Romulus der Große
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
's play Romulus der Große (Romulus the Great, 1950) shows the demise of the Western Roman Empire
in the 5th century – taking place during the day of (and the day following) the Ides of March
, 476.
The ruin of the Empire is calmly expected by the Emperor Romulus Augustulus. Despite the attempts of his ministers and courtiers to force the emperor to take decisive steps against the increasing peril of the Germanic invasion, Romulus prefers to stay at home breeding domesticated chickens and not taking action in response to the threat.
. Romulus is eventually to be found bartering over the sale of the busts of some of Rome's greatest cultural and historical figures. Romulus refuses to receive the news brought to him, instead insisting that Spurius Titus Mamma go to sleep whilst he himself breakfasts. Meanwhile, the finely-clad Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Zeno
arrives, whose Byzantine
Empire has been flooded with German ranks. His initiative is that both sides of Rome unite to fight, yet on seeing Romulus's complacence soon decides he would rather set his resistance campaign in motion from Alexandria
, whence he resolves to sail the following day. At this point the rich German trouser manufacturer Caesar Rupf arrives, offering to pay the Germanic forces 10 Million sestertii in return for a retreat, yet only if he can take the Princess Rea as his bride. Romulus refuses this, stating he would readily sell the Empire for a handful of setertii, but he will not sell his daughter.
Meanwhile, tortured, scalped, thin and pale, Emilian, fiancé of Rea, arrives after spending three years in German captivity. Patriotic to the core, he is disgusted at the Emperor's "dirty henhouse". On meeting, the Princess does not recognise him. He eventually reveals his identity, but speaks only of his former self, as if he were now a ghost. Rea, of course, still loves the man to whom she was engaged three years ago, which Emilian sees and takes advantage of, demanding her to "take a knife" and herself struggle against the Germans. Hearing of Caesar Rupf's offer, Emilian tells Rea that she must marry the trouser manufacturer; it is because she loves him that he is able to demand this of her. The assembled, thinking the Empire has been rescued, break out into joy. However, Romulus will not grant permission for the marriage to take place.
The first signs of Romulus's darker purpose emerge here:
"My daughter will comply with the will of the Emperor. The Emperor knows what he does when he throws his realm into the fire, when he lets fall what must be destroyed, and grinds with his foot what belongs to the earth."
"it is much greater and harder to be faithful to a person than to the State."
Meanwhile, a cloaked figure slips in through the window and lies in wait in the darkness. Romulus sees this in the reflection on his wineglass and once Rea has gone, calls out to the figure, Emilian, to reveal himself. From here, further conspirators are discovered concealed in absurd places in Romulus's bedchamber: the Home Secretary under the divan, Zeno in the cupboard, Spurius Titus Mamma in the wardrobe, all cloaked in black and bearing daggers.
Yet even this last try for revolution against Romulus goes awry. Romulus is unmoved; he is only surprised to learn that his Cook is one amongst the sworn traitors. The group flees as soon as news is shouted at them that a Germanic army has arrived, abandoning their plot and leaving Romulus to await his death at the hands of the German Prince Odoacer
.
. News is brought to him that his two butlers have been offered positions serving Caesar Rupf, with excellent pay, and that the raft carrying Rea, Julia, Emilian, the Home Secretary, the War Minister and the Cook capsized, drowning all those aboard except Zeno. Romulus receives this news stoically, declining to mourn, in anticipation of his own impending death. As Odoacer enters the Villa, Romulus has to see he is tragically mistaken - his adversary is as world-weary as himself, having been forced into a bloody streak of conquest by his people and especially his bloodthirsty nephew Theoderic. Instead of coming to kill Romulus, Odoacer begs him for help. Each tries to surrender to the other.
Both eventually conclude that they have been trying to preside over the world, when in fact the only control they truly have is over the present. Odoacer admits that if he continued to rule, Theoderic will one day depose him. Nonetheless he yields to the title "King of Italy", bestowing upon Romulus a pension of 6000 gold coins per year and a countryside villa, in which he must live with his folly for the rest of his life.
Romulus Augustus: Emperor of West Rome, believed by all to concern himself with hen-rearing over matters of state. Never having stepped outside of his country villa, never having walked on the streets of his land, he is nonetheless described initially as "over fifty, peaceful, comfortable and definite". His behaviour in the first two Acts should not be interpreted as callous indifference, neither is he intended to come across as a "nice" individual here either. It is only in the third Act that Dürrenmatt intended his plan, and at the same time, the other dimension of his character, to be revealed.
Odoacer: Germanic prince and leader of the campaign to overthrow the Roman Empire. He is portrayed as a parallel figure to Romulus himself, nurturing the same love of hen-rearing. Searching for a humanity which he perceives in Romulus, it transpires he never wished to enter into the war (instead was forced by his people's lust for heroism) and as such is a stark contrast to bloodthirsty Theoderic.
Julia: Wife of Emperor Romulus and "Landesmutter" (literally "mother of the land"), granddaughter of the Emperor Julian
. The ironic pairing of names, Romulus and Julia, parodies Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
, a story of true love corrupted by society. Here though, Julia and Emperor Romulus were never in love: Romulus married Julia in order to be in the position to liquidate the Empire. Yet what for him was the means to an end was for her the end itself: she married for ambition; to become the Empress.
Rea: Daughter of the Emperor, still young and naїve. The patriotic ideal is firmly instilled in her and so she is prepared to marry the rich German trouser manufacturer Caesar Rupf in order to buy the freedom of the Empire.
Zeno der Isaurier: Emperor of East Rome, or Byzantine
, easily manipulated by his butlers.
Emilian: Engaged to Princess Rea. He was taken into German captivity, where, whilst held prisoner, he was scalped and tortured horrifically. He escaped and travelled pace by pace through the destroyed countryside of Rome to the Emperor's villa. Truly patriotic, he sacrificed himself and will readily sacrifice others for the sake of his country.
Spurius Titus Mamma: A rider who rode for two days and two nights to deliver news of the fall of the Empire. He refuses to rest throughout the play, yet ironically sleeps through the final moments of Rome's collapse, only waking as Odoacer is pronounced King of Italy.
Caesar Rupf: German billionaire trouser manufacture, who believes that "everyone can be bought". He offers to buy Rome's security in return for a wife, to produce an heir for the Rupf Empire.
Theoderic: "A polite young man", nephew to Odoacer, whose virtues, however, accompany ruthless self-discipline, bloodthirstiness and heroism.
Mares, Tullius Rotundus, Phylax: War Secretary, Home Secretary and theatrical tutor to Rea respectively.
Apollyon: Auctioneer. Sly and economically minded, opportunistic.
Achilles & Pyramus: Butlers to Romulus.
Phosphoridos & Sulphurides: Butlers to Zeno.
. Odoacer and Theoderic, on the other hand, were not family but rather leaders of two quarreling Germanic tribes. Dürrenmatt of course did not seek historical accuracy and even gave the play the following subheading: “Ungeschichtliche historische Komödie” (Unhistorical historical comedy).
. The audience is left at a distance from the main action of the play, and thus become involved not in the plot but the central moral debate at its core.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
's play Romulus der Große (Romulus the Great, 1950) shows the demise of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
in the 5th century – taking place during the day of (and the day following) the Ides of March
Ides of March
The Ides of March is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. The word Ides comes from the Latin word "Idus" and means "half division" especially in relation to a month. It is a word that was used widely in the Roman calendar...
, 476.
The ruin of the Empire is calmly expected by the Emperor Romulus Augustulus. Despite the attempts of his ministers and courtiers to force the emperor to take decisive steps against the increasing peril of the Germanic invasion, Romulus prefers to stay at home breeding domesticated chickens and not taking action in response to the threat.
Act one
The soldier Spurius Titus Mamma arrives at Romulus's hen-ridden, run-down country residence, bleeding and exhausted, having ridden day and night to inform the Emperor of the fall of PaviaPavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
. Romulus is eventually to be found bartering over the sale of the busts of some of Rome's greatest cultural and historical figures. Romulus refuses to receive the news brought to him, instead insisting that Spurius Titus Mamma go to sleep whilst he himself breakfasts. Meanwhile, the finely-clad Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Zeno
Zeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
arrives, whose Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Empire has been flooded with German ranks. His initiative is that both sides of Rome unite to fight, yet on seeing Romulus's complacence soon decides he would rather set his resistance campaign in motion from Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, whence he resolves to sail the following day. At this point the rich German trouser manufacturer Caesar Rupf arrives, offering to pay the Germanic forces 10 Million sestertii in return for a retreat, yet only if he can take the Princess Rea as his bride. Romulus refuses this, stating he would readily sell the Empire for a handful of setertii, but he will not sell his daughter.
Act two
The remaining secretaries of the Empire gather in the Villa's Park, musing on the impending destruction of the Empire and contemplate begging Romulus to resume reigning and defeat the Germanic people.Meanwhile, tortured, scalped, thin and pale, Emilian, fiancé of Rea, arrives after spending three years in German captivity. Patriotic to the core, he is disgusted at the Emperor's "dirty henhouse". On meeting, the Princess does not recognise him. He eventually reveals his identity, but speaks only of his former self, as if he were now a ghost. Rea, of course, still loves the man to whom she was engaged three years ago, which Emilian sees and takes advantage of, demanding her to "take a knife" and herself struggle against the Germans. Hearing of Caesar Rupf's offer, Emilian tells Rea that she must marry the trouser manufacturer; it is because she loves him that he is able to demand this of her. The assembled, thinking the Empire has been rescued, break out into joy. However, Romulus will not grant permission for the marriage to take place.
The first signs of Romulus's darker purpose emerge here:
"My daughter will comply with the will of the Emperor. The Emperor knows what he does when he throws his realm into the fire, when he lets fall what must be destroyed, and grinds with his foot what belongs to the earth."
Act Three
The night of the Ides of March. Romulus is vistited in his bedchamber by the Empress Julia, who informs him of her plan to flee to Sicily. Romulus refuses to accompany her or to reconsider his decision to forbid Rea's marriage to Rupf. It becomes clear here that Julia and Romulus never loved one another, instead, each used the marriage for his own purpose. Julia wished to attain the status of Empress, and so married the well-descended Romulus. Romulus, however, married into the ruling bloodline with the sole purpose of liquidating a nation whose nature had become too bloody and violent to justify defence. Later that night, Rea also visits her father, whom he persuades to pursue her engagement to Emilian, for"it is much greater and harder to be faithful to a person than to the State."
Meanwhile, a cloaked figure slips in through the window and lies in wait in the darkness. Romulus sees this in the reflection on his wineglass and once Rea has gone, calls out to the figure, Emilian, to reveal himself. From here, further conspirators are discovered concealed in absurd places in Romulus's bedchamber: the Home Secretary under the divan, Zeno in the cupboard, Spurius Titus Mamma in the wardrobe, all cloaked in black and bearing daggers.
Yet even this last try for revolution against Romulus goes awry. Romulus is unmoved; he is only surprised to learn that his Cook is one amongst the sworn traitors. The group flees as soon as news is shouted at them that a Germanic army has arrived, abandoning their plot and leaving Romulus to await his death at the hands of the German Prince Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
.
Act Four
Romulus awakes on the morning following the Ides of MarchIdes of March
The Ides of March is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. The word Ides comes from the Latin word "Idus" and means "half division" especially in relation to a month. It is a word that was used widely in the Roman calendar...
. News is brought to him that his two butlers have been offered positions serving Caesar Rupf, with excellent pay, and that the raft carrying Rea, Julia, Emilian, the Home Secretary, the War Minister and the Cook capsized, drowning all those aboard except Zeno. Romulus receives this news stoically, declining to mourn, in anticipation of his own impending death. As Odoacer enters the Villa, Romulus has to see he is tragically mistaken - his adversary is as world-weary as himself, having been forced into a bloody streak of conquest by his people and especially his bloodthirsty nephew Theoderic. Instead of coming to kill Romulus, Odoacer begs him for help. Each tries to surrender to the other.
Both eventually conclude that they have been trying to preside over the world, when in fact the only control they truly have is over the present. Odoacer admits that if he continued to rule, Theoderic will one day depose him. Nonetheless he yields to the title "King of Italy", bestowing upon Romulus a pension of 6000 gold coins per year and a countryside villa, in which he must live with his folly for the rest of his life.
Characters
The main characters of the play:Romulus Augustus: Emperor of West Rome, believed by all to concern himself with hen-rearing over matters of state. Never having stepped outside of his country villa, never having walked on the streets of his land, he is nonetheless described initially as "over fifty, peaceful, comfortable and definite". His behaviour in the first two Acts should not be interpreted as callous indifference, neither is he intended to come across as a "nice" individual here either. It is only in the third Act that Dürrenmatt intended his plan, and at the same time, the other dimension of his character, to be revealed.
Odoacer: Germanic prince and leader of the campaign to overthrow the Roman Empire. He is portrayed as a parallel figure to Romulus himself, nurturing the same love of hen-rearing. Searching for a humanity which he perceives in Romulus, it transpires he never wished to enter into the war (instead was forced by his people's lust for heroism) and as such is a stark contrast to bloodthirsty Theoderic.
Julia: Wife of Emperor Romulus and "Landesmutter" (literally "mother of the land"), granddaughter of the Emperor Julian
Julian
Julian is a common male given name in Britain, United States, Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France , Spain, Latin America and elsewhere....
. The ironic pairing of names, Romulus and Julia, parodies Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, a story of true love corrupted by society. Here though, Julia and Emperor Romulus were never in love: Romulus married Julia in order to be in the position to liquidate the Empire. Yet what for him was the means to an end was for her the end itself: she married for ambition; to become the Empress.
Rea: Daughter of the Emperor, still young and naїve. The patriotic ideal is firmly instilled in her and so she is prepared to marry the rich German trouser manufacturer Caesar Rupf in order to buy the freedom of the Empire.
Zeno der Isaurier: Emperor of East Rome, or Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
, easily manipulated by his butlers.
Emilian: Engaged to Princess Rea. He was taken into German captivity, where, whilst held prisoner, he was scalped and tortured horrifically. He escaped and travelled pace by pace through the destroyed countryside of Rome to the Emperor's villa. Truly patriotic, he sacrificed himself and will readily sacrifice others for the sake of his country.
Spurius Titus Mamma: A rider who rode for two days and two nights to deliver news of the fall of the Empire. He refuses to rest throughout the play, yet ironically sleeps through the final moments of Rome's collapse, only waking as Odoacer is pronounced King of Italy.
Caesar Rupf: German billionaire trouser manufacture, who believes that "everyone can be bought". He offers to buy Rome's security in return for a wife, to produce an heir for the Rupf Empire.
Theoderic: "A polite young man", nephew to Odoacer, whose virtues, however, accompany ruthless self-discipline, bloodthirstiness and heroism.
Mares, Tullius Rotundus, Phylax: War Secretary, Home Secretary and theatrical tutor to Rea respectively.
Apollyon: Auctioneer. Sly and economically minded, opportunistic.
Achilles & Pyramus: Butlers to Romulus.
Phosphoridos & Sulphurides: Butlers to Zeno.
Historical Accuracy
Dürrenmatt took some rather great liberties in describing the historical story - in reality, Romulus Augustulus was just a child who spent only a few months in power and depended heavily upon his father, Orestes. Poultry-rearing was a habit not of Romulus, but of an earlier emperor, HonoriusHonorius (emperor)
Honorius , was Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius....
. Odoacer and Theoderic, on the other hand, were not family but rather leaders of two quarreling Germanic tribes. Dürrenmatt of course did not seek historical accuracy and even gave the play the following subheading: “Ungeschichtliche historische Komödie” (Unhistorical historical comedy).
Dramatic Technique
"Romulus der Grosse" is an example of Bertold Brecht's Epic TheatreEpic theatre
Epic theatre was a theatrical movement arising in the early to mid-20th century from the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners, including Erwin Piscator, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold and, most famously, Bertolt Brecht...
. The audience is left at a distance from the main action of the play, and thus become involved not in the plot but the central moral debate at its core.
Film Version and Gore Vidal Adaptation
- The play was televised in 1965, in black & white, by Helmut Käutner for a West-German audience. Romuald Pekny starred as Romulus.
- U.S. novelist and essayist Gore VidalGore VidalGore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
adapted the play as Romulus in 1962.
External links
- Romulus der Grosse (German)