dr. Hellmer and Peter Kappner appeared as Bodo Hellmer. The screenplay with photos of the scenes was published in 1980 - together with the novella - by Ferdinand Schöningh .

Another television play was made in the same year, directed by László Nemeres for Hungarian television ( Az élö Antigoné ).

literature

  • Detlef Brennecke: Rolf Hochhuth's novella "The Berlin Antigone" . In: Rolf Hochhuth. Work and effect . Edited by Rudolf Wolff. Bouvier, Bonn 1987. pp. 47-62.
  • Ute Druvins: "The Berlin Antigone" . In: Rolf Hochhuth - Intervention in contemporary history. Essays on the work . Edited by Walter Hinck. Rowohlt, Reinbek 1981. pp. 217-230.
  • Sotera Fornaro: Hochhuth, Rose Schlösinger, Sophocles. "The Berlin Antigone" . In: Ilse Nagelschmidt, Sven Neufert, Gert Ueding (eds.): Rolf Hochhuth: Theater as a political institution. Conference proceedings with a personal bibliography . Denkena, Weimar 2010. pp. 197-208.
  • Eberhard Hermes: Interpretation aids. The Antigone fabric. Ernst Klett, Stuttgart 1992.
  • Lutz Lenz : A modern Antigone. To Hochhuth's tragic novella . In: Antike und Abendland 22 (1976). Pp. 156-174.
  • Edgar Neis: Antigone . In: Interpretations of works of world literature with the same motif . C. Bange, Hollfeld 1976. pp. 40-70.
  • Josef Nolte: Resistance and Reality. Fundamental philosophical questions with regard to the Antigone drama and its interpretation . In: Frankfurter Hefte 7 (1976). Pp. 51-61.
  • Theodor Wilhelm : Europe on the verge of self-destruction. Rolf Hochhuth's educational contribution to the balance of the century . In: Pädagogische Rundschau 53 (1999), issue 6. pp. 647–664.