„Północna” natura w Królu-Duchu Juliusza Słowackiego jako wyraz tragizmu i „duchowej” walki

Abstract

The lack of tragedy in the history of the Polish nation meant for the romantics an inability to recognise its existence, identity and role, and above all, strength of spirit. Słowacki’s poem seems to be a response to this state of affairs. In King‑Spirit, the poet introduced history from the hell of nature. It appears that this vision could create only by imaging taken from the Literature of the North – mainly the poetic Edda. King-Spirit is the darkest poem not only in the metaphysical, but also at the level of the world presented. Northern nature here is an activating factor, because it stimulates Popiel to constant struggle, resistance and rebellion against hostile reality. Słowacki gave the First Rhapsody under the rule of this northern nature, which together with Popiel struggled for the strength of the Polish spirit. At the beginning of that struggle, the element of the North stuck thus.