Bulletin of the Comediantes

CALDERÓN, NIETZSCHE AND THE DIONYSIAN CONCEPT Judith Irene Knorst, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle The concept of what is Dionysian has many facets. Inherent in it is what can be called the paradoxical element of human existence. We are mainly concerned here with this paradoxical element and how it manifests itself psychologically in the protagonist of Calder ón. Some would say that the Dionysian element in Nietzsche's writings is not a conflict between what is Dionysian and what is Apollonian but rather that this conflict is wholly Dionysian and is made visble by Apollonian form. One could question this interpretation or criticize this as being a game of semantics. Paradox and conflict are recognized. Nietzsche pits the Dionysian against the Apollonian. He may not always name them specifically, but they are always present. In some places he may call this element of paradox or of conflict the ". . . antithesis between chastity and sensuality . . ."' or the ". . . delicate balance between 'animal' and 'angel.'"2 Then Nietzsche speaks quite plainly about the ". . . opposition of the Dionysian and the Apollonian conceptions. . ."3 The situation could not be more clearly or simply stated. There is general agreement that the will to power, membership in the community , an extension of one's self (fame, notoriety, or simply relationships with the opposite sex or the same sex) in opposition to a desire for uniqueness are part of this concept. This element of uniqueness is, in turn, opposed to the drive of self-obliteration for the survival of the community, thus causing conflict and anxiety in the person. As applied specifically to literature, by "Dionysian" the following is meant: Nietzsche classified two dominant strains in world literature; the Dionysian , Nacht and Substanz, or the triumph of the sensual and emotional, and the Apollonian, which is "Tag" and "Formheit," where the intellect rules over the emotions. The former, Nietzsche feels, lends much more creative force and is more intensely human. Some critics warn us not to become overly preoccupied with the sensual in Calderón and advise us to be aware of the mystical, philosophical ambience of his esthetic. Calderón is not a mystic, as he is not a Thomist, even though influenced by the Summa. He does, however , know the importance of contemplation in life, as he shows in the figure of Semiramis, who is the antithesis of the contemplative in La hija del aire. One of the benefits derived from the second of Segismundo's two enforced periods of isolation from the world in La vida es sueño is that he has time to think and reform his life. For lack of space a more detailed discussion of Segismundo's two imprisonments will not be entered into here. Certainly much more is involved than mere contemplation and Segismundo's subsequent transformation into a "social animal ," i.e., a full member of society. The subject of Segismundo's adjustment to social mores is discussed again briefly later in the paper. However, to return again to the presence of sensuality, this element is almost always present in Calder ón's dramas; it is difficult to avoid noticing it. Throughout the play being discussed here, Segismundo, Rosaura and the other characters refer to carnal desires. On page 27 of The Laurel Language Library edition of the play, Segismundo describes the effect on him of 32 his first meeting with Rosaura as "... tú sólo, tú has suspendido la pasión a mis enojos. . ."4 Towards the end of the play Segismundo does control his passion for purely materialistic reasons, to capture and retain power. He alludes to the fact that ancient Rome would admire his triumphs: "Si este día me viera Roma en los triunfos de su edad primera . . ."5 There is little doubt here that pagan and not Christian values are present; otherwise Calderón would have chosen a point of reference other than ancient Rome, the epitome of pagan, materialistic values. Rather than taking us away from the Dionysian or sensual, it reminds us that Nietzsche also has the mystical ambience in his works. In fact, who is to say that one mutually excludes the other, as the mystics , German and Spanish, can...