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- König Ottokars Glück und Ende (6) (remove)
Clothing plays an important role in the tragedy 'König Ottokars Glück und Ende' by the Austrian dramatist Franz Grillparzer - however, this role has not yet been adequately explored. Coats, jackets, helmets and garters are not mere props in the play; sometimes they are elevated to the level of symbols which can (and indeed must) be interpreted. Two types of garment play a particularly important symbolic role: Emperor Rudolf's grey jacket (jerkin) and King Ottokar's gold-embroidered coat. The King's coat is a symbol of his power and authority, yet it also evokes his alienation from his Bohemian subjects. It can also be interpreted as an allusion to the French Emperor Napoleon, whose features are clearly transferred into the figure of Ottokar.
The Austrian poet Franz Grillparzer is often presented in scholarly literature as an opponent of nationalism. Indeed, Grillparzer did oppose nationally motivated separatist tendencies, which he viewed as a threat to the existence of the supranational Habsburg Monarchy. However, his tragedy 'König Ottokars Glück und Ende' includes clear examples of the early Habsburg ideology which emerged along with the Austrian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars (a time of nationalist tensions) and which - at least initially - was imbued with a form of German Romantic nationalism. This ideology is displayed by the character of Rudolf von Habsburg, who - in the spirit of Romantic nationalism - is depicted as the embodiment of Germany. Rudolf's fervent Germanness - which appears to have been one of the reasons behind Grillparzer's problems with censorship under the Metternich regime - is not only evident in the character's words, but also in the clothes he wears. The grey coat that is one of Rudolf's most distinctive features may be a reference to what was known as an 'Old German' folk costume ('Altdeutsche Tracht'); after the Napoleonic Wars, this garment became a symbol used by the German nationalist student movement known as the 'Burschenschaftler'.
King Ottokar II and Záviš z Falkenštejna are often depicted in literary fiction as rivals – both in politics and in love. A similar representation can be found in the work of Franz Grillparzer, whose Zawisch incorporates both demonic and comic elements. He can be interpreted in various ways: as a sophisticated plotter of intrigues, a malicious poisoner, an arrogant figure who betrays his king and his country due to his wounded pride, or a seducer who eventually becomes subservient to an Amazon whom he had originally envisaged as his own puppet. Directors, viewers and readers usually do not see him as a great statesman. However, Jaroslav Hilbert depicted him in an entirely different manner. His Falkenštejn is a violent conspirator and usurper - but also a patriot, a statesman and a modern thinker. In Grillparzers work, the character of Zawisch is more reminiscent of his traditional rival Ottakar than of Hilbert's depiction. This study presents a comparison of both characters.
The tragedy 'König Ottokars Glück und Ende' by the Austrian poet Franz Grillparzer is often viewed as an exclusively male drama. Nevertheless, it does contain female characters, including the two wives of the Přemyslid King Otakar I – Margaret of Austria and Kunigunda of Galicia. The first of these in particular is a somewhat ambiguous character, whose interpretation raises a number of questions. The aim of this study is to outline the problems associated with interpreting the character of Margaret and to find a character in Czech historical literature who is similar to Grillparzer's Margaret.
This study compares the dramas König Ottokars Glück und Ende by the Austrian dramatist Franz Grillparzer and Král Přemysl Otakar Druhý by the Czech writer František Zavřel. The focus is on the character of the Bohemian King Otakar II. The king is depicted by both authors as a strong and remarkable figure, but while Grillparzer presents him as an anti-hero who falls victim to his own ruthless politics, Zavřel shows him to be a form of superman, whose downfall is caused by the pettiness of those around him. The study explores these differences and seeks to explain their origins
Kunigunda of Galicia, the second wife of the Bohemian King Otokar II and later the second wife of the powerful nobleman Záviš of Falkenstein, suffers from a very poor reputation due to her depiction in medieval chronicles, especially the Styrian Rhymed Chronicle written by Ottokar aus der Gaal. Her image as a domineering and morally dubious figure is also echoed in Franz Grillparzer's play "König Ottokars Glück und Ende", which draws partly on the Styrian chronicle as source material. This study attempts to answer the question of what role Kunigunda plays in Grillparzer's drama, and whether she genuinely deserves to be known as a "whore" – a designation which was applied to her immediately after the play's premiere. Grillparzer's version of Kunigunda is also compared with her depiction in the tragedy "Král Přemysl Otakar Druhý" by František Zavřel.