against the fascination of this force in Holofernes. The word also suggests the irony of fate in the situation of a strong man boasting of his security when the shadow of death is already upon him. In Golo und Genoveva, Siegfried, Genoveva's husband, suffers from an obsession of distrust as mad and deadly as the characters in Kleist's Familie Schroffenstein. His suspicion is so deeprooted and wilfully irrational that Golo says of him: "Mein Widerruf bewirkte nichts, Als dass er mir's nur um so fester glaubte." Repetition in Golo und Genoveva is overdone to such a degree that it is almost comical; as, for instance, "log" in Act IV, scene 6: Golo: "Herr Graf, ich log." Siegfried: 66 Um niemals zu erfahren, ob mein Weib Die Sünderin, ob du der Lügner warst." Ich log! zum dritten Mal! Nur fügt hinzu: Ich log den andern Beiden nach. Verschweigt Ihr straft mich Lügen. Nur zu! Ich log! Two pages later, after Siegfried has become still more entangled in his madness of doubt, Margaretha: "Ihr seid ein Mann, Den Keiner zu belügen wagen wird. . . Margaretha: "Doch ob sie etwa unerlaubt geküsst, Es ist erlogen (zu Golo). Nichts für ungut, Herr, The hero of the play is Golo. The dramatic purpose of it is to show how an erotic passion may not only lead a man into crime, but corrupt his will until he knowingly chooses a career of crime. Golo becomes in the end a deliberate criminal. The last line in Act I reads: Golo: "So leg'ich's aus, ich soll ein Schurke sein." Then in Act III, scene 10, after Genoveva has rejected his adulterous suit, putting him on his honor, Golo: "Wer jetzt noch bleibt, der muss ein Schurke sein. Ich bin ein Schurk'. Nun hab ich Schurkenrecht, denn auch ein Schurk' hat Recht . At the end of this speech he forcibly kisses Genoveva. In the following scene the word "Kuss" is repeated four times, referring to Golo's action, in order to emphasize the dramatic importance of it. This importance consists chiefly in the interpretation of the kiss by others, especially by Siegfried, the victim of his mad jealousy. To quote only two brief lines, in Act IV, scene 6: Siegfried: "Ein Kuss auf ihre Hand? Ich küss die Hand nicht wieder." Another case of repetition in this drama is that of "Mord” and "nichts" together, as: "Ein Mord, ein Nichts," in Golo's speech of six lines concluding Act III. "Mord" occurs in this passage five times; "nichts" four times. The repetition serves the purpose of showing to what degree of evil and desperation Golo has fallen. In Maria Magdalena the only word repeated is "nicht," or "nichts." It occurs in Act III, scene 2, in Klara's plea. The keynote of the whole speech is: "I demand nothing; I have nothing to live for now; only marry me to save me from shame and death." It confirms in us the anxious expectation that she will yield to the obvious suggestion of self-destruction arising from her conviction that her life is hopelessly bankrupt. The word "Gulden" repeated in Act I, scene 2, emphasizes a suspicion of Karl's character and is interesting. For this suspicion, though it later proves ungrounded, affects decisively the tragic course of events. The tragic conflict in Herodes und Mariamne consists in the clash between the two principal characters. It is a tragedy of a conflict between the pride of a loyal and intensely passionate wife and a morbidly selfish, tyrannical husband. The tragic traits of Herod's character are emphasized in the repetition of the words or "wissen," "Welt," "zittern;" those of Mariamne, in "zittern," and her final tragic determination in the word "Tod." 66 In Act I, scene 3, Herod has been called to Antonius to give an account of the assassination of Mariamne's brother. has forgiven him the murder. Herodes: "Ja! Antonius lässt mich rufen Doch, ob auch wiederkehren, weiss ich nicht!" Mariamne: "Du weisst es nicht?" Herodes: "Weil ich nicht weiss wie hart Mich meine-deine Mutter bei ihm verklagte." Mariamne Herodes: "Gleichviel! Ich werd's erfahren. Eins nur muss ich In the ensuing dialogue Herod demands that Mariamne promise on oath to kill herself if he should not return, because he wishes. to know whether she prefers him to the world ("die Welt,” repeated four times in five lines). She refuses firmly, too proud to pledge herself to do what she is resolved to do of her free will. Herodes, thinking her love not great enough to give him the comfort of complete sympathy, says: "Die Liebe zittert! Die zittert selbst in einer Heldenbrust!" Mariamne: "Die meine zittert nicht!" Herodes: "Du zitterst nicht" (accusing her of selfishness in opposing his "Du" to her "Die meine"). Mariamne leaves him, and in a monologue, scene 4, Herod says: "Heut' nicht! Doch morgen, übermorgen! Sie will mir nach dem Tode Gutes thun! Spricht so ein Weib? Zwar weiss ich's, dass sie oft, Wenn ich sie schön genannt, ihr Angesicht Verzog, bis sie es nicht mehr war. Auch weiss ich's, Was ander'n Thränengüsse sind! Auch weiss ich's, .... etc." This insistence on entire certainty, in which Mariamne's integrity and honor are ignored, joined with the egoistical contrast between "the world" and himself, reveals the whole arrogant selfishness. of Herod, incapable of faith in others, which, conflicting with Mariamne's passionate pride and love, brings about the catastrophe. Her pride is further emphasized by the word "räche" in Act II, scene 3, occurring four times in three lines.' She would not seek revenge for the murder of her brother, but for a breach of the faith demanded and justified by her love and pride. Suspense arises from the inferences suggested by this incident, as to what she might be capable of doing should her pride be deeply hurt by Herod. Still other aspects of Mariamne's pride are contained in the repetitions of the words "schwur" (three times in the same scene), "Trost" (ibid.). The scene is between Mariamne and her mother who mourns for her murdered son, Aristobulos, and is much disappointed on finding that Mariamne is not in need of "consolation." An extremely effective repetition occurs in Act IV, scene 8. Mariamne, having learned that Herod, on his second departure, has again given the command to have her killed in case he should lose his life during his hazardous enterprise, has come to the conclusion that he does not love her. In the frenzy of her desperation she arranges a great festivity for the time when the news of Herod's death is expected. She is dancing in a state of hysterical excitement when Herod suddenly appears. She addresses him: Mariamne: "Der Tod! Der Tod ! Der Tod ist unter uns! Unangemeldet wie er immer kommt." Salome [who desires Mariamne's death]: "Der Tod, für dich. Ja wohl! So fühlst du selbst!" Mariamne: "Zieh' das Schwert! Reich mir den Giftpokal! Du bist der Tod! Der Tod umarmt und küsst mit Schwert und Gift." Salome [to Herod]: "Die Kerzen haben dich betrogen; Hier wird gejubelt über deinen Tod." This ominous word continues to recur throughout this scene, the last and climacteric one of the fourth act. Its chief purpose is psychological in two directions: principally, to symbolize Mariamne's determination to die, but also to confirm, partly through the insinuations of Salome, Herod's suspicions of Mariamne, which the latter is too proud, too bitterly determined, even to make an Edited by R. M. Werner (Berlin: B. Behr, 1901), p. 249. See also " Rache" repeated three times in three lines, earlier in the same scene, p. 243. attempt of dispelling. It furthermore confronts the spectator blankly with the inevitable issue of the situation. There are a great many repetitions in Hebbel's Nibelungen; but since they present no new type of repetition in psychological motivation, it may suffice here simply to name the chief words. They are: "Nebelkappe," "Gürtel" (ten times), "Eid," "Drachen" (Chriembild trying to influence Etzel), "Falke," "Schuh" (in the stone-throwing contest Siegfried outthrows his adversary always by one "Schuh"); and "liebte" (twice), "hasste," "Hass" (three times), "versöhnte," "Versöhnung" (five times), in close juxtaposition in Chriembild's "Rache." In Grillparzer's dramas the most obvious case of repetition coming under this head occurs in König Ottokar's Glück und Ende. The word "knieen" in various forms occurs at the end of Act III in line 614' twice; after that in IV, 69, 70, 71, 108, 110, 195, 196, 200, 479 (twice), 480. This word, repeated over and over again to Ottokar, or within his hearing, by his army, by the burgomaster and citizens of Prague, his subjects, and finally by his adulterous wife and Zawisch, her paramour, becomes an intolerable taunt, lashing him on to his now mad and hopeless revolt, to the brutal, lawless execution of Meerenberg, and to his final undoing. In a similar manner Sappho goads herself into fury by the repetition of the word "Undank": Sappho, IV, 18, 27, 30 (three times), 102, 108. Speaking the word the first time inadvertently in her plaint over Phaon's desertion, she is arrested, at the sound of it on her own lips, by the emotional possibilities of it, as it were. She fairly gloats over it in her self-abandonment to wrath, her rage gradually rising to a point where her actions, beginning with the determination to exile Melitta, take the tragic turn. In addition to this, the repetition forces upon us the inference that by putting her claim to Phaon's loyalty on the ground of gratitude she unconsciously acknowledges defeat. To return to Ottokar, other cases of repetition are "feierlich " with "Gelübde" (I, 345, 347, 360, 557), emphasizing Ottokar's willingness to use any pretext to attain his ambitious ends; "O Hand von Schnee," etc. (II, 157, 158, 162, 165, 364, 561), mark 1 Lichtenheld's edition (Cotta). |