Parzival (Tankred Dorst)

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Parzival with Herzeloyde in the forest
(around 1440 from a late medieval illuminated manuscript)

Parzival is a play by Tankred Dorst based on models from Artursepik , which was premiered on September 12, 1987 under the direction of Robert Wilson in the Thalia Theater Hamburg .

content

Parzival's mother, the widowed Queen Herzeloyde, has withdrawn to a forest solitude with her boy. When asked why, Parzival receives the answer: "If you come among people, they will kill you." The mother cites the death of Parzival's father Gachmuret off Baghdad as the best example .

When two glittering riders wait at the edge of the forest, Parzival takes them for angels . The two gentlemen are ambassadors from King Arthur . The knights Sir Bedivere and Sir Pinel le Savage wait on their horses. Parzival also wants to become a knight against the will of his mother. Before Herzeloyde can give the son anything else on the journey, she dies.

Parzival, on the way to see King Arthur, stops at Jeschute , takes her off completely and bites off her finger. Sir Orilus, Jeschute's husband, joins them.

At court, Death inspects a few candidates - as if there were Sir Orilus, Sir Lancelot , Sir Kay and Sir Gawain . Immediately after his arrival Parzival absolutely wants to be admitted to King Arthur. The knights have fun with the newcomer they think is a savage. Sir Gawain is jokingly crowned king. Parzival, who - as I said - also wants to become a knight, wants the red armor . Sir Gawain recommends that the boy should get the protective clothing from Sir Ither out in the field. Said and done. Parzival pulls out again, meets Ither and stabs his eyes with a branch. The attack is fatal. Parzival puts on the dead man's red armor.

At the court of King Arthur, Sir Gawain identifies himself, apologizes for the fun and offers his help - if Parzival still wants to become a knight. Parzival, who thinks he is a knight in red armor, harshly refuses the offer and goes out. In search of God, the rider on the white horse first meets Sigune and rides on.

Sir Gawain will then go with him. Parzival again rejects that. The rider cannot find God in any of the countries. In anger, he kills indiscriminately. Merlin , who appears to the madman in one form or another, is angry about this. The young hero calls the old wizard a fool and moves on. The second beauty that Parzival meets after Sigune is Blanchefleur , the Peacock Knight's lover. Parzival simply kills the latter and lies down in bed with the beautiful woman together with the corpse. Parzival doesn't love Blanchefleur, he confesses to the omnipresent Merlin. The magician reveals to the restless rider why he cannot find God: Because he always wants to be the stronger. Parzival wants to kill Merlin with the sword, but the weapon turns into a wooden beating. Sir Galahad is dancing along the way . The two knights argue which of the two is the crazier; the seeker or the dancer?

Tankred Dorst then gives the audience an idea of ​​the Grail - a glowing stone from Lucifer's crown; a chalice filled with the blood of Christ wounded with the lance. Joseph of Arimathia celebrates the Grail. Several images of the Grail are offered in the piece: For example the wonderful light over the glacier ice in which Galahad has dissolved.

Parzival was wrong. He and Blanchefleur will become a couple after all. That light plays the main role again. The lovers lie naked in it. Sir Gawain is beside himself with joy. But Parzival considers Gawain to be the tempter . Gawain stays with it - Parzival is a lucky one. In the Grail Castle he experienced the miracle of the Grail. Parzival waves it away. The knights at the table in the castle would have looked rotten. And Gawain's beautiful image of the Grail is further tarnished. King Amfortas - suffering unspeakably - is carried across the field. The Grail Cup is glowing, but blood is dripping from the tip of the lance. Gawain has to experience how Parzival's senses get confused. Parzival kills a bird he thought was a stone.

After all, Parzival believes he has found the saint in a naked man who can free him from his irascibility. That again turns out to be a mistake. The naked widower had married his brother's widow and later left his second wife. Without a breadwinner, two of the three children died of starvation. Parzival cuts down the inventory of the naked man's hut and makes off. In a dilapidated brickyard has Trevrizent the scourges lost the power. Parzival is supposed to take over the whip and carry on. He refuses and is accused by Trevrizent that he was chosen in the Grail Castle, but that he failed with his silence. Trevrizent pulls the skin off his body. The audience experiences the final transformation in this play. Trevrizent becomes Merlin.

Again Parzival strives up into the glacier region of the Grail. Blanchefleur - on the spot - warms the lover; keeps him from freezing to death.

shape

Tankred Dorst has to agree: the story has no end and has remained a fragment. In addition, the viewer - in the mood for the Middle Ages - is offended with difficult to understand insertions from the modern era .

Self-testimony

The author gives Wolfram von Eschenbach , Chrétien de Troyes and Malory as sources .

Tankred Dorst notes that when he wrote “Parzival” he sometimes thought of the German boys who had moved to Stalingrad with a simple, haughty mind and who hated each other afterwards. There is talk of German guilt in times of war . The big question is: can German society tolerate such heroes?

Productions

literature

Text output

Secondary literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Bekes has three illustrations of the premiere on pp. 64–65. The illustration on p. 64 shows the naked man in a drawing by Johannes Grützke (see also under “Contents”). The photo on p. 65 above shows Tankred Dorst and Ursula Ehler at work with Robert Wilson and on the same page below a stage design: Galahad in madness (see under “Contents”) - Photographers: Elisabeth Henrichs and Karin Rocholl.
  2. ↑ The author can not have meant himself in connection with the momentous campaign to the east . Dorst was not drafted to the Western Front until 1944 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Edition used, p. 375, first entry
  2. ↑ Edition used, p. 15, 3rd Zvu
  3. ↑ Lamorak's cousin (eng.)
  4. ↑ Edition used, p. 50, 4th Zvu
  5. ↑ Anfortas ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / mediaewiki.org
  6. ↑ Trevrizent ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / mediaewiki.org
  7. ↑ Tankred Dorst in the edition used, p. 91, 7th Zvu
  8. ↑ Tankred Dorst in the edition used, p. 90, 12. Zvu
  9. ↑ Tankred Dorst in the edition used, p. 91, 4. Zvo
  10. ↑ Tankred Dorst in the edition used, p. 91, 15. Zvo
  11. ↑ Tankred Dorst in the edition used, p. 91, 4th Zvu
  12. ^ Günther Erken at Arnold, p. 87, left column, 3rd entry vu