Stage Interpretation and Inner Transformations of the Image of the Hero in Baroque Art

The image of the Baroque hero — the martyr or righteous man — is of scholarly interest as an object of self-knowledge and a guide of the idea of inner transformations. The object of the research has been served to a great degree by Pedro Calderon’s play “The Constant Prince” and its stage manifestation, to a lesser degree Andreas Grifi us’ play “Catharina von Georgien.” The duplicity of inner nation typical of the baroque hero and the aspiration towards acquiring immortality are clearly refl ected in the mental scheme of the transition from death to resurrection. The protagonist’s outward suffering and death are perceived in this context as a symbolic refl ection of the inner sufferings of the soul capable of enlightenment and a mystical unifi cation with God. The scenic image of Don Fernando (“The Constant Prince”) is presented in the directorial images of Vsevolod Meyerhold (1915), Jerzy Grotowski (1965) and Boris Yukhananov (2013). This makes it possible to trace on various temporal stages the baroque hero’s change of perception from a positive to a negative scenario. Whereas the positive scenario of the image’s transformation asserts the process of attaining God, the negative scenario denies the possibility of spiritual reawakening and displaces God beyond the scope of the hero’s inner space, turning the hero from a savior into a victim.