The plot of the drama was based on a historical event - the uprising of Silesian weavers in 1844. The house of Dreisiger, the owner of a paper mill in Peterswaldau. In a special room, the weavers hand over the finished fabric, the receiver Pfeiffer carries out control, and the cashier Neumann counts out the money. Poorly dressed, gloomy, emaciated weavers quietly grumble - and so they pay pennies, they also strive to save money for supposedly discovered defects, but they themselves provide a bad basis. There is nothing to eat at home, you have to work hard at the machine in the dust and stuffiness from early morning until late at night, and still cannot make ends meet. Only the handsome young Becker dares to express his dissatisfaction out loud and even enter into an argument with the owner himself. Dreisiger is furious: this impudent one from that horde of drunkards who the night before bawled a vile song near his house, the manufacturer immediately gives the weaver a settlement and throws money at him so that several coins fall to the floor. Becker is persistent and demanding; on the orders of the owner, the boy-apprentice picks up the scattered change and gives it to the weaver. A boy standing in line falls and faints from hunger. Dreisiger is outraged by the cruelty of the parents who sent a weak child with a heavy burden on a long journey. He instructs the employees not to accept goods from children, otherwise, if, God forbid, something happens, he will, of course, become the scapegoat. The owner goes on for a long time about the fact that only thanks to him can the weavers earn a piece of bread, he could wind up the business, then they would know how much a pound is worth. Instead, he is ready to provide work for two hundred more weavers, the conditions can be inquired from Pfeiffer. It turns out that prices for finished products will be even lower. The weavers are quietly indignant. The Baumert family rents a room in the house of the landless peasant Wilhelm Ansorge. A former weaver, he is unemployed and is engaged in basket weaving. Anzorge let the tenants in, but they haven’t paid for six months now. Just look, the shopkeeper will take away his little house for debts. Baumert's sick wife, daughters, and feeble-minded son do not leave the looms. A neighbor, Frau Heinrich, who has nine hungry children at home, comes in to ask for a handful of flour or at least potato peelings. But the Baumerts don’t have a crumb; all they hope is that the father, who brought the goods to the manufacturer, will receive money and buy something to eat. Robert Baumert returns with a guest, retired soldier Moritz Jäger, who once lived next door. Having learned about the poverty and ordeal of his fellow villagers, Yeager is surprised; In cities, dogs have a better life. Weren't they the ones who intimidated him with his soldier's share, but he was not at all bad at being a soldier; he served as an orderly for a captain-hussar. And now the roast dog from the stray dog is sizzling in the frying pan, Yeager puts out a bottle of vodka. Talk continues about a hopelessly difficult existence. In the old days, everything was different, the manufacturers themselves lived and let the weavers live, but now they rake everything in for themselves. Here is Jaeger, a man who has seen a lot of things, knows how to read and write, and would stand up for the weavers before the owner. He promises to arrange a holiday for Dreisiger, he has already agreed with Becker and his friends to perform that same song - “Bloodbath” once again under his windows. He hums it, and the words, which sound despair, pain, anger, hatred, thirst for revenge, penetrate deep into the souls of those gathered. Tavern Scholz Welzel. The owner is surprised why there is such excitement in the village, the carpenter Wigand explains: today is the day of delivery of goods from Dreisiger, and in addition, the funeral of one of the weavers. A visiting salesman wonders what kind of strange custom it is here - to get deeply into debt and arrange a lavish funeral. The weavers gathered in the tavern scold the landowners who do not allow them to pick up even wood chips in the forest, the peasants who charge incredible rent for housing, and the government who does not want to notice the complete impoverishment of the people. Jaeger and Becker burst in with a group of young weavers and bully the gendarme Kutshe, who had come for a glass of vodka. A police officer warns: the police chief prohibits singing an inflammatory song. But to spite him, the dispersed youth are dragging out the “Blood Bath.” Dreisiger's apartment. The owner apologizes to the guests for being late, business was delayed. The rebel song is heard again outside the house. Pastor Kittelhaus looks out the window and is indignant: it would be nice if the young troublemakers had gathered, but with them were the old, respectable weavers, people whom he had considered worthy and God-fearing for many years. The home teacher of the factory owner's sons, Weingold, stands up for the weavers; these are hungry, dark people, they simply express their discontent in the way they understand. Dreisiger threatens to immediately pay off the teacher and gives orders to the dye workers to seize the main singer. The arriving police chief is presented with the detainee - this is Yeger. He behaves impudently and showers those present with ridicule. The enraged police chief intends to personally escort him to prison, but it soon becomes known that the crowd repulsed the arrested man and beat the gendarmes. Dreisiger is beside himself: before, the weavers were meek, patient, and amenable to persuasion. It was the so-called preachers of humanism that confused them and hammered home to the workers that they were in a terrible situation. The coachman reports that he has harnessed the horses, the boys and the teacher are already in the carriage, if things turn out badly, they need to get out of here quickly. Pastor Kittelhaus volunteers to speak to the crowd, but is treated rather disrespectfully. There is a knock on the door and the sound of broken window glass. Dreisiger sends his wife into the carriage, and he quickly collects papers and valuables. The crowd breaks into the house and causes mayhem. Weaving workshop of old man Gilze in Bilau. The whole family is at work. Ragman Gornig reports the news: the weavers from Peterswaldau drove the manufacturer Dreisiger and his family out of the den, demolished his house, dyehouses, and warehouses. And all because the owner went completely overboard and told the weavers - let them eat quinoa if they are hungry. Old Gilze does not believe that the weavers decided to do such a thing. His granddaughter, who brought skeins of yarn to Dreisiger, returns with a silver spoon, claiming that she found it near the manufacturer's destroyed house. It is necessary to take the spoon to the police, Gilze believes, his wife is against it - you can live on the money received for it for several weeks. The animated doctor Schmidt appears. Fifteen thousand people are heading here from Peterswaldau. And what demon bedeviled these people? They started a revolution, you see. He advises the local weavers not to lose their heads; troops are following the rebels. The weavers are excited - tired of eternal fear and eternal mockery of themselves! The crowd destroys Dietrich's factory. Finally, the dream came true - to break the mechanical looms that ruined the weavers working by hand. A message is received about the arrival of troops. Jaeger calls on his companions not to drift, but to fight back; he takes command. But the only weapons of the rebels are cobblestones from the pavement, and in response they hear gun salvos. Old Gilze remains unconvinced: what the weavers are up to is complete nonsense. Personally, he will sit and do his job, even if the whole world is turned upside down. Struck to death by a stray bullet flying through the window, he falls onto the machine.
The plot of the drama was based on a historical event - the uprising of Silesian weavers in 1844.
House of Dreisiger, owner of a paper mill in Peterswaldau. In a special room, the weavers hand over the finished fabric, the receiver Pfeiffer carries out control, and the cashier Neumann counts out the money. Poorly dressed, gloomy, emaciated weavers quietly grumble - and so they pay pennies, they also strive to save money for supposedly discovered defects, but they themselves provide a bad basis. There is nothing to eat at home, you have to work hard at the machine in the dust and stuffiness from early morning until late at night, and still cannot make ends meet. Only the handsome young Becker dares to express his dissatisfaction out loud and even enter into an argument with the owner himself. Dreisiger is furious: this impudent one from that horde of drunkards who the night before bawled a vile song near his house, the manufacturer immediately gives the weaver a settlement and throws money at him so that several coins fall to the floor. Becker is persistent and demanding; on the orders of the owner, the boy-apprentice picks up the scattered change and gives it to the weaver.
A boy standing in line falls and faints from hunger. Dreisiger is outraged by the cruelty of the parents who sent a weak child with a heavy burden on a long journey. He instructs the employees not to accept goods from children, otherwise, if, God forbid, something happens, he will, of course, become the scapegoat. The owner goes on for a long time about the fact that only thanks to him can the weavers earn a piece of bread, he could wind up the business, then they would know how much a pound is worth. Instead, he is ready to provide work for two hundred more weavers, the conditions can be inquired from Pfeiffer. It turns out that prices for finished products will be even lower. The weavers are quietly indignant.
The Baumert family rents a room in the house of the landless peasant Wilhelm Ansorge. A former weaver, he is unemployed and is engaged in basket weaving. Anzorge let the tenants in, but they haven’t paid for six months now. Just look, the shopkeeper will take away his little house for debts. Baumert's sick wife, daughters, and feeble-minded son do not leave the looms. A neighbor, Frau Heinrich, who has nine hungry children at home, comes in to ask for a handful of flour or at least potato peelings. But the Baumerts don’t have a crumb; all they hope is that the father, who brought the goods to the manufacturer, will receive money and buy something to eat. Robert Baumert returns with a guest, retired soldier Moritz Jäger, who once lived next door. Having learned about the poverty and ordeal of his fellow villagers, Yeager is surprised; In cities, dogs have a better life. Weren't they the ones who intimidated him with his soldier's share, but he was not at all bad at being a soldier; he served as an orderly for a captain-hussar.
And now the roast dog from the stray dog is sizzling in the frying pan, Yeager puts out a bottle of vodka. Talk continues about a hopelessly difficult existence. In the old days, everything was different, the manufacturers themselves lived and let the weavers live, but now they rake everything in for themselves. Here is Jaeger, a man who has seen a lot of things, knows how to read and write, and would stand up for the weavers before the owner.
Gerhart Hauptmann
Drama from the forties in 5 acts
I dedicate this drama to my father Robert Hauptmann.
Dear father, if I dedicate this drama to you, it is dictated by feelings that you know and about which there is no need to expand here.
Your story about your grandfather, who in his youth sat at the loom as a poor weaver, like those depicted here, served as the grain of my work, and whether it is capable of life or its core is rotten, it is the best that “such a poor man as Hamlet".
Yours Gerhart
Act one
Persons of the first action
A group of factory owners.
Dreisiger, owner of a rope factory.
Pfeiffer, receptionist; Neumann, cashier; Apprentice - employees of Dreisiger.
A group of weavers.
Old Baumert.
The first weaver.
The first weaver.
Old weaver.
Weavers and weavers.
A spacious gray plastered room in Dreisiger's house in Peterswalden. The room where weavers hand over finished goods. To the left are windows without curtains, in the background there is a glass door, the same door to the right; into the latter weavers, weavers and children continuously enter and exit. Along the right wall, which, like the other walls, is mostly lined with stands for hanging nanki, there is a bench; On it, newly arriving weavers lay out their goods for inspection. Receiver Pfeiffer stands behind a large table on which each weaver unwraps the goods he receives. Pfeiffer examines the fabric with a magnifying glass and measures it with a compass. When this examination is completed, the weaver places the nanku on the scales and the clerk checks its weight. Having removed it from the scales, the student places the goods on the shelves, which serve as a storage area for the received goods. After each acceptance, receptionist Pfeiffer loudly calls out how much money cashier Neumann should pay the worker.
Hot day at the end of May. The clock shows noon. Most of the crowd of weavers look as if they are standing before some kind of court and with painful anxiety are waiting for what it will award them - life or death. At the same time, their faces bear the imprint of some kind of depression; the same thing happens on the face of a beggar who lives on handouts and, moving from humiliation to humiliation, in the constant consciousness that he is only being tolerated, is accustomed to cowering to the last opportunity. Added to all this is the trait of heavy, hopeless thought that has frozen on their faces once and for all. Men are all more or less alike; these are underdeveloped, short, lean, mostly narrow-chested, coughing, pitiful people with a dirty-pale complexion - real creatures of the loom; their knees are bent due to constant sitting. Their wives are less typical at first glance; they have a sloppy, dissolute, exhausted appearance, while the men still retain a certain, albeit pathetic, dignity. The women are dressed in rags, the men's clothes are mended and patched. Some young girls are not without cuteness: they are fragile creatures with a waxy complexion and large sad eyes.
Cashier Neumann (counting money). You should receive sixteen silver groschen.
The first weaver (a woman in her thirties, very exhausted, collects money with trembling hands). We humbly thank you.
Neumann (seeing that the woman does not leave). Well, what else? Is something wrong again?
The first weaver (in an agitated, pleading voice). At least a few pfennigs in advance towards the work. I really need them.
Neumann. You never know what anyone needs! I need a few hundred thalers. ( Starts counting out money to another weaver, briefly.) To issue or not to issue forward is the business of Mr. Dreisiger.
The first weaver. So, can’t I talk to Mr. Dreisiger myself?
Receiver Pfeiffer (former weaver. In some of his features he still resembles a worker. But he is well-fed, cleanly dressed, his hands are well-groomed, his face is clean-shaven. He often sniffs tobacco. Screams in a rough voice.) Mr. Dreisiger has enough to do without you. He has no time to deal with such trifles. That's why we're here. ( Measures with a compass and looks through a magnifying glass.) God! What a draft! ( He wraps a thick scarf around his neck.) Hey, you who are coming in, lock the doors!
Student (loudly to Pfeiffer). For them, our words are like peas against a wall.
Pfeiffer. Ready, on the scales.
The weaver places the fabric on the scales.
It wouldn't hurt to know your business better. You can’t wrap yourself in knots in the fabric, I’m already looking through my fingers. Does a decent weaver do that?
Becker (enters. This is a young, very strong weaver; His manners are cheeky, almost impudent. Pfeiffer, Neumann and the student exchange meaningful glances as he enters.). Eh, trouble! I was sweating like crazy!
Old Baumert (squeezes through the glass door. Outside the door one can see the waiting weavers; they stand in a close crowd, pressed against one another. The old man limps forward and places his burden on the bench next to Becker. He sits down immediately and wipes the sweat from his face.). Oh, now you can rest.
Becker. Yes, vacation is sweeter than money.
Old Baumert. Well, I wouldn’t refuse some money. Hello, Becker!
Becker. Hello, Uncle Baumert! We will have to wait here again until the second coming.
First weaver. They don't stand on ceremony with us. The weaver bird is great. The weaver will wait an hour and a day.
Pfeiffer. Hey, be quiet there! You can’t hear your own words.
Becker (quiet). He seems to be out of sorts again today.
Pfeiffer (to the weaver standing in front of him). How many times have I said: we need to work cleaner. What kind of dirt is this? There is straw, and knots a whole finger long, and some other rubbish.
Tkach Reiman. To pick out the knots, we need to be given new tweezers.
Student (weighs the goods). There is also a lack of weight.
Pfeiffer. Well, the weavers have gone now! Not worth a penny. Yes, Lord Jesus, it was not like that in my time. I would get it from a master for such work. Then they wouldn’t even look at such work. In those days you had to know your craft. Now this is no longer required. Reiman ten silver groschen!
Tkach Reiman. After all, the pound relies on loss.
Pfeiffer. I have no time, enough! What is it?
Weaver Geiber (deploys its product. While Pfeiffer is examining the fabric, Geiber comes up and tells him in a quiet, excited voice). Excuse me, Mr. Pfeiffer, I dare to humbly ask you, show God’s mercy, do me this favor - do not deduct from me this time what you took in advance.
Pfeiffer (measuring and examining with a magnifying glass, he speaks with a grin). Well, here we go again! This was missing! I suppose he took the whole half in advance.
Weaver Geiber (continuing in the same tone). I would have happily worked it all out that week. Yes, last week I had to serve two days of corvee labor. And then there’s my wife lying sick...
Pfeiffer (puts Gaber's work on the scale. Looking at a new piece of fabric). And this work is no good. The edge is like nothing else: sometimes narrow, sometimes wide. What a disgrace! Here the wefts are pulled together, a lot of extra stuff has been added there. There are not even seventy threads per inch. Where are the others? Is this in good faith? Nothing to say, it worked!
Weaver Geiber swallows tears, stands in a humiliated and helpless pose.
The first weaver (During the entire duration of the action, she did not leave the cash register and from time to time looked around and seemed to be looking for help. Having gathered her courage, she again turns to the cashier and asks him in a pleading voice.) I’ll work soon; I don’t know what will happen to me if you don’t give me anything in advance this time. Oh my God!
Pfeiffer (yells at her). What kind of lamentation is this? Leave the Lord alone. After all, you probably don’t think too much about him! Better watch your husband so that he doesn’t hang around in taverns. We can't give anything in advance. After all, this is not our money. After all, they will ask them of us. He who works diligently, who knows his work, who lives God-fearingly, does not have to take it forward. That's the whole story for you.
Neumann. Even if you pay the local weaver four times more, he will still drink four times more and run up more debts.
The first weaver (loudly, as if demanding justice from everyone present). Say what you want, but I’m not lazy. What can you do if there is no urine? They've deducted me twice already. Don’t even talk to me about your husband: he doesn’t count. And then he already went to a Zerlau shepherd to be treated for his drinking, but no good came of it. There’s nothing you can do about it when a person is drawn to wine... And we work as much as we can. I haven’t had time to doze off for a week now... Everything will go well for us, if only we can drive this damned weakness out of our bones. Understand, sir, that it’s not sweet for me either. ( In a flattering, ingratiating tone.) I humbly ask you, be so kind, order me to give me a few pennies in advance this time too.
Sklizkova Alla Persievna 2011A. P. Sklizkova
SHAKESPEAREAN TENDENCIES IN H. HAUPTMANN'S DRAMA “THE WEAVERS”
An attempt is made to consider G. Hauptmann's drama “The Weavers” through the prism of Shakespearean ideas. They existed in Hauptmann's mind throughout his entire creative life. Like Hamlet, the weavers decide to revolt because they want to change the dysfunctional world order for the better. Like the Danish prince, such attempts lead to the collapse and split of the soul. Hauptmann, realizing that the weavers had no other choice, laments that the lost harmony of existence must be restored by force, one that entails the degradation of the human personality. A destroyed, shattered world remains so in any case.
Key words: multifaceted drama, head of Medusa, esoteric depth, inner sun, obsession of consciousness, color energy, illusions.
Keywords: multifaceted drama, Medusa’s head, esoteric profundity, the inner sun, possessed consciousness, the energy of color, illusion.
"The Weavers" is Hauptmann's most famous drama. Meanwhile, despite extensive research devoted to “The Weavers,” literary criticism does not answer some questions. One of them is related to Hauptmann's attitude to the weavers' revolt. For example, K. Gutzke considers the very idea of an uprising to be secondary; the main thing, from his point of view, is to show human suffering. Y. Bab takes a similar position, emphasizing that any conclusions in this case would be inappropriate, the play cannot be interpreted in any way. P. Shtondi does not see how the weavers' rebellion is connected with the general plan; he draws attention to the epic side of the work. E. Lemke believes that social issues are little touched upon, is perplexed why the author is talking about the uprising, and considers “The Weavers” one of Hauptmann’s most mysterious dramas. Z. Hoefert notes the author’s lack of a stable position, which entails the impossibility of any analytical interpretation. An important question concerns the ending of the work. A stray bullet hits the one who from the very beginning was not on the side of the rebel weavers - old man Gilze. Researchers are perplexed by this fact; the absurdity and meaninglessness of Gilze’s death is obvious. Probably, if we consider the “Weavers” through
the prism of Shakespearean ideas, it will be possible to some extent to obtain answers to such questions.
It is known that Hauptmann repeatedly turned to the legacy of Shakespeare, created a free translation of “Hamlet”, the drama “Hamlet in Wittenberg” (1935), the novel “Whirlwind of Vocation” (1935), in Hauptmann’s diary entries and autobiographical works there are many discussions about Shakespeare and his works . In addition, the second part of the dedication to “The Weavers” is associated with the name of the Danish prince - Hauptmann’s thoughts about the viability of his drama, undertaken at the end of the dedication, lead him to think that “The Weavers” is the best that such a poor man as Hamlet could give. .
Undoubtedly, Hauptmann is not alone in such a close interest in the personality and legacy of the great Englishman. Thus, F. Gundolf (1880-1931) in his book “Shakespeare and the German Spirit” (1911) suggests viewing Shakespeare mystically. Naturalists revered Shakespeare for his closeness to nature, for showing the natural man. O. Spengler (1880-1936) notes the active principle in Shakespeare’s heroes and explains Hamlet’s “helstadt of being” by continuous mobility, which ennobles his actions. Nietzsche calls Hamlet a Dionysian man who fell into a lethargic state because he realized that his actions could not change anything in a world that had fallen off its hinges.
It should be noted that in the middle of the 19th century, in 1864, the German Shakespeare Society was created, the founder of which was Franz von Dingelstedt, a writer, playwright, and theater figure. The Society published Yearbooks, which for a long time were the only organ of Shakespearean studies. They talked about the romantic quests of past years, talked a lot about L. Tick’s theatrical reforms, the basis for which, according to him
recognized, became Shakespeare's theater. Nicholas Delius (1813-1888), the famous German Shakespearean scholar, wrote about Tiecke, publishing Shakespearean texts translated by Schlegel in the Yearbooks. Many articles in the Yearbooks talked about famous performances of the past (for example, about the directorial discoveries of L. Kroneg. He paid great attention to crowd scenes, thanks to which a new type of performance arose - the assembly performance).
Contemporary productions also aroused great interest. Thus, the activity of M. Reinhart (1873-1943) was defined as a sign of the era. A rebel by nature, imbued with the spirit of opposition to the old foundations, he seemed to apply the famous words from “Hamlet” to his performances: “There are many things on earth and in heaven that your wise men never dreamed of.” Reinhart is attracted by the versatility of Shakespeare's dramas; the director's main task is to create a tragic atmosphere, which gives Shakespeare's works in Reinhart's theater a grandiose philosophical scale.
G. Hauptmann, being an artist-thinker, directly goes back to Shakespeare. All the attention of Hauptmann, like the English playwright, is focused on the problem of man and the world order. Literary scholars have noticed a connection between two playwrights so different in terms of place and time. Thus, F. Voigt drew extremely interesting parallels between them. He spoke about the difficulties that researchers face when they try to comment on the dramas of Shakespeare and Hauptmann, whose works contain many different interpretations. This happens because both of them, when writing dramas, seemed to see the head of Medusa in front of them. This idea of the critic requires clarification. The fact is that Hauptmann repeatedly spoke about the image of Medusa. He emphasized that in the theater in Athens on the rock of the Acropolis there was the head of Medusa,
made of gold. Anyone who looks at her will forever detach himself from the bustle of everyday life. The weight of the tragic reigns in a person forever; every tragedy is always hidden under the veil of Medusa.
It is no coincidence that Hauptmann sees esoteric depth in Shakespeare’s works, that secret knowledge about the inner nature of man, which only a genius can understand. In this case, one can notice some overlap with Goethe. The Weimar classic noted Shakespeare's manner of turning a person's inner life outward. That is why, according to Goethe, Shakespeare appeals to our inner feelings. However, Hauptmann goes further than Goethe in this regard. The concept of the esoteric, undoubtedly, comes into contact with the concept of the internal, but for Hauptmann, penetration into the esoteric depth means something more - it is a highly developed consciousness and subconscious of a person, a special vision, a sense of oneself in the world. Hauptmann explains Shakespeare’s decision to move away from the light with such a special feeling - he was confused by the awareness of his own painful clairvoyance, made an attempt to narrow the bright light of his soul and turned to everyday life.
Reflections on Shakespeare allow Hauptmann to build his concept of the tragic. Hauptmann considers the dominant idea of all the works of the English playwright to be the idea of compassion, the one that is characteristic of him. He notes in Shakespeare his love for all living things, his heart open to compassion and empathy. This love turns out to be so strong that the artist-creator not only sympathizes with human suffering, but also reveals it to the world. Every tragedy of his is built on this. Based on these considerations, Hauptmann defines “King Lear” as a tragedy of human blindness, unreasonable life. People, King Lear, in particular, often do not understand why, what and how is happening to them: kind, noble
In nature, Lear repels the no less kind and noble Cordelia. At the same time, the playwright’s suffering is doubled, since he knows what is inaccessible to others - the source of human misfortunes lies in the blind impulses and passions of the soul, leading to delusions and often irreparable mistakes.
In order to deeply penetrate the text of Hauptmann’s “Weavers” and understand the hidden content of the work, the playwright’s reasoning about Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is also important. The German writer makes an attempt to convey the text in its original form, in the one that was lost. At the same time, Hauptmann, in contrast to the reasoning of Goethe, the concepts of the romantics and the positions of some of his contemporaries, who defined Hamlet as a weak person, considers him to be extremely active. G. Hauptmann is close to those of his fellow writers who associate the name of Hamlet with continuous activity. He points to Karl Werder (1806-1893), who in “Lectures on Hamlet” (1875) talks about the idea of universal justice: the hero needs to convince the Danes of the legality of killing Claudio, and for this it is necessary to obtain evidence, which Hamlet diligently does. A similar position is taken by Erich Schmidt (1853-1913), a literary historian whose thoughts on Shakespeare were read by Hauptmann. In addition, the German playwright points to the sources of “Hamlet” - Sexo Grammar (chronicler of the 13th century) and Francois de Belleforest - author of the “Tragic Histories” of the 17th century, who saw Hamlet as a man of action.
Such reasoning allowed Hauptmann to come to the conclusion that in Shakespeare it is not Laertes who raises the uprising, but Hamlet himself; there is an obvious textual error here. Hamlet is a rebel and rebel by nature, his return from England is
is the fruit of a thoughtful decision. He conceived an uprising and counts on the help of Fortinbras, whose aggressive actions against Denmark correspond to Hamlet’s plans. This was precisely the original plot outline of Shakespeare’s text; it was distorted by time and the negligence of the copyist, Hauptmann believes. With the help of military force, a powerful army, Hamlet wants to publicly take revenge for his father.
However, in the finale, the hero’s noble plans fail. Hauptmann will outline the reasons for this in his late novel “In the Whirlwind of Confession,” but the writer repeatedly expressed similar thoughts in his early diary entries and theoretical treatises. During Hauptmann’s time, E. Rohde’s work “Psyche” was popular. It talks about the ancient Greek cult of the soul, the cult of heroes and the cult of death. Such reasoning is close and understandable to Hauptmann; he uses it as the basis for his perception of the finale of Hamlet. The menacing ghost of the hero's father demands bloody service. The soul of a ghost can only calm down through countless sacrifices until it destroys everything in a frenzy. The spirit is irreconcilable and vengeful, he completely destroyed his home. This Demon cannot be loved, he is terrible. Hamlet feels his threat everywhere, but he penetrates Hamlet's consciousness, the need for revenge drives him crazy. Therefore, Hamlet in the finale becomes obsessed and is forced to part with his inner freedom - the freedom to act justly. Under such severe pressure, he commits a crime - he kills Claudio without significant and visible evidence. A murderer involuntarily materializes in him; Hamlet, with his last act, harms his soul, but atones for the crime at the cost of his own life.
So, thinking about the content of Shakespeare’s works, “Hamlet” in particular,
force Hauptmann to recognize the need for rebellion, active protest against his fate as the only way to change the dysfunctional world order for the better. However, such a performance leads to a complete split and collapse of the soul. People become obsessed, the thirst for revenge and destruction takes possession of them. This is the tragic mistake that, according to Hauptmann, covers the whole world and all of humanity. People stricken with blindness commit irreparable acts. Hauptmann’s drama “The Weavers” is permeated with similar reflections.
In it, he depicts a situation akin to Hamlet’s: people who are peaceful by nature are forced to retreat from their original essence, to become angry and merciless. This situation determines the essence of the tragic conflict. It is deeply internal, so The Weavers can be seen as a drama of the soul, the one that, according to Hauptmann, lies at the basis of all Shakespeare's dramas. Hauptmann, recalling his impressions of the weavers, whose life and customs he had the opportunity to observe, emphasized their peacefulness, remarkable patriarchy, compared women with the sorceress Kirke, sitting at the loom and looking very poetic, and the men reminded him of the majestic Zeus and the Scandinavian Thor . It is not for nothing that in the text of the play one of the heroes, Voyager, admires the appearance of the old weaver Anzorge, calls him a hero, admires his shaggy eyebrows, wild beard, and notes his primitive strength. True, his enthusiasm partly quickly dissipates; the rag-picker Gornig says that the weavers do not have enough money for a barber, so they grow their hair and beard. However, the powerful heroic strength remains, as well as the good character. Old Baumert, who will be one of the first to join the rebels, speaks of himself as a peaceful man. His wife, who is pleased with her husband’s determination to be together with the rebellious
social weavers, emphasizes that she is not evil, she always wanted to solve everything with goodness. The pastor, looking out the window at the crowd of weavers, is perplexed that not only young, but also old, respectable weavers, those whom he considered honest and God-fearing, had gathered. He is unable to understand what came over them; the pastor was always sure that the weavers were meek, compliant, decent, honest people. The same opinion is shared by the manufacturer Drey-Siger, the one who pays the weavers so little that they decide to openly protest. Old man Gilze, listening to Gornig’s story about the uprising, is amazed, shaking his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend that local weavers are capable of such atrocities.
The tragic conflict is revealed gradually, the dramatic tension increases throughout all five acts. To convey such tension, Hauptmann uses the poetics of light and color, designed to show the internal change in the mental state of the weavers from sleepy apathy to high heat of spirit. For the German playwright, this process is the essence of drama. Thus, in the stage directions for the first act it is said that the weavers are like defendants awaiting their verdict, with an expression of depression frozen on their faces. Hauptmann notes the pale complexion of the weavers: their faces are waxen, and the room into which they bring their work is gray. Gray is the color of death for Hauptmann; it was not without reason that he noted that when his father died, all reality appeared to him in such shades. The weavers are now also dead, dead internally, completely resigned to their situation, only their timid, begging requests for more money are heard, since their loved ones are sick. The first act ends with their indecisive murmur, although they have already witnessed the bold confrontation between the weaver Becker and the manufacturer Dreisiger: he fired
lil Becker, because he openly says that the proposed fee is a pathetic sop. But they see Becker every day, they are partly accustomed to his insolence towards his superiors, he is too ordinary, almost the same as themselves, only a little more relaxed.
Moritz Jäger is a different matter. He appears in the second act. It is decided differently in terms of color. Old man Baumert’s room, however, is dark, the ceiling is black, but the strength and beauty of the evening light is emphasized: it is pale pink, its light falls on the loose hair of the girls, Baumert’s daughters, and brightly illuminates the thin face of his emaciated wife. Moritz appears as if from a strong strip of light - the text says that before this the Baumert family sat and worked in almost complete darkness, but Augustus, Baumert's son, enters with a lit candle in his hand, which brightly illuminates the figure of the Jaeger. This color scheme is associated both with Maurice’s personality and with the reaction that his appearance evokes among weavers. Hauptmann wrote that the weaver is for the time being indifferent to his fate and accepts it indifferently. However, this happens until the storm wind flies into their hut.
Moritz Jäger, a former soldier and former weaving apprentice, becomes such a “wind” for them. It is he, who has changed greatly both externally and internally, who awakens in the weavers the dream of a better life, and unwittingly does what the daring Becker was unable to do. The huntsman is full of self-esteem, his clothes are clean, his boots are intact, he has a silver watch on his hands, ten thalers of money, which in the eyes of poor weavers is a huge amount. They look at him as if he were an alien from another world: he can read and write, is accustomed to subtle conversation, and tells the weavers that the main thing in life is to be active. With all his appearance and speeches, Moritz Jäger challenges the weavers to a frank
ity, they tell him what was hidden in the subconscious, was hidden for the time being from themselves - a dysfunctional world order leads them to death, children are starving, rummaging through garbage along with geese. The weavers see the origins of such troubles in evil factory owners. Previously, the rich were kinder, they shared with them, says the weaver Anzorge, but now they save everything for themselves. Hence the decision of the weavers: to force the manufacturers to pay more, then justice and original humanity will be restored in the world. Old Baumert asks the Jaeger to be their savior, to which Moritz agrees with great pleasure. Meanwhile, literary criticism notes that Moritz is not the leader of the weavers; leadership is not characteristic of him. This is true. The huntsman knows the life of the weavers well, sympathizes with them, kindles righteous anger in their souls. However, he cannot offer anything concrete. At the end of the second act, the Huntsman reads out the lyrics to the song “Bloody Massacre.” The words shock the weavers so much that they pick up almost every phrase from the Huntsman, clearly realizing under the influence of the sounding words that their work is worse than hard labor, the machine is an instrument of torture, that the hearts of the manufacturers are deaf to goodness, the weavers are not people for them. They won't tolerate it anymore.
In the third act there is no dominant color. It only says that the lamp hangs above the table. However, a hidden color reading of the text allows us to come to different conclusions. It is known that Hauptmann knew Goethe’s work “The Doctrine of Color” well. In it, the German playwright was very interested in the idea of a smooth transition from one color to another. When the energy of a color changes, it shifts towards either weakening or strengthening. The dramatic construction of the third act is a visible example of this. Almost at the very beginning we are talking about the funeral of one of the weavers, Voyager is surprised by their
measured pomp, and the innkeeper Wigand says that such a solemn funeral rite is accepted among them. The theme of death had partly sounded earlier - its shadow hovered on the pale faces of the weavers, immersed in apathy. Now the presence of death is palpable in conversations about the death and burial of the weaver from Nentvich. Finally, in the last act, death envelops everything around: inevitable death awaits the weavers, many of them are killed by soldiers, and old Gilze dies. It turns out that the third act represents a moment of transition; the energy of color that Goethe spoke about is blurred: the theme of death, presented in gray shades at the beginning, acquires a rich dark color in the finale. The third act, as if in focus, absorbs the color scheme of the events of the past, while at the same time predicting a tragic future outcome.
Similar reasoning applies to red shades. The gray tone of the initial scenes shifts towards pale pink, that evening sunset, through the reflections of which the dream of the weavers, their dreams of a better life, appears. However, such a poetic pale pink will be replaced by a rich red - the realization of a dream is associated with blood and violence, as the last scenes tell. In the third act, we are also talking about blood, but it is spoken of jokingly, frivolously: Becker shows the bloody signs of the smallpox vaccination given to all of them today by the blacksmith. Pale pink turns into pale red to achieve its blood-red energy in the finale.
It should be noted that the so-called transitional position of the third act, its color “flowing” is akin to Hamlet’s thoughts about the legality of his actions. Hauptmann emphasizes the hesitations and doubts of Shakespeare's hero: he loves Ophelia, but runs away from her, still feels tenderness for his mother, but torments her with painful conversations, although...
He plans to leave Denmark, but suddenly returns.
Shakespeare's work, according to Hauptmann, is full of thoughts about life and death, about love and hatred; illusions and reason, high kindness and inhumane actions coexist in it. As for the simple-minded weavers, as the playwright called them, for the time being they are inspired by the very idea of change, the hope that everything will turn out well when they go to Dreisiger to ask for more. Becker proudly declares that they, perhaps, will do something, the Huntsman very vaguely emphasizes that if they want, they can drink vodka until the morning. Wittig calls the weavers bullies, claiming at the same time that nothing was ever done with goodness, Baumert tells the innkeeper Welzell that he is going with the weavers against his will, but he can’t stand it any longer, The third weaver urges them not to go after the rich, The first - tries to silence him, Welzel calls the weavers' business madness, and the rag picker Gornin in the finale, as if summing up the general confusion, blatant nonsense and confusion of thoughts, says that hope lives in every person.
These words of Gornig are full of deep meaning. Hauptmann repeatedly pointed out that a person must have a desire for change and renewal, it embraces the whole, the soul sings and rejoices, the imagination foams, a dream awakens and, most importantly, illusion. Hauptmann wrote that the best existence of the world is an existence in illusions, without them a person dies, for the sake of them he fights, illusions are woven from the motley space of deceived hopes. Hauptmann observed the effect of illusions in Shakespeare's hero; their power for Hamlet turns out to be immeasurable, so much so that it instills in him almost firm confidence, unshakable hope - a military alliance with Fortin-
Brass will help him restore the shattered world.
Hauptmann's weavers are also trying to change the dysfunctional world order through the power of illusions. So, turning to old Gilza, they assure not so much him, but themselves that everyone will now have a roof over their heads, they can stand up for themselves, now the weavers know how to act, everyone will take care of Gilza, he never goes to bed without dinner. It turns out that thanks to illusions, imaginary reality becomes reality, at least that is how it appears to weavers. They are happy as never before, but such an obvious positive does not obscure the negative - following illusions leads to rebellion, the tragic essence of which is shown by Hauptmann using the example of the monologue of the old man Ansorge.
This is not so much a monologue as a dialogue. From the point of view of the German playwright, all people think dialogically, especially in moments of extreme mental stress, everyone carries on a conversation with himself. First, Ansorge asks himself a question and answers it himself: “Who am I? Weaver Anton Anzorge.” Then again two questions follow: “How did you get here? Are you planning to have fun with others? He is not able to answer these questions; all that remains is to come to the only correct conclusion, from the point of view of the old weaver: “I’m crazy.” Thoughts about himself, about his actions force Anzorge to turn to other weavers with a fiery appeal: “Leave quickly, leave, rebels.” However, such a call seems deceitful and absurd to him, Ansorge remembers someone strong and extremely cruel, he blames him for his misfortunes, in the final remarks there is an undisguised threat associated with justifying destructive actions: “You took my house from me, so I’ll take it from you.” With a cry of “Forward!” Ansorge, under the influence of the illusion of his own rightness and
fearlessness, rushes to destroy Dreisiger's house.
Hauptmann shows a terrible process: the weavers who decide to revolt have their consciousness burned out, they unwittingly become captives of some evil irrational force - the force of destruction, obsession, violence. Justice is restored by force of arms: stakes and axes, which the weavers want to break off on the backs of the manufacturers. The thirst for revenge takes possession of them, which entails, as it were, involuntary following the instructions of that bloody Demon who destroyed Hamlet’s inner freedom. The last act, which takes place in Gilze's house, details the weavers' revolt. This is a senseless, highly absurd rebellion, as evidenced by Gornig's story. The weavers destroy everything: they break railings, remove floors, break mirrors, break sofas and armchairs. Not only the house of Dreisiger, their immediate offender, was destroyed, but also Dietrich’s enterprise; they left him neither a factory nor a cellar. The weavers become possessed and lose their human appearance. Gornik says that they drink wine straight from the bottles, do not open them, break the neck, many cut themselves, and walk around bleeding. Hauptmann now calls them a crowd of rebels; they are dirty, dusty, wild, ragged, with faces flushed from vodka. The weavers changed unspeakably, their numbness passed, their previous sleepy state disappeared. But as individuals they were completely degraded, they lost their human appearance. The leading color of recent actions is red - the color of blood, violence, murder.
In literary criticism, the question of the behavior and absurd death of the old weaver Gilze remains open. He condemns the weavers for the rebellion, says that they have started a devilish work and have lost their minds. Gilse is a deeply religious person, according to the Christian canon he hopes for the best
life after death, and in this earthly existence nothing can change from active, unrighteous, from his point of view, actions. It is impossible to achieve anything through violence, says Gilse. Meanwhile, it is Gilse who dies in the finale from a random bullet: he sits by the open window at the loom and, despite numerous warnings about the danger, continues his work, citing the fact that his heavenly father put him at the loom, and he will do his duty .
Some researchers call this ending metaphysical, since it is not clear or understandable to anyone. Others define Gilse as the only one who belongs to the transcendental sphere, although he puts his higher knowledge in the form of primitive and orthodox Christianity. Finally, there is an opinion that his deep faith is sharply and categorically opposed by Hauptmann to the apocalyptic revolt of the weavers. Taking into account the points of view of literary scholars, it should be noted that Hauptmann cannot be close to the overly pious and extremely submissive speeches of Hilse. The playwright emphasized that he belonged to struggling natures, was clearly negatively disposed towards traditional religious views, and called his special faith Homo religiosus, indicating that it was a mixture of Christian and ancient ideas. As for Gilze’s belonging to the transcendental sphere, not only he is connected with it, but so are the weavers.
The fact is that Hauptmann repeatedly spoke about a special concept - the internal sun. This is something mystical, sublime, supermundane, when everything in the soul rejoices and sings. He finds such an inner sun in the works of Shakespeare, whose characters try to find the bright light of the daylight in their souls. Hauptmann's hero, old man Gilse, has,
It is debatable whether such a sun is true - it lies in his religion. In this regard, he is on the other side of earthly existence, since he trusts only in divine mercy, lives by prayers, and is almost completely detached from earthly problems. However, his sun is dogmatic, deathly, although mystical and supermundane. In his remarks, Hauptmann emphasizes Gilze’s sallow complexion, sharp nose, and resemblance to a skeleton. Life has never made him happy, and he doesn’t want any joy. For Gilse, earthly life is only a preparation for eternal life; he asks his father for heavenly patience so that after earthly suffering he can join in heavenly bliss. It is not for nothing that he defines life as a handful of anxiety and grief - it is not a pity to lose such a thing. Therefore, his death in the finale is natural - Gilze initially strove for death, deliberately walked towards it, the bullet of the earthly world gave Gilze what he dreamed of throughout his long life, full of suffering.
Weavers are a different matter. Like Gilsa, thanks to their inner sun, they are also on the other side of earthly existence. However, there is a very significant difference between them and Gilse. The inner sun of the weavers is connected with the hope for a better life on earth, which is why their soul is filled with rejoicing, something that old Gilze does not have. Weavers are drawn to happiness, to the light, to that sun that illuminates their imaginary reality, allowing it to become visible in the eyes of the weavers.
bodily outlines. At the same time, the determination to realize a dream by force of arms is unacceptable for Hauptmann. Therefore, we can say that weavers, like Gilza, also involuntarily strive for death. It underlies their hopes, manifests itself in their actions, and is connected with their aspirations. The drama ends the same way it began - in the first act, Hauptmann showed weavers, whose excessive passivity was a consequence of the death of the soul, in the last - they are characterized by the same mental ossification. The external activity of the weavers is immeasurable, internally they are dead, their consciousness is destroyed. Hauptmann shows a meaningless reality against which an equally meaningless protest is made.
So, the playwright, peering closely at Shakespeare’s works, finding esoteric depth in them, comes to the conclusion about the need for rebellion as an attempt to harmonize the dysfunctional world order. However, a spontaneous uprising leads to even greater degradation of the world in general and the human soul in particular. You cannot live by rebellion, it is absurd, but the weavers had no other choice, they cannot help but rebel. Hauptmann, accepting and recognizing such a tragic truth, mourns the loss of humanity and humanity in the general system of the universe. The playwright's heart is overflowing with compassion and empathy, love for people reigns in him forever.
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V. Yu. Kleimenova FICTIONALITY AND FICTION IN THE TEXT
The ontological nature of fictionality and the relationship between the concepts of “fiction” and “fictionality” are considered. A broad interpretation of the field of fictionality allows us to talk about the presence of fictional elements in texts of any text type and formulate the thesis about the conventionality of the opposition fictional:: factual. In an artistic text, two types of artistic fiction are used: life-like and non-life-like; the differences between text types are determined by the relationship between these types of fiction.
Key words: fiction, imagination, fictionality, fictional: factual, conventionality of fiction, textual universal.
The plot of the drama was based on a historical event - the uprising of Silesian weavers in 1844.
House of Dreisiger, owner of a paper mill in Peterswaldau. In a special room, the weavers hand over the finished fabric, the receiver Pfeiffer carries out control, and the cashier Neumann counts out the money. Poorly dressed, gloomy, exhausted weavers quietly grumble - and so they pay pennies, they also strive to save money for supposedly discovered defects, but they themselves provide a bad basis. There is nothing to eat at home, you have to work hard at the machine in the dust and stuffiness from early morning until late at night, and still cannot make ends meet. Only the handsome young Becker dares to express his dissatisfaction out loud and even enter into an argument with the owner himself. Dreisiger is furious: this impudent one from that horde of drunkards who the night before bawled a vile song near his house, the manufacturer immediately gives the weaver a settlement and throws money at him so that several coins fall to the floor. Becker is persistent and demanding; on the orders of the owner, the boy-apprentice picks up the scattered change and gives it to the weaver.
A boy standing in line falls and faints from hunger. Dreisiger is outraged by the cruelty of his parents, who sent a weak child with a heavy burden on a long journey. He instructs the employees not to accept goods from children, otherwise, if, God forbid, something happens, he will, of course, become the scapegoat. The owner goes on for a long time about the fact that only thanks to him can the weavers earn a piece of bread, he could wind up the business, and then they would know how much a pound is worth. Instead, he is ready to provide work to two hundred more weavers, the conditions can be inquired from Pfeiffer. It turns out that prices for finished products will be even lower. The weavers are quietly indignant.
The Baumert family rents a room in the house of the landless peasant Wilhelm Ansorge. A former weaver, he is unemployed and is engaged in basket weaving. Anzorge let the tenants in, but they haven’t paid for six months now. Just look, the shopkeeper will take away his little house for debts. Baumert's sick wife, daughters, and feeble-minded son do not leave the looms. A neighbor, Frau Heinrich, who has nine hungry children at home, comes in to ask for a handful of flour or at least potato peelings. But the Baumerts don’t have a crumb; all they hope is that the father, who brought the goods to the manufacturer, will receive money and buy something to eat. Robert Baumert returns with a guest, retired soldier Moritz Jäger, who once lived next door. Having learned about the poverty and ordeal of his fellow villagers, Yeager is surprised; In cities, dogs have a better life. Weren't they the ones who intimidated him with his soldier's share, but he was not at all bad at being a soldier; he served as an orderly for a captain-hussar.
And now the roast dog from the stray dog is sizzling in the frying pan, Yeager puts out a bottle of vodka. Talk continues about a hopelessly difficult existence. In the old days, everything was different, the manufacturers themselves lived and let the weavers live, but now they rake everything in for themselves. Here is Jaeger, a man who has seen a lot of things, knows how to read and write, and would stand up for the weavers before the owner. He promises to arrange a holiday for Dreisiger, he has already agreed with Becker and his friends to perform that same song - “Bloodbath” once again under his windows. He hums it, and the words, which sound despair, pain, anger, hatred, thirst for revenge, penetrate deep into the souls of those gathered.
Tavern Scholz Welzel. The owner is surprised why there is such excitement in the village, the carpenter Wigand explains: today is the day of delivery of goods from Dreisiger, and in addition, the funeral of one of the weavers. A visiting salesman wonders what kind of strange custom it is here - to go deeply into debt and arrange a lavish funeral. The weavers gathered in the tavern scold the landowners who do not allow them to pick up even wood chips in the forest, the peasants who charge incredible rent for housing, and the government who does not want to notice the complete impoverishment of the people. Jaeger and Becker burst in with a group of young weavers and bully the gendarme Kutshe, who had come for a glass of vodka. A police officer warns: the police chief prohibits singing an inflammatory song. But to spite him, the dispersed youth start a “Blood Bath.”
Dreisiger's apartment. The owner apologizes to the guests for being late, business was delayed. The rebel song is heard again outside the house. Pastor Kittelhaus looks out the window and is indignant: it would be nice if the young troublemakers had gathered, but with them were the old, respectable weavers, people whom he had considered worthy and God-fearing for many years. The home teacher of the factory owner's sons, Weingold, stands up for the weavers, these are hungry, dark people, they simply express their discontent in the way they understand. Dreisiger threatens to immediately pay off the teacher and gives orders to the dye workers to seize the main singer. The arriving police chief is presented with the detainee - this is Yeger. He behaves impudently, showering those present with ridicule. The enraged police chief intends to personally escort him to prison, but it soon becomes known that the crowd repulsed the arrested man and beat the gendarmes.
Dreisiger is beside himself: before, the weavers were meek, patient, and amenable to persuasion. It was the so-called preachers of humanism who confused them and hammered into the workers’ heads that they were in a terrible situation. The coachman reports that he has harnessed the horses, the boys and the teacher are already in the carriage, if things turn out badly, they need to get out of here quickly. Pastor Kittelhaus volunteers to speak to the crowd, but is treated rather disrespectfully. There is a knock on the door and the sound of broken window glass. Dreisiger sends his wife into the carriage, and he quickly collects papers and valuables. The crowd breaks into the house and causes mayhem.
Weaving workshop of old man Gilze in Bilau. The whole family is at work. Ragman Gornig reports the news: weavers from Peterswaldau drove the manufacturer Dreisiger and his family out of the den, demolished his house, dyehouses, and warehouses. And all because the owner went completely overboard and told the weavers - let them eat quinoa if they are hungry. Old Gilze does not believe that the weavers decided to do such a thing. His granddaughter, who brought skeins of yarn to Dreisiger, returns with a silver spoon, claiming that she found it near the manufacturer's destroyed house. It is necessary to take the spoon to the police, Gilze believes, his wife is against it - you can live on the money received for it for several weeks. The animated doctor Schmidt appears. Fifteen thousand people are heading here from Peterswaldau. And what demon bedeviled these people? They started a revolution, you see. He advises the local weavers not to lose their heads; troops are following the rebels. The weavers are excited - tired of eternal fear and eternal mockery of themselves!
The crowd destroys Dietrich's factory. Finally, the dream came true - to break the mechanical looms that ruined the weavers working by hand. A message is received about the arrival of troops. Jaeger calls on his companions not to drift, but to fight back; he takes command. But the only weapons of the rebels are cobblestones from the pavement, and in response they hear gun salvos.
Old Gilze remains unconvinced: what the weavers are up to is complete nonsense. Personally, he will sit and do his job, even if the whole world is turned upside down. Struck to death by a stray bullet flying through the window, he falls onto the machine.
Retold