„[…] gdzie dobra sprawa, tam duch ofiary […]”. Lektura dramatu historycznego Kasper Karliński (Obrona Olsztyna) Władysława Syrokomli

Abstract

One of the best known and appreciated dramas written by Władysław Syrokomla is Kasper Karliński. Dramat historyczny we trzech aktach (1857). Syrokomla based his work on a 19th century patriotic legend of the defence of the Allstein (Olsztyn) castle in 1587. Created to uplift hearts, the legend had a compensatory nature. Karliński became a hero in collective memory that was perpetuated in the 19th century literary texts, as in Kasper Karliński albo oblężenie Holsztyna (1824) by Stefan Witwicki, Obrona Olsztyna (1830) by Aleksander Fredro and in Syrokomla’s work. The play was first staged in Vilnius in 16–28 January, 1858 under the title Obrona Olsztyna, and thereafter it was frequently performed in Grodno, Minsk, and Druskininkai. Kasper Karliński (who died in 1590) became a legendary hero and steadfast defender of the Allstein castle, who did not hesitate to sacrifice his own son to save the fortress and avoid disgrace. For Karliński, the love and duty to the Homeland appeared more important than his private life, and this what Syrokomla saw as the dramatic potential for a great Shakespearean-like national tragedy. Unlike other authors, Syrokomla portrayed Zygmunt differently, showing him as a fully aware young man, ready to lay down his life for the country: a child warrior and a martyr.