Bereczky Erzsébet (szerk.): Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man. Essays about the ideas and the directing of the Drama (Budapest, 1985)

Endre Gellért: "I hear, I hear the coming epoch's song"

Lucifer develop in these scenes, and the latter strives to disillusion Adam always in a way that eminently suits his aim and the occassion. This active Lucifer inevitably influences Adam’s actions, too. Adam, who is inspired by ever new and changing ideals is not independent of Lucifer’s resistance, they keep reacting on each other. And the disillusionment with which Adam leaves a scene is not always the same kind of disappointment, nor is the zeal with which he takes up the challenge of new eras and new ideals always the same kind of enthusiasm.

Here I would like to treat only this problem out of the innumerable questions that arise in directing the Tragedy.

But rather than getting entangled in theories of direction, let us see the reality created by the writer. Let us follow Adam from the Egyptian scene to the last moment of the scene at the end, outside of Eden. Does Madách really think that Adam experiences the same kinds of disappointment and the same kinds of enthusiasm throughout? Certainly not.

In the Egyptian scene Pharaoh, who wants to leave an everlasting memorial to immortalize himself, takes leave of his times in the following words:

Empty ambitions, silly longings’play -My ears still ring with words „Millions for one!”

I must enforce the rights of everyone,

But only in free countries, not elsewhere.

The single man may perish if the state

Unites the people into something great.

EVE

And would you also leave your love behind?

ADAM

I’ll leave you, too, the throne and everything.

Lucifer, lead me to this noble goal;

I’ve wasted too much time on errant tracks.

LUCIFER

Wait, not so fast! You will arrive in time

To see your visions develop their prime —

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