Armenkova O. A.: Georg Buchner's drama "The Death of Danton" in the context of Western European historical drama

Georg Buchner (1813-1837) is one of those who stood at the origins of German realism. The son of a doctor, he himself received medical education, wrote works in the field of medicine, but the main content of his life was drama, short stories and journalism. He was convinced of the need for a revolutionary transformation of society and was a member of the secret “Society of Human Rights”, the ideas of which were already in the 1830s. preceded many provisions of the “Manifesto of the Communist Party”. Fascinated by the problems of modern politics, studying the history of the French Revolution of 1789, he developed spiritually not only in line with the revolutionary tendencies expressed by Marx and Engels. The ideas of Descartes and Spinoza had no less influence on him. Fatalism determined many of Buchner's conclusions both in the field of social development and in relation to the path of the individual. At the same time, the theme of Jesus Christ appears more than once in Buchner’s works: the mercy and humanity of the Son of God constantly attracted his attention.
Buchner's spiritual maturation proceeded rapidly, as if the author knew that he had only 24 years to live. In June 1833, Büchner wrote to his family, expressing his attitude towards violence and those who call for it: “Of course, I will always act in accordance with my principles, but lately I have realized that social changes can only be brought about by urgent -the needs of the masses, that all the fuss and all the loud calls of individuals is a fruitless and stupid endeavor. They write - they are not read; they shout - they are not listened to; they act - no one helps them... From here it is clear to you that I will not interfere in Hessian provincial intrigues and revolutionary pranks”1. The position expressed in this letter indicates a fairly balanced attitude of its author towards revolutionary agitators and those who provoke popular uprisings when the people themselves have not realized their inevitability. The theme of the people and their leaders will become one of the most important in the drama “The Death of Danton,” and moral preparation for solving the problems of this work was already underway."
Particularly important is Buchner’s letter to his fiancée on March 9-17, 1834. In the first part, which we present, he, based on a study of the history of the French Revolution of 1789, comes to the idea of ​​​​the “terrible fatalism of history” (graBlichen Fatalismus der Geschichte). Please note that grafilich can be translated as “terrible”, “terrible”, “disgusting”, “disgusting”. All these meanings are in Buchner's thought. Next he says that
the individual is “foam on the wave,” genius is “pure chance,” and “the reign of genius is puppet theater” (die Herrschaft des Genius ein Puppenspiel). He does not see the possibility of controlling history; the only thing a person can do is cognize it. The continuation of the letter is especially important for the interpretation of Buchner’s fatalistic views: “I have accustomed myself to the sight of blood. But I'm not an executioner. It is necessary (author's italics - G.X. and Yu.S.) - this is one of those words with which a person was cursed at baptism. A disgusting aphorism: temptation must come, but woe to the person through whom temptation comes. What is it about us that lies, kills, steals?” - Ich gewohnte mein Auge ans Blut. Aber ich bin kein Guillotinenmesser. Das mufi ist eins von den Verdammungsworten, womit der Mensch getauft worden. Der Ausspruch: es muB ja Argemis kommen, aber wehe dem, durch den es kommt, - ist schlauderhaft. Was ist das, was inuns liigt, mordet, stiehlt? Yu. Arkhipov's translation is correct, but the intensifying connotation created by the untranslated text is omitted last part the phrase “ist schlauderhaft”, which means “this is bad”, and the original phrase “guillotine knife” - Guillotinenmesser - was replaced with “executioner”.
This already relates to the field of personality psychology, to the relationship between the individual and the people, to the topic of revolutionary terror. The word mufi (must) will become one of the most important in explaining the actions of characters, especially in Danton's Death.
Buchner's work stands at the origins of German realism both in the field of relevance of modern issues and in the field of personality psychology. Great importance have the statements of his hero Lenz from the story of the same name, because they reflect the author’s position. Polemicizing with the idealistic approach to creativity, Lenz argued: “I look for life in everything, the inexhaustible possibilities of being, there is this - and everything is good, and then the question of whether it is beautiful or ugly disappears. For the feeling that a thing created by man is full of life is above all... assessments; it is the only sign of art.<...>The artist must penetrate into the life of the smallest and poorest, convey it in all the outlines, glimpses, in all the subtlety of barely noticeable facial expressions.<...>They may be the most ordinary people under the sun, but almost all people have the same feelings, only the shell through which they have to break through is different. Just know how to hear and see!<...>One must love all of humanity as a whole in order to be imbued with respect for the uniqueness of each person” (translation by O. Mikheeva).
Lenz’s realistic and democratic position at the same time opposes romanticism, on the one hand, and the Weimar classicism of Goethe and Schiller, on the other, because the author does not accept either the idealization of the world and man, or special attention to the perfection of form, alienated from the topic of the day.
The most significant work of G. Buchner is the drama “The Death of Danton” (Dantons Tod, 1835). The scene is revolutionary Paris. The time of action is the days of the Jacobin dictatorship, the spring of 1794, when Danton, K. Desmoulins and his wife Lucille were arrested and executed. In the drama there are 17 real historical characters, 14 characters endowed with psychologically outlined characters, in addition, ladies, gentlemen, delegates, deputies, Jacobins, overseers, carters, executioners, women on the street, street singers, grisettes, etc. The drama is densely populated, but its action is structured in such a way that the scenes with genuine historical characters are practically separated from those scenes where the people and the crowd act. And this is no coincidence: the dispute is led by those who decide the fate of the people, taking into account the mood of the crowd, but not its conscious desires. Obviously, this is why there are quite a lot of folk scenes in the work, where rudeness and vulgarity come to the fore.
The conflict is defined as a clash between humanity and revolutionary dictatorship. He sharply divides the main characters into two camps. In the first - Danton as his thinking leader, in the second - the Jacobins Robespierre and Saint-Just. Büchner is not authentic in everything historical facts: It is important for him to develop his thoughts about the connection between revolution and humanity.
The conflict is outlined in one of the first scenes of “At the Jacobin Club”, where Robespierre speaks. His speech is a call to destroy opponents of the revolution who “incline towards weakness, their slogan is “Compassion!” - Sie treibt uns zu Schwache, ihr Feidgeschrei heiBt: Erbarmen! (our translation - G.Kh. and Yu.S. Other authors of the translation are named separately). The topic of compassion arouses Robespierre's passionate indignation; he repeatedly returns to it in the same speech. But the opponents of the revolution in this case are Robespierre's former allies.
Danton is known to the people as a fighter against the monarchy, as the savior of France during the armed aggression against it by European monarchs. Danton himself in September 1792 called for mass terror against the aristocracy. His friend Camille Desmoulins was called the “prosecutor of lampposts” (from the famous slogan: “Aristocrats to the lamppost”). Now Robespierre believes that Danton and his friends betrayed the ideas of the revolution. Former allies become adversaries.
Buchner's Robespierre, together with Saint-Just, cut off any possibility of compromise and mercy: “The weapon of the republic is horror (fear), the strength of the republic is virtue - virtue, because without it horror is destructive - horror, because without it virtue is helpless. Horror is the source of virtue; it is nothing more than swift, strict, unyielding justice.<...>The revolutionary government is the despotism of freedom against tyranny,” - Die WafFe der Republik ist der Schrecken, die Kraft der Republick ist die Tugend - die Tugend, weil ohne sie der Schrecken verderblich - der Schrecken, weil ohne ihn die Tugend ohnmachtig ist. Der Schrecken ist ein AusfluB der Tugend, er ist nichts anders als die schnelle, strenge und unbeugsame Gerechtigkeit.<.. .="">Die Revolutionsregierung ist der Despotismus der Freiheit gegen die Tyrannei.
Pay special attention to the unnaturalness of combining the concepts of “horror” and “virtue,” as well as “despotism of freedom.” For Robespierre, who imagines himself as the incorruptible (as he was called during the Jacobin Terror) ruler of the destinies of the people, there is nothing unnatural in the fact that virtue itself arises from horror, and freedom is combined with despotism. Buchner uses these exact words. They are specific and emotionally charged, which allows the author to more fully express his attitude towards the position of Robespierre, who, together with Saint-Just, is ready to pronounce a death sentence on all his opponents. The dehumanization of revolutionaries who fought for humane ideas is emphasized by the author with specific usage of words.
Left alone, Robespierre seeks to convince himself that it is Danton and his friends who are hindering the movement forward, repeating the words of the enemy about buskins of virtue on their feet. This image haunts him, “poking a bloody finger at the same point! There won’t be enough kilometers of rags here - blood will still ooze... I don’t know what’s lying to what in me” (translation by A. Karelsky). Please note that Buchner's own words from the above letter are repeated here. The author explores the secrets of the psychology of those who were perceived unambiguously as a tyrant or as a “friend of the people.” After the list of those who should be executed, Robespierre says, admitting that he is losing his nerve: “Yes, a bloody messiah who can sacrifice and refuse it. He saved people with his blood, and I saved them with my own. He made people sin, and I take three of them upon myself. He experienced the torment of suffering, and I endure the torment of the executioner. Who went to greater self-denial? Me or him? Robespierre's thoughts betray his idea of ​​himself as a supreme and infallible judge. He compares himself with Jesus Christ, although the differences between them are striking, and the comparison itself is blasphemous: virtue sheds its blood, it takes on suffering.
Robespierre, speaking in front of the Jacobins who passionately and unconditionally supported him, did not notice how he was replacing the concepts of “virtue” and “humanity.” He replaces the eternal (“humanity”) with the transient (“virtue”), which depends on the position, point of view, and social attitudes, for a cannibal savage can also be “virtuous” if he follows all the laws of his tribe. He connects freedom with despotism, but at the same time the very idea of ​​freedom is destroyed.
He also substitutes concepts when he directs his anger at his opponents, claiming that they needed the revolution in order to get the wealth of the aristocrats and ride around in their carriages. He classifies his former comrades as interventionists and royalists: “In a republic, only republicans are citizens; royalists and interventionists are enemies” (translation by A. Karelsky).
Danton is presented as a restless soul. He has lost peace because he dreams of September and mass executions. He accuses the Jacobins of wanting to strangle the republic in blood, that their path is the ruts of the guillotine carts. Now he vainly convinces himself that the executions were not murder, but only a war on the home front. He admits to his friends that if he has to choose, he would prefer to be guillotined rather than guillotined - ich will lieber guillotiniert werden als guillotinieren lassen. He repeats the word must almost without changes, like Buchner himself in the letter cited above: “... we had to. - The man on the cross settled comfortably: bitterness must come, but woe to the one because of whom the bitterness comes: It is necessary, yes it was necessary! Who wants to curse the hand on which this Nadoi fell? Who said Nado, who? What is it that debauchs us, lies, steals and kills? We are dolls that unknown forces pull on a spring, nothing, nothing, we ourselves are swords with which spirits fight, but our hands are not visible, as in a fairy tale.” Again, like Robespierre, he repeats the words from Buchner's letter about the unsolved riddle that leads a person to make a decision or to self-deception. He tries to solve this riddle by turning to the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross, comparing his suffering with his heaviest burden, but in his appeal to the name of Christ there is no peremptory Robespierre, only irony towards himself. Only Buchner’s Danton understands that Robespierre is the “dogma of the revolution,” and dogma means a dead principle.
Danton is a person who is able to see changes in life and make bold decisions on which the fate of the country depends. He is not an ascetic, unlike Robespierre: real love for real life makes him renounce terror. For Robespierre and Saint-Just, a new round of executions is just a few hundred new corpses. For Danton, now every person executed is a human life cut short. The work ends with the execution of Danton and Desmoulins; both of them, even next to the guillotine, can still make jokes and talk about love for each other.
Victory for the Jacobins. But here the paradoxical mechanism of the tragic ending comes into play, when the death of the main characters turns into the triumph of their idea. This paradox is created as follows.
Danton's wife, having learned about his execution, takes poison, Demoulin's wife Lucille goes crazy. Mad Lucille comes to the place of execution and is surprised that a small bird and a midge can live, but for some reason her beloved cannot. She sits on the steps of the guillotine, calling them the knees of the quiet angel.
When the patrol appears, Lucille “thinks intensely and suddenly, as if having made a decision, shouts: Long live the king!” Last remark: “The guards take her away” (translation by A. Karelsky). Lucille's words - a toast in honor of the king - at that time led her only to the guillotine.
Both executions kill lovers, kill life itself. The double death of two women who did not survive their husbands is the answer to the question of virtue and the right of the republic to terror.
The composition of Danton's Death is such that the last event (Lucille's arrest) creates an open ending, i.e. involves further development of the action and clarification of the author’s thoughts outside the framework of the work itself. The creator of a new type of intellectual drama, Ibsen, will constantly resort to such an ending; Buchner appears here as its forerunner.
Buchner follows the path of Shakespeare: folk scenes, expanding the spatial framework, bring personal drama to the philosophical level. The tendentiousness inherent in the literature of this period has national roots in Schiller’s dramaturgy: in “William Tell”, in the trilogy about Wallenstein. Alarming in socially The 1830s acutely raised the question of the revolutionary transformation of society and required an understanding of the essence of the confrontation between violence and humanity.
Among the best works of Buchner as a prose writer is the story “Lenz” (Lenz, 1835). Jacob Michael Reinhold Lenz (1751 - 1792) is a real person, a writer, close in his worldview to the Sturmers. He was the author of two dramas, “The Governor” (1774) and “Soldiers” (1776), which critically reflected on the life of German society. As a playwright he followed Shakespeare, whom he wrote about in his Notes on the Theatre. Lenz believed that in drama the first place is not the development of the plot, not the role of fate, but the moral idea conveyed through the characters. Lenz's followers included in the 19th century. G. Buchner, and in the 20th century. - B. Brecht. The basis for Buchner’s story was the documentary book by D.E. Stöber’s “The Life of Frederick Oberlin” (1831), which recounts Pastor Oberlin’s story about his meetings with Lenz. In this case, a kind of double reflection arises: Stöber conveys Oberlin’s story, Büchner, reinterpreting Stöber’s notes and Oberlin’s story, creates his own version of the writer’s tragedy.
The story that was not completed ( further fate the hero is not traced, but only one episode is given), can be perceived as a completely finished work, because this is a psychologically very subtly reproduced period in the life of a person gradually going crazy. If Buchner can be considered a follower of Lenz the playwright, then Kafka fits into the ranks of those who convey, no less convincingly than Buchner, the tragedy of a person’s loss of strong guidelines in life. The fundamental difference between these two writers is that Buchner reproduces the condition of his hero with all the precision of a doctor familiar with the development of schizophrenia. Kafka has a different task: in a particular case he sees a reflection of a crazy world.
The first scene introduces the reader to the hero on a mountain road. The character’s unusualness is revealed in one of the first phrases: “he was only annoyed that he could not walk upside down” - nur war es ihm manchmal unangenehm, daB er nicht auf dem Kopf gehn konnte (translation by O. Mikheeva). Fog, gray forest, crumbling stones underfoot, darkness and sharp gusts of wind gave rise to a strange state in the hero’s soul: “he seemed to be looking for something in elusive dreams and could not find it” - er suchte nach etwas, wie nach verlomen Traumen, aber er fand nichts. This state between sleep and wakefulness will gradually increase in Lenz as his illness progresses. He will increasingly lose his bearings, get lost in the mountains, space will begin to compress him: “the world frightened him and was so small that he seemed to constantly bump into everything” - die Landschaft beangstigte ihn, sie war so eng, daB er an Alles zu stoBen furchtete. This subjectively created “crowdedness” of the world presses him more and more and finally crowds out all feelings and thoughts: “the world in which he wanted to find a place for himself gaped with a monstrous failure; there was no hatred, no hope, no love left in him - only a terrible emptiness and at the same time a painfully restless need to fill it. One emptiness.” -die Welt, die er hatte nutzen wollen, hatten einen ungeheuem RiB, er hatte keinen HaB, keine Liebe, keine Hoffnung, eine schreckliche Leere und doch eine foltemde Unruhe, sie auszufullen. Er hatte Nichts (author's italics - G. X. and Yu. S.).
Finally, self-identification begins with those who come to his mind: “If he thought about someone, recalled the features of some person, it suddenly began to seem to him that he was that very person.<...>He amused himself by placing houses with the roof down in his imagination” - dachte er an eine fremde Person, oder stellte er sie lebhaft vor, so war es ihm... er amiisierte sich, die Haser auf die Dacher zu stellen. One day he apparently imagined himself to be either a scary cat or some other monstrous beast, and scared the cat terribly.
But Lenz, when meeting his former acquaintance Kaufman, behaves like the writer he really was. His words are full of deep meaning and indicate that he has found his place in art. Lenz is a theologian by training; one day he reads a deeply felt sermon in the parish of Oberlin, which sheltered him. Consciousness returns to it from time to time, but these intervals become increasingly shorter. Boredom fills the whole world for him, he doesn’t even want to move, although sometimes periods of special excitement arise, everything indicates a progressive illness.
He is especially sensitive to darkness, which always frightens him, and light, when terrible visions disappear. The last paragraph conveys Lenz's departure, he tries to commit suicide, darkness crushes him. The final phrase of the story: “So he lived” (So lebte eg hin) leaves the opportunity for the reader to comprehend the tragedy of an extraordinary person losing his mind.
In both drama and short story, the theme of Jesus Christ is extremely important. In “The Death of Danton”, the image of the Son of God arose in the minds of Robespierre and Danton, where the author needed it to show the distance between true mercy and social necessity (Danton) or to emphasize the dogmatism of Robespierre’s thinking, which dares to compare the One who shed his blood in the name of salvation of humanity, with the one who pours someone else's. Lenz, in a fit of madness, seeing the dead girl, set out to resurrect her: the death of such a young creature was so terrible. He pronounces the words of Jesus Christ, who raised Jairus’s daughter: “Rise and walk” (Stehe auf und waridle), but the child remains motionless.
What is the meaning of this episode, after which Lenz's faith disappears? The author, as in a dramatic work, does not give its interpretation. Most likely, Buchner was constantly faced with the question of the capabilities of an individual, albeit an extraordinary one. But each time he decided it unequivocally: a person cannot overcome fate. The capabilities of God and man are far from equal. In the drama, Buchner depicts the crime when a person arrogates to himself the rights of God, in the story about a mentally ill writer - he confirms the small possibilities and little knowledge of the world by man.

Danton's death

Georges Danton and Hérault-Sechel, his comrade-in-arms at the National Convention, play cards with ladies, including Julie, Danton's wife. Danton apathetically rants about women, their charm and cunning, about the impossibility of knowing and understanding each other. In response to Julie's soothing words, Danton melancholy remarks that he loves her, just as they love a “grave” where one can find peace. Ero flirts with one of the ladies.

Friends and other deputies of the Convention arrive. Camille Desmoulins immediately engages everyone in a conversation about “guillotine romance.” In its second year, the revolution demands new victims every day. Ayrault believes that with the revolution it is necessary to “end” and “begin” the republic. Everyone has the right to enjoy life as best they can, but not at the expense of others. Camillus is confident that state power should be open to the people, a “transparent tunic” on their body. Knowing Danton's magnificent gift of oratory, he encourages him to begin the attack by speaking at the Convention in defense of true freedom and human rights. Danton does not seem to refuse, but does not show the slightest enthusiasm, because he still needs to “live” until this moment. He leaves, showing everyone how tired he is of politics. There is a storm of applause in the hall, the meeting is postponed. It is not in the interests of the judges to hear that at one time it was Danton who declared war on the monarchy, that his voice “forged weapons for the people from the gold of aristocrats and the rich.” Then Danton appeals to the people, demanding the creation of a commission to accuse those because of whom freedom is “walking over corpses.” The prisoners are taken by force from the hall.

The crowd in the square in front of the Palace of Justice is buzzing. There is no unanimity in the cries and exclamations, some are for Danton, others are for Robespierre.

Last hours in the cell. Camille misses his wife Lucille, who is standing in front of the cell window and singing. He is afraid of death, suffers from the fact that his wife is going crazy. Danton, as usual, is ironic and mocking. It is bitter for everyone to recognize themselves as “piglets”, beaten to death with sticks so that “it would be tastier at the royal feasts.”

At the moment when the convicts are taken out of the cell, Julie takes poison in her and Danton’s house. Singing "Marseillaise" the condemned are taken in carts to Revolution Square to the guillotine. The mocking cries of women with hungry children in their arms are heard from the crowd. The convicts say goodbye to each other. The executioners take them away. Everything is over.

Lucille appears at the guillotine, singing a song about death. She seeks death in order to unite with her husband. A patrol approaches her, and in a sudden epiphany Lucille exclaims: “Long live the king!” “In the name of the Republic” the woman is arrested.

Hérault-Sechelles was Georges Danton's comrade at the National Convention; they play cards with the ladies, among them Julie, who is Danton's wife. Danton apathetically talks about women, their cunning and charm, about the possibility of understanding and knowing each other. In response to reassurance from Julie, Danton rather melancholy notes that he loves her, just as one can love a “grave” in which everyone finds peace. Ero-Sechel hit on one of these women.
Comrades and other deputies of the Convention drop in on them.

One of them, named Camille Desmoulins, immediately engages everyone in a conversation about the romance of the guillotine. In the second year, the revolution begins to demand new deaths and sacrifices. Ero thinks that it’s time to end the revolution and start the republic. After all, everyone should enjoy life, but this should not happen at the expense of others. Camille believes that the power of the country should be open to the people, and be a “transparent tunic” on the body.

He knows that Danton has an excellent gift of oratory, and asks him to begin speaking at the Convention, defending freedom and human rights, thereby launching an attack. Danton, in turn, is not very interested, but at the same time he does not refuse; he still has to live to see this case. He leaves everyone, while showing that he is tired of politics.

A storm of applause in the hall and the meeting was adjourned. It is not in the interests of the judges to hear that Danton at one time declared war on the monarchy, and his voice forged weapons for the people from the gold of the rich and aristocrats. After which Danton addresses the people, he demands that a commission be created to accuse people walking over corpses. The prisoners are then forcibly removed from the courtroom.
A crowd is noisy in the square in front of the Palace of Justice. There is no common opinion in the shouts and cries, some are for Robespierre, and others are for Danton.

Last moments in the cell. Camille misses his wife, Lucille, who in turn sings next to the camera. He is afraid of death and is very worried that his wife is starting to go crazy. Danton is as usual mocking and ironic. It is difficult for everyone to realize that they are “piglets” who were beaten to death with sticks so that everything on the table of the kings would be delicious.

When the prisoners are taken out of the cell, Julie drinks poison in the house where she lived with Danton.
The convicts sing "La Marseillaise" as they are taken to the guillotine on Revolution Square. From the crowd of people, shouts of mockery are heard from women who have hungry children in their arms. The prisoners say goodbye to each other. The executioners are trying to separate them. Lucille approached the guillotine, she sings about death. She is looking for her to be close to her husband. A patrol is approaching her, and Lucille bursts out: “Long live the king!” She is arrested in the name of the Republic.

A summary of the drama “The Death of Danton” was retold by A. S. Osipova.

Please note that this is only a summary literary work"The Death of Danton" In this summary many important points and quotes are missing.

The story of this play is as follows. In December 1917, the management of the Korsch Theater invited me to adapt Buchner’s romantic tragedy “The Death of Danton” for production. At first, I wanted to put together a play from the available material that could be staged, and only illuminate it with modernity. This task turned out to be impossible. Already from the third picture I had to leave Buchner and turn to historical materials and my observations of our revolution.

In January 1923, I revised the play a second time, and in this final form I offer it to readers.

Characters

Danton, leader of the Montagnards, Minister of Justice, member of the Committee of Public Safety, inspirer of the defense of France, organizer of terror. The September massacre, which took place with his participation, was a constant bleeding wound of the republic, the beginning of a regime of terror. The tragedy finds Danton retired from business. He recently married sixteen-year-old Louise Geli, having married her to an unsworn priest, who, according to a decree he himself issued, was subject to the death penalty. He lives with his young wife in Sèvres.

Robespierre, member of the Committee of Public Safety, leader of the Jacobins. A fiery and icy man with an unyielding will and untainted morality. Smart, calculating and merciless.

Camille Desmoulins, member of the Convention, ardent patriot-journalist, dreamer.

Saint-Just, a student of Robespierre, a philosophically minded young man. Handsome, effeminate and cruel. Commissioner of the Army and member of the Committee of Public Safety.

Collot d'Herbois, member of the Committee of Public Safety. Former actor. Cruel, depraved.

Fouquier-Tinville, public prosecutor appointed to this position at the insistence of Camille Desmoulins. Old, smart, cynical, ugly.

Hermann, President of the Revolutionary Tribunal founded by Danton during his struggle against the Girondins.

Gero de Sechelles

Filippo) friends of Danton.

Lacroix

Legendre, Jacobin.

Simon, craftsman. Old man. In a knitted cap, in wide torn trousers. The face is purple from drinking too much red wine.

Louise, Danton's wife.

Lucie, wife of Camille Desmoulins.

Anna, wife of Simon.

Marie, a former aristocrat, owner of a secret gambling salon.

Rosalia, lacemaker.

Zhanna, milliner.

Woman in a black shawl.

Lame girl.

Fat made-up woman.

Trader.

Robespierre's knitter.

Citizen in a red cap.

Citizen with a black cap.

Citizen with a book.

Citizen in a thread wig.

Watchman at the tribunal.

A guard in a prison.

A young man with a sharp nose.

Citizens, soldiers, executioners, etc. Danton Georges-Jacques (1759–1794) was a lawyer by profession. He came forward and began to play a major role in the revolution during the preparation for the overthrow of King Louis XVI on August 10, 1792. After the overthrow of the monarchy, the republican government was headed by the political group of Girondins. Danton, having become Minister of Justice and a member of the Committee of Public Safety, was close to her in his views. The popular uprising of May 31 - June 2, 1793 deprived the Girondins of power. From that time on, Danton’s political influence began to decline; he was not included in the new Committee of Public Safety, elected in July 1793, and from the end of 1793 he became the leader of the opposition, which demanded a softening of the terror and opposed the increasing influence of Robespierre. He was accused of treason and executed on April 5, 1794. Robespierre Maximilian(1758–1794) - leader of the Jacobins, who became the head of the second Committee of Public Safety. In fact, since 1793 he headed the revolutionary government. A series of mistakes, in particular a break with the left revolutionary-democratic wing of the National Convention and the execution of its leaders, led Robespierre to isolation and the creation of a bloc of hostile parties against him. After the Thermidorian coup on July 27, 1794, he was removed from power, accused and executed. Desmoulins Camille (1760–1794) – journalist. At first he joined Robespierre, but during the Jacobin dictatorship he took a moderate position and condemned terror. In the National Convention he was a supporter of Danton. Saint-Just Louis-Antoine(1767–1794) - one of the leaders of the Jacobins, a friend of Robespierre. He considered Danton and his supporters as a real force of counter-revolution. Executed after the Thermidorian coup. Collot d'Herbois Jean-Marie(1750–1796) - actor and playwright, Jacobin, supporter of consistent terror. During the Thermidorian coup he opposed Robespierre. In 1795 he was sentenced to exile in Guiana, where he died. Fouquier-Tinville Antoine-Quentin(1746–1795) – lawyer by profession. In 1793 he was elected public prosecutor of the Revolutionary Tribunal. He was the main organizer of Danton's trial; later, at his request, Robespierre was executed. In 1795 he was sentenced to death. Herman is the chairman of the Revolutionary Tribunal...– Ermann Armand-Marechal-Joseph (1759–1795). Tolstoy is inaccurate. Ehrmann was a supporter of Robespierre; he became chairman of the Revolutionary Tribunal in April 1793; in 1794 he became Minister of the Interior, Commissioner of the Court and Police. He was executed after the Thermidorian coup. Gero de Sechelles – Hérault-Séchelles Marie-Jean (1759–1794). In 1792, he was elected chairman of the National Convention and became a member of the second Committee of Public Safety (Jacobin), in which he carried out Danton’s ideas. Accused of having connections with emigrants, executed along with Danton. Philippa Pierre (1754–1794). – After an indecisive and unsuccessful suppression of the royalist uprising in the Vendee department in 1793, he was accused of treason, but was soon acquitted. When arrested in 1794, he was charged with moderate political positions in the National Convention. Lacroix Jean-Francois(1754–1794) - “the most harmful person in Danton’s party,” as A. Thiers calls him in “The History of the French Revolution” (St. Petersburg - M., 1875, vol. 3, p. 25). In 1792, the Girondins accused him of embezzlement of revolutionary money; the Jacobins accused him of having connections with monarchist emigrants. Legendre Louis (1752–1797) was one of the very cautious figures of the French Revolution. He was a member of the Jacobin club “Society of Friends of the Constitution,” headed by Robespierre, and a member of the club “Society for Defenders of Human and Citizen Rights,” to which Danton and Desmoulins initially belonged. In his political position he was closer to Danton, but tried not to openly reveal his views. Louise - Louise Gely (born in 1777), since 1793 Danton's wife. Lucie - Lucile Desmoulins (1771–1794), daughter of the prominent banker Duplessis, whom Desmoulins married in 1793. Accused of political connections with the Girondin General Arthur Dillon (1750–1794). Executed eight days after the execution of the Dantonists. Citizen in a red cap.– The red cap is a symbol of freedom. Citizen in black cap- apparently a supporter of terror, a Jacobin. The citizen with the book is a supporter of Danton; in his hands is a book by the ancient Greek poet Anacreon, who sang of sensual love, wine, and an idle life. The citizen in the thread wig is apparently a royalist supporter. Montagnards - a group of deputies in the National Convention that occupied the upper benches during meetings, that is, they were, as it were, on the “mountain” (French - montagne), Jacobins. The Committee of Public Safety was the main government body of the Jacobin dictatorship, created on April 6, 1793. September massacre.– On September 2–6, 1792, by order of Danton, who was then the Minister of Justice, persons accused of counter-revolutionary activities were executed in Parisian prisons. National Convention- the highest legislative and executive body of the First French Republic. An assembly of elected people's representatives, the deputies of which consisted of three troupes: Girondins, Jacobins, “swamp”, that is, hesitant. Existed from September 21, 1792 to October 26, 1795 Jacobins. – This is what the members of the “Society of Friends of the Constitution” called themselves, who gathered at the first stage of the development of the Great French Revolution in the library of the former monastery of the Order of St. Jacob (Jacob). Having united around their ideological leaders: Danton, Marat, Robespierre, Saint-Just, they became a powerful political force. After the overthrow of the monarchy on August 10, 1792, the Jacobins became the second political force in the country, opposing the Girondins, who held power in the republic until the popular uprising of May 31 - June 2, 1793, which led to the establishment of the Jacobin dictatorship. The Thermidorian coup on July 27, 1794 overthrew the Jacobin government. Girondins. – The group of bourgeois deputies of the National Convention acquired its name later (after the name of the Gironde department, from which many of them were elected). After the overthrow of the monarchy on August 10, 1792, they headed the government in the National Convention. Their policy boiled down to opposing the further development of the revolution; they expressed the interests of the commercial, industrial and agricultural bourgeoisie. The popular uprising of May 31 - June 2, 1793 removed them from power. Frightened by reprisals, they opposed the Jacobin government, as a result of which their faction in the National Convention was defeated, and twenty-two deputies were arrested and executed on October 31, 1793.

The action takes place in Paris in the summer of 1794.

Scene one

The room of Marie, a former aristocrat. Huge torn brocade curtains. A piece of peeling wall. Golden furniture. Lit candles in candelabra. At the card table - Gero de Sechelles, Marie, Camille Desmoulins. Louise and Lucy stand aside. Danton stands in the window, invisible behind the curtain.

Louise. I'm afraid of Paris. It's so crowded here, so noisy. My heart hurts when we come here. Lucy. Is Sevres good? Louise. Yes, we're good. We have a small garden and a small vegetable garden. My husband gave me four chickens and a rooster. I don’t buy lettuce, radishes, or beans, we have everything of our own. We often walk in the park. (Looking around, whispering.) We say: many people in the park at night heard the clatter of horses and the sound of horns - they saw the ghost of the king. ...saw the ghost of the king. – Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793.

Lucy. Quiet.

Gero (claps cards). My tongue is so worn out that it is unable to pronounce love words. I want to say “love”, he says “death”. Damn language - yesterday I met a pretty little girl and, no matter what, I stubbornly called her “widow.”

Marie. So what about the girl?

Gero. But she didn’t care - a widow, a widow... (Claps cards.)

Camille. Who called the guillotine a widow?

Gero. Street boys.

Camille. Lucy, why are you quiet? Are you bored?

Lucy. No, my dear.

Gero. This is one of the achievements of the revolution. We have forgotten how to be bored. Yes, we don’t get bored in Paris.

Marie. I beat your king.

Camille. Lucy, sing it again.

Lucy. Will you listen?

Camille. I am ready to listen to you day, night, always, my little siren. (He gets up and brings her the harp.) When you sing, I begin to believe that soon the whole earth, all liberated, rejoicing humanity, will sing. I believe.

Lucy. Fine. (Tunes the harp.)

Gero. Camille still talks about music and humanity because he is a journalist. I despise people. Humanity is a herd. It can only howl and growl when you stroke it against the grain. Marie, do you want to put tonight on the line?

Marie(laughs). I bet my night on the queen of spades.

Camille(Gero). How do you answer?

Gero. Whatever she wants. One hundred thousand francs or my head - I don’t care. Marie, your lady is beaten.

Marie. I won't go broke.

Lucy starts singing. Everyone is listening. Camille stands with his hand on the fireplace, his fingers running through his hair. Filippo enters.

Filippo. Good evening.

Gero. Ah, Filippo! Sit down, do you have money?

Filippo (looks around the room). You are here singing and having fun.

Camille. What's happened? Bad news?

Filippo. No, no, everything is fine.

Gero. Obviously, he came face to face with Robespierre again and felt indigestion.

Filippo. Twenty heads fell again today.

Gero. Did the rain stop you from watching them fall?

Filippo. No, that's enough! you understand - that's enough!

Lucy. Who was executed today?

Camille. Hebertists. Hebertists. – The Ebertists represented the radical left wing in the National Convention, they advocated increasing terror against the aristocracy, clergy, and merchants; they demanded the requisition of bread, the replacement of Catholic worship with the cult of reason; were in sharp hostility to the Dantonists, accusing them of moderation. On March 4, 1794, Hébert spoke out against Robespierre. Jacques-René Hébert (1757–1794) - prosecutor and councilor of the Paris Commune, General Ronsin, commander of the revolutionary army, and eighteen other supporters were executed on March 24, 1794.

Filippo. They were sent to the guillotine only because they were atheists.

Gero. Wow!

Filippo. Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon are becoming too scrupulous.

Gero. They're just cleaning the kitchen. Too much rubbish has accumulated during the revolution. Robespierre with a kitchen knife, Saint-Just with a brush, Couton with a bucket of boiling water. France will soon shine like a copper pan.

Camille. Yes, yes, or like a guillotine ax.

Filippo. Today I realized that danger threatens us. It's much closer than we think.

Camille (slams his fist on the mantel). But how long can we wallow in blood? Robespierre plays bowls with severed heads. We need to implement a republic. A law on universal pardon is needed like air. Human rights are locked under Robespierre's key.

Gero. Eh, old man, everyone should live the way they want - that’s first of all. If power were on my side now, I would first of all make myself a bilbocque from the head of Robespierre. ...bilboke from the head of Robespierre.– A game played with a ball tied to a stick, which is tossed and caught on the tip of a stick or in a cup (a hint that the heads of guillotined people fell into baskets).

Camille. I protest. I demand beauty above all. State structure should be comfortable and beautiful clothes. Nothing should restrict freedom of movement. Every desire, movement of muscles, thrill of life must be immediately and freely realized. And they put on us a crazy shirt, crusted with blood. I protest! I want roses on our curls, foaming glasses, olympic games, bacchanalian joy. France is beautiful. I want to see her shining like an ancient deity. (Turns to the window.) Danton, you must raise a storm in the Convention.

Filippo. He is here?

Gero. Danton, try to put France on top of you again, take her somewhere away from the garbage pit.

Camille. You have to start fighting again. The people are on your side. If you hesitate, we are lost.

Danton (comes out from the depths of the window). What do I owe? Danton, you must. Danton, go roar to the Convention. Danton, support the cart of France with your shoulder. What else should I do? Roar like ten thousand lions? Ah, if I write a thousand more decrees, chop off another hundred thousand heads, the sun, when it needs it, will rise in the east and set in the west. (Sits down next to Louise.) Your lips are trembling. Yes, yes, my child. Although I gave you four chickens and a rooster, I am still Danton, the eater of human flesh, the monster with which children are frightened. And so they call me again: Danton, you have been dreaming too long on the breast of a little woman - go and shake France. (Stands up.) All these are just words - everything we chat about here, goggle our eyes and wave our arms. The revolution has its own laws. When necessary, she throws us onto the crest of the wave, and then again headfirst into the pool. (Leans over and kisses her.) In these little eyes the law is different.

Louise. Let's leave.

Danton(absently). Yes, yes, we'll go home.

Camille. Stopping halfway is cowardice.

Danton. Fight? I'm tired. I gave my word to this child to become a good bourgeois. I'm tired, do you understand this word? This is my crime. Robespierre is still fighting, still wallowing in mud and blood, because he believes in the power of ideas and words. But he doesn’t believe it either. He's lying.

Filippo (comes close to Danton, says so so that others don't hear). I came to warn you: they are looking for you. I saw three detectives - one standing on the corner, another in front of the windows, the third hanging on the bars. You need to run.

Danton(loud). I have to run? Where? Abroad? What? Do you think I can carry away my homeland on the soles of my shoes?

Louise. This is how he always responds when his friends warn him of danger. There was no need to come to Paris. (She covered her face with a scarf.)

Lucy. Is the danger really that great?

Filippo. Yes, it's great.

Gero. This is the third day my neck has been hurting from these conversations.

Camille. In Charenton, at a dinner with Panis, we arranged a meeting between him and Robespierre. They wanted to reconcile them.

Danton(laughs). I let him smell this palm: what does it smell like, Robespierre? What smells? Blood? But I just perfumed her with Louise's perfume. (Laughs.) His nose has become even longer. He sniffed, ha-ha, sniffed!

Camille. Robespierre said: “Those who try to disarm the republic in the midst of a struggle, and those who want to be lenient and merciful, cannot be considered good citizens. Only an iron dictatorship can save France."

Lucy. Is this true, Danton?

Danton. They won't dare touch me. My time has not yet come. Oh damn, my head hurts, I'm sick of politics. Is there really no place on earth where you could forget yourself for a minute?

Louise(jumps up). My God!

Everyone is listening. Filippo comes up and puts out the candelabra. One candle remains.

Danton. What is this? You hear?

Camille. Street fight.

Louise. Don't go.

Danton. Camille, do you remember those screams? These terrible screams, these animal screams, this blood, torches, piercing screams from the other side of the Seine? Have you forgotten them? forgot? (He quickly goes to the door, followed by Filippo.)

Louise. Are you going?

Danton. Stay here, wait, I'll come back.

A curtain

Scene two

The intersection of two Parisian narrow streets. Gloomy houses with protruding floors. The door of a dirty tavern. On the corner, on an iron bracket, is a lantern. There is commotion and shouting at the door of the tavern.

Simon. Witch, damned witch, witch!

Simon's wife. Help, help!

Simon. No, I won't let you out alive. Here you go, here you go!

Simon's wife in a torn dress jumps out into the street. Citizens poke their heads around corners and out of doors.

Simon's wife. Citizens, I was killed!

Simon. I have to bash her head in, she's a witch!

Simon's wife. You will pay for these words, you old drunkard!

Simon. Have you seen, heard? (Throws himself at his wife.)

Citizens, where is my daughter? Let her tell you, witch, where is my girl. No, she is no longer a girl. Do you hear, damned witch? Not a girl, not a lady, not a woman. Street slut my daughter!

Citizen in a red cap. Shut up, shut up, Simon.

Simon. I no longer have a daughter!.. (He falls onto the pavement with a scream.)

Simon's wife. Simon, Simon, what's wrong with you? He, citizens, is very good man until he gets drunk.

Citizen in a black cap. We need to take him home.

Citizen in a red cap. What happened to you, I ask?

Simon's wife. My daughter, you see, is a kind girl. She is sorry to see that her parents often have neither bread nor wine. She, you see, went outside.

Simon. Yeah, you admitted it!

Simon's wife. Oh, you beer barrel, Judas, you lousy camel! But if my daughter, the angel of meekness and innocence - I swear this, citizens - did not bring guests from the street, what would you drink, what would you eat, you dirty old stinker? No, think about it, his daughter works for him, and he...

Simon. Give me a knife, I'll kill this pimp!

Citizen in a red cap. The knife is not needed for your unfortunate wife, Simon, but for those who need a sharp knife who are debauched with your daughter and buy her body.

Citizen in a red cap. Woe to the idle, woe to the debauched, woe to the rich! We are hungry, we have no bread, no meat, no wine. When we stretch out our hands, groaning from hunger and thirst, these idlers, these libertines, these rich people who profited from the revolution, these scoundrels say: “Sell us your daughters.” That's who the knife is for.

Citizen in a black cap. They told us: “the nobles drink the blood of the people,” so we hanged the aristocrats. They told us: “The Girondins are making the people starve,” so we cut off the heads of the Girondins. But we are no less hungry, we have no firewood, no bread, no salt. Who takes advantage of our titanic labors, our inhuman torment? Down with those who profit from the revolution! Down with the rich! Death to everyone who is not dressed in rags!

Citizen in a black cap. Death to everyone who is richer than us!

Citizen in a red cap. Death to everyone who has clean underwear!

A crowd rolls out from around the corner and drags a young man towards the lantern.

Young man. Gentlemen!

Citizen in a red cap. There are no gentlemen here. There are sans-culottes here. On his lantern!

The crowd lowers the lantern, sings Carmagnola and dances.

The day will come, will come, will come,

Let's all dance carmagnola.

The day will come, will come, will come, -

Who is not with us -

Let him die.

Let's dance Carmagnola

We're all in a row

We're all in a row.

Let's dance Carmagnola -

Let the guns roar.

All forward, forward, forward,

To the lantern of everyone who is not with us.

All forward, forward, forward, -

Whoever is not with us, let him die.

Young man. Have mercy!

Citizen in a red cap. It is in vain that you beg us for mercy, citizen - we are merciful. You are killing us slowly - by starvation. We kill you in a few seconds on the lantern. I advise you to be polite, and before you stick out your tongue, thank the citizens for their generosity...

Young man. To hell with you! Hang me on a lantern if it makes you feel lighter.

Citizen in a red cap. Citizens, we have no right...

Robespierre enters.

Robespierre. What's going on here, citizens?.. I ask.

Citizen in a black cap. This is what is happening here, Citizen Robespierre: the September blood did not give us happiness, the guillotine works too slowly. We are hungry, give us some bread.

Citizen in a red cap. We demand that you give us bread, no matter the cost...

The young man, abandoned by the crowd, runs away.

Robespierre. In the name of the law!..

Citizen in a red cap. What law? The belly is my law.

Robespierre. The law is the sacred will of the people.

Robespierre knitter (a woman with disheveled hair, a wild, red face, – there is a torn shawl on his shoulders, a knitted stocking in his hands). Listen, listen to what Robespierre will tell you. Listen to the Incorruptible. Listen to the fair.

Robespierre's knitter. Listen, listen to the Messiah, listen, listen to the one called to rule the nations. In his hand is the sword of justice, in his hand are the scales of justice.

Robespierre. Good citizens. With your own hands you have torn out the weeds of evil from the soil of France. You repelled enemies on the borders and gave an example of greatness, which was not equal even in antiquity. Yesterday you were slaves, today you are a great people. But remember: it takes a lot of effort and courage to preserve your rights, the rights of a new person - freedom, equality and fraternity. The enemies are not all broken. Enemies are among you. The main enemy is anarchy and licentiousness. You shout: bread. There will be bread, we need to get it. Look at your hands, don't they smell like bread when you clench them into fists? Citizens, do not be like the Roman mob of the times of the emperors. She knew only how to demand bread and circuses, and the sword fell from her pampered hand when hordes of barbarians loomed over eternal Rome. No, I know that France knows how, when necessary, to grit its teeth and tighten its belly with a military scarf. There will be bread, justice and glory. People, your legislators are awake, their eyes in the darkness discern your enemies.

Robespierre, leaving, runs into Danton, who has been listening to his words with a grin all this time.

Robespierre. Oh, is that you, Danton?

Danton. Yes, it's me, Robespierre.

Robespierre. How long have you been in Paris?

Danton. This morning.

Robespierre. From Sevres?

Danton. Yes, from Sèvres. I came to listen to you talk to people. You've made great progress. I hope today's speech was without preparation? Or maybe you wrote it today before going out?

Robespierre. They say that you live happily in Sèvres with your wife; They say you have a rich house, many friends gather every evening, wine flows like a river, they play cards?

Danton. What is this - interrogation?

Robespierre. No, just a friendly warning. (Gone.)

Danton (laughed loudly). Roman! Incorruptible! Conscience of the people!

Simon (appearing at the door of the tavern). Who said: Roman? Oh, is that you, Danton? Good evening old man, haven't seen you for a long time.

Danton. How are you living, old grinder?

Simon. Badly. Drink. He just beat his wife. I swear by the knife of the guillotine, it was not I who beat her, my despair beat her. Boring, Danton. I started drinking a lot, I got bored. Even you, they say, become merciful. Beware. Do you remember how we cleansed the republic in September? You were up to your ears in blood, you were great. Those were fun days. Danton, I am proud: I myself devoured the heart of the libertine Lamballe with these roots of my teeth.

Danton. Dirty animal! (Pushes him and leaves.)

Simon. Beware, Danton, beware.

A curtain

Scene three

The interior of a Gothic church. In place of the altar there is a tribune. Under it there is a table, all around there are benches like an amphitheater. Several candles are lit in the chandelier. On the podium Legendre.

Lionets (shouting from his seat). The Lyons brothers sent me to find out why you are delaying executions?

Have you forgotten what Lyon is: a cesspool, a nest of counter-revolution. We need mass executions. Moreover, we demand to blow up the city walls, destroy palaces and silk factories to the ground. Know that if we do not find the necessary cruelty in you, we will cope with our own means.

Legendre(from Lyon). I repeat once again: there is no need to turn your attention to Lyon: here, in Paris, in the hearth of the revolution, people live quietly who find it possible to wear silk dresses, ride around in carriages, drink and debauchery, and they do all this, you hear, under the guise of a tricolor the banner of the republic... In theater boxes they overeat on chocolate and speak the language of aristocrats.

Legendre. Citizens, the counter-revolution is raising its head... I ask, what is the Committee of Public Safety thinking about?

Collot d'Herbois(from place). And I ask you, Legendre, do you know who sets an example for these dandies to openly debauch, who inspires these robbers of the revolution? Do you know this man's name?

Tense silence.

Robespierre. Please speak.

Legendre. A word from Citizen Robespierre.

Robespierre, his heels clearly clicking, runs up to the podium. He is short, wearing a powdered wig, and a neat brown frock coat; in hand is a manuscript rolled up.

Robespierre. We were only waiting for screams of indignation to begin to act, and now I no longer hear screams, but an alarm bell. Yes, our eyes were open while the enemy was arming himself, and we gave him the opportunity to take position. Now he's in full view of us. Each blow will pierce his heart.

Lacroix(Legendre). Who is he talking about?

Legendre. About the enemies of the republic.

Robespierre. Yesterday I told you that the internal enemies of the republic are twofold: one is atheists and anarchists. They have already been destroyed. Geber and the Gebertists disgraced the revolution with disgusting excesses. Geber and the Gebertists were executed yesterday.

Robespierre. I will not tire of repeating: the sacred task of the French people is to restore the highest justice, freedom, equality and fraternity in the world - to uproot, like tares, the disgusting vices in which humanity is immersed. This is the great goal of France. This is why the revolution was made, this is why the republican system was created. The Republic's weapon is fear. The power of a republic is a virtue. But virtue is impossible without severity. Ruthlessness towards manifestations of vice is the highest virtue. Terror is the purity of the republic. They call us bloodthirsty. A disgusting drawing of me with a cup into which I am squeezing the blood from a human heart is extremely popular abroad. In a vile hypocrisy, we are hated because we do not want to be enslaved. Every time we respond with terror to the machinations of the enemies of the republic, a cry of horror and indignation rises abroad. Terror is our strength, our purity, our justice, our mercy! To speak for the destruction of terror means to speak of the death of the republic and France.

Robespierre. And these new enemies of ours, gluttons with sensitive hearts, shout: “Down with the regime of executions, down with terror! Amnesty to all prisoners in prisons, to all those speculating on the people’s misfortune, to all aristocrats and royalists!” When we stand face to face before a Europe armed from head to toe, before the gangs of the Austrian emperor and the Prussian king, before the stranglers of freedom - the emigrants of Koblenz, ...stranglers of freedom - emigrants from Koblenz...– Aristocratic-monarchist emigration was concentrated in the German city of Koblenz. In 1792, she formed a counter-revolutionary army, which, together with Austro-Prussian troops, invaded France. In 1794, Republican troops occupied Koblenz and crushed the emigration. when England looms over us from the west, and the terrible ghost of the Russian Empress rises in the east - at this terrible time they want to knock our weapons out of our hands! Moreover, these gluttons, these debauchees infect the entire nation with vices, poisoning the sources of strength. This is, perhaps, the most treacherous and terrible attack on the freedom of the republic, a hellish plan: to disintegrate and weaken the nation. I don’t know enough yet - perhaps this plan arose unconsciously in the human brain... But it’s not a matter of intent - the danger still remains formidable. Vice is not only a moral, but also a political crime. And the more dangerous a vicious person is, the more significant were the services he once provided to the republic... (Pause, drinks water.)

Lacroix(Legendre). Do you understand now? This is monstrous!

Robespierre. You will understand me more easily if you imagine a man who just recently wore a knitted cap and torn boots, ate his breakfast hastily at the counter next to a soldier, an artisan and a sans-culotte - and now this man rides around in a glass carriage, plays cards with his exes. aristocrat, buys country villas, dresses in a silk caftan, arranges magnificent dinners, where wine flows like a river and the remains of bread and meat are thrown to the dogs.

There is a growl in the amphitheater.

Yes, this man lives like a prince of the blood. Enough, the portrait is ready. I ask: why haven’t these hands, robbing the people’s treasury, been cut off yet? Is this body not thrown into a pit of lime, infecting us all with the miasma of depravity? But rest assured, citizens, there is no mercy for those for whom the republic is only a means for speculation, and revolution is a craft. And you, brother from Lyons, return to your people and say: the sword of the law has not rusted in the hands of those to whom you entrusted it. We will show the world a great and terrible example of justice.

Stormy applause in the pews. Robespierre descends from the podium and leaves with a businesslike, petty gait.

Lacroix(Legendre). Now do you understand who Robespierre was talking about?

Legendre. Yes.

Lacroix. You are ruining the republic, you are ruining yourselves! You will see: soon the Committee of Public Safety itself will lay down its heads on Revolution Square! It is madness to throw such a terrible sacrifice at the people.

Legendre. Where is Danton now?

Lacroix. In Paris.

Legendre. Let's go, we need to see him at all costs.

A curtain

Scene four

Interior garden of the Palais Royal. Under the lowered awning of the café, Gero de Sechelles sits at a table. Men and women pass by.

Gero (to a passing girl). Listen, Ninon, I advise you to rip the hole in your skirt wider, then at least your entire thigh will be visible.

Ninon. Well, aren't you a fool?

Gero. Wow, what's that on your neck?

Ninon. Guillotine.

Gero. Have you become a Jacobin?

Ninon. On the third day our entire section went over to the Jacobins. Listen, Gero, I’m telling you as an honest woman, leave the Mountain, go over to the Jacobins. It would be a shame if they cut off your head.

Gero. Come closer, I'll kiss you.

Ninon (breaking away from him). I have no time to kiss you. (Runs away.)

Gero. Pull your skirt wider. (Laughs.)

Danton appears, holding Rosalia and Jeanne by the shoulders.

Danton. Gero, do you know who these girls are? These are the dryads from the Tuileries. I ran after them like a faun. Imagine what they were doing? Rosalia fed the sparrows and called them by name: Marat, Philemon, Voltaire, Brissot. Brissot de Varville Jean-Pierre(1754–1793) - one of the leaders of the Girondins, member of the Legislative Assembly and National Convention, writer. Executed October 31, 1793

Rosalia. You're lying, I didn't tell Brissot; in July I myself voted for the execution of the Girondins.

Danton. And Zhanna swung on a branch and screamed Carmagnola in a false voice at the top of her lungs.

Gero. Girls, I salute you. My old friend Danton and I decided this morning to put an end to politics. To hell with politics! We decided to get as close to nature as possible. We spent a long time thinking about how to do this. Finally, we were struck by a brilliant idea - to find two girls in the Tuileries. They should be stupid, frivolous and funny.

Rosalia. Well, yes, that's us.

Zhanna. Rosalia, what do they want to do with us?

Rosalia. I think they want to play animals with us.

Danton(laughs). We will play animals! Fabulous! We will play animals.

Zhanna. Are we going out of town?

Danton. Oh yes, we'll go somewhere. Although you can play with animals without leaving the city.

Gero(mysteriously). All four of us will walk around completely naked.

Zhanna(briskly). Ay, I swear to you, Rosalia will never agree to take off her dress during the day for a hundred sous.

Gero. I will never believe this.

Rosalia(To Zhanna). Why don’t I agree to take off my dress, my dear? Do I have crooked legs, or a saggy belly, or do my shoulder blades stick out like yours?

Zhanna. Please don't shout, all of Paris knows my shoulder blades.

Danton. Zhanna, you are a brave woman.

Zhanna(Rosalia). Instead of shouting about my shoulder blades, think about yourself. Last year there was a pretty girl, but now her face looks like a fig leaf.

Danton and Gero laugh.

Gero(Rosalia). Cover your innocence with it, child.

Rosalia. Just not a fig leaf.

Danton. Girls, don’t say another word, drink.

Gero. Now we will order rose wreaths.

Danton. No, orange flower wreaths. Let them be made of wax. (Takes Zhanna’s hand and strokes it.)

Zhanna. Wax wreaths are only for the dead.

Danton. That's it. Aren't we dead? Look at this delicate satin, these blue veins. Have you ever thought that these blue veins are roads for worms?

Zhanna (pulls his hand away). Leave me alone.

Danton. The four of us sitting here are long dead, Zhanna. Don't you know it? We only dream about life. Listen to the words, the sound of the voice, look at the sunlight. Do you hear a voice sounding from afar? Everything is a dream.

Gero. Therefore, long live wine and love!

Lakrua enters. He sits down at a table nearby, leans on his cane and looks at Danton with concern.

Danton. Wine and your hot skin, Zhanna, is a captivating deception.

Lacroix. Good afternoon, Danton.

Danton. Ah, good afternoon, good afternoon, Lacroix!

Lacroix. After what they say about you in the clubs, it wouldn’t be worth it to get drunk with girls in front of the whole of Paris. Right now, over there at the gate, two workers were pointing their fingers at you.

Zhanna. Maybe it's better for us to leave?

Rosalia. Tell me, we'll leave right away.

Danton. Sit and drink wine. Lacroix, you sat down and gloomily wrapped yourself in your toga. Well, throw me off the Tarpeian rock. ...leave me with Tarpeian rock.– In ancient Rome, criminals condemned to death were thrown from the Tarpeian Rock (a sheer cliff on the Capitoline Hill in Rome). Zhanna, if you want, we’ll die together, because this too will only be a dream: wine, kisses and death.

Zhanna. I'm going to cry…

Lacroix. Please, just for a moment.

Danton gets up and sits down next to him.

A message of utmost importance. I just came from the Jacobin Club. Legendre called for the beating of dandies and rich people. Collot d'Herbois demanded to name the names. The Lyons people read the monstrous proclamation, and blood clots fell from it. All this gave Robespierre an excellent reason to let the dogs loose.

Danton. On whom?

Lacroix. At you.

Danton. Wow, so he still dared?

Lacroix. They themselves are in a panic, trembling for their own skin. They need to splash such blood in the eyes of the people that all of France will tremble, otherwise the Committee of Public Safety will end up on the street lamp. They need to cut off a very heavy head.

Danton. They won't dare.

Lacroix (throwing up his hands). Are you sleeping, are you sick? They will all laugh. They are carried by the stream of revolution, they destroy everything that gets in their way. Haven't you understood by now that only those who are ahead of it, who anticipate its plans, its desires, master the revolution? Robespierre mastered the revolution because he was ahead of it. He flies forward like the head of a monstrous stream. But you, Danton, stopped among the waves and hope that they will break on your step. You will be crushed, and knocked over, and trampled on without regret. The people will hand you over as an apostate. You are a dead relic.

Danton. The people are like a child. To find out what is hidden inside the thing, he breaks it. To crown a genius, he must first torture him. Old truth. Would you like some wine?

Lacroix. Robespierre based his accusation on the fact that you, having betrayed the republic and the people, threw yourself into speculation and debauchery. During the famine in Paris you gave feasts.

Danton. There is some truth in every accusation. In general, Lacroix, you speak today like Socrates. You almost forced me to be serious. Zhanna, come here, leave Gero. (Puts Zhanna on her knees.) You have no true philosophical thought, girl. You like a beautiful profile, a languid look, thin hands: all this makes it even more painful, girl. The more beautiful the one you love, the more you will suffer. Listen, I will teach you how to love. Love the setting sun - it is terrible, huge, fills half the sky with blood, and the miracles of sunset begin in the sky. Love the sun at the moment of death. Love a mortally wounded lion - before his death he screams so that far, far away ostriches hide their heads in the sand and crocodiles begin to have nervous hiccups from Gero. Bravo, that's very nicely said.

Danton. What? Yes, I believe that something could have been learned in four years of revolution.

Camille and Lucy enter. Camille approaches Danton and puts his hand on his shoulder.

Camille. I just spoke with Robespierre. Danton gets up and goes with Camille to Lucy, kisses her hands.

Danton. Beautiful Lucy, the pride of Paris. Decoration of the Republic.

Lucy. I'm worried to death, Danton.

Camille. Robespierre told me that in order to preserve the republic he would sacrifice everything. Myself, my brothers, my friends.

Lucy. He spoke coldly, through clenched teeth, and was terribly pale.

Camille. Danton, you must go to him.

Danton. I should go to Robespierre. For what?

Lucy. You must drop the charge. You don't have the right to risk yourself, you don't have the right to risk my husband's head.

Camille. Lucy!

Lucy. I speak as a woman; perhaps this is criminal. My husband is dearer to me than the world, dearer to the republic.

Camille. Lucy, what are you talking about!

Lucy. Danton, Danton, save him! (Kneels in front of him.)

Danton. My dear Lucy, I will do everything to keep your eyes from filling with tears.

Lucy. Thank you, thank you.

Camille. So you decided to see him?

Danton. I promised your wife. (Returns to the tables.)

Camille and Lucy leave.

Lacroix. Have you decided to go to him?

Danton. Yes.

Lacroix. You've gone crazy: should you go to Robespierre, admit your powerlessness, ask for mercy? You are signing your own death warrant.

Danton. Yes, it seems. I will strangle this man if he becomes too disgusting to me. Where's my glass?

Rosalia. What's wrong with you, are your hands completely cold?

Zhanna. Oh, I'm starting to understand something.

Danton. Exactly a quarter of a minute before death you will understand everything. Now there is no need to work, drink. Damn, how much time we wasted on stupid conversations. Politics never leads to anything good. (Looks at his watch.) I'll be back in an hour. Girls, wait for me.

Lacroix (following Danton). May I accompany you?

Danton. You want to record in your memoirs the day and hour, the location of the stars, the sun and the moon, when a historical event took place: the great Danton took his leg with both hands and raised it to the step of the house where Robespierre lived. (Laughs.)

A curtain

Scene five

Robespierre's room. Simple, austere environment, very clean. Shelves with books and manuscripts. Portraits and busts of Robespierre are everywhere. Robespierre at the desk. Danton stands in front of him with his hands folded on his chest.

Robespierre. The enemies of the republic have not yet been exterminated; new ones appear to take the place of those executed. The time for calm has not yet come.

Danton. Self-deception, bloody mirage are enemies! Destroy the entire population of France, and the last person will seem to you the most terrible enemy. The guillotine works - the enemies multiply. This is the devil's circle. Terror must end.

Robespierre. Not only to stop, but for one day we cannot weaken the terror. The revolution is not over.

Danton. Lie! When the Girondins and the federates fell, When the Girondins and the federates fell...– The popular uprising of May 31 – June 2, 1793 deprived the Girondins and Federalists (not the federates) of power. The Girondins sought to transform France into a federation of departments. The opponents of the Jacobins were generally called Federalists. There are no more enemies left in France. The revolution is over.

Robespierre. When we cut off the heads of the Girondins and the federates, only then did the revolution begin.

Danton. Power struggle.

Robespierre (shrugs shoulders). You were the last romantic, the hero of the Parisian mob, storming the palaces of kings. You were blinded by the red lights of the folk carnival. Yes, you love revolution, rebellion, intoxication, blood, torches, the clang of sabers...

Danton lets out a growl. He unclenches his hands, but clenches them again on his chest.

And now the bloody carnival is over, you are fed up and tired, and you don’t see that in the country that experienced the holiday of the revolution, sober and harsh everyday life has begun. The beginning of a long and merciless struggle for real equality, freedom and fraternity.

Danton. The people need peace. France groans from your theoretical formulas. You are a scholastic. France wants to live.

Robespierre. The people need to overcome the enormous mass of thousands of years of injustice. As long as at least one head rises, the people will not stop fighting for sacred equality. Only through social equality, the abolition of classes, estates, equal distribution of labor, and the abolition of wealth will we achieve happiness - that is, brotherhood, and spiritual enlightenment - that is, freedom. France will become the second Sparta, France will become the second Sparta.– In revolutionary France, a fascination with ancient Greek and Roman history was strongly felt. The ancient Greek state of Sparta was famous for its strict morals and fairness of laws. but Sparta without slaves. The golden age of justice and supreme virtue will come.

Danton. Do you hope to live until that time?

Robespierre. No, I will not see the golden age of justice.

Danton. But do you believe in him?

Robespierre. Yes, I believe.

Danton(laughed) You still believe that from this room you are pulling the strings of the puppets of the revolution, moving thousand-year-old layers, directing human waves, building a temple to the golden age. You have comprehended historical laws, derived formulas, calculated deadlines. Mathematics, logic, philosophy! How arrogant a man is! When you walk down the street in a clean frock coat, a strict teacher of the revolution, the inhabitants point their fingers at you: “Here is the great Robespierre, deputy from Arras, here is the Incorruptible, he will cut off the heads of all the bakers and give us bread for free.” But - beware! The moment you make a mistake in the formula, in just one number, and it turns out that there is no need to hang the bakers, the crowd will tear you to pieces and spit in your guts. Make no mistake, Robespierre!

Robespierre. You give yourself away: you are angry. That's right - people like you, greedy for pleasure, love the revolution like a mistress, and when they are fed up, they kick it away. People like you hate logic and moral purity in the revolution. Yes, maybe I will make a mistake and die, but I will fight for justice to the end, I will not stop believing in the higher mind of the revolution. You and I are people of different eras. You were needed in the beginning. Mirabeau set fire, Danton fanned the flames of the revolution. Mirabeau set fire, Danton fanned the flames of the resolution.– Count Mirabeau Honore-Gabriel-Roquetta (1749–1791) was elected as a deputy to the Estates General and the National Assembly from the third estate of Provence, was the leader of the liberal big bourgeoisie, and advocated the creation of a constitutional monarchy. At the beginning of the revolution he was the most popular person, but after his death his connection with the royal court was discovered and it was established that he received large sums of money from the royalists. After Mirabeau's death, Danton became the main denouncer of the monarchy. At that time, heroes, madmen and romantics were needed. But now the heroes are the people, the nation, humanity. A person who asserts himself is criminal. I repeat, in the name of great equality, you must forget yourself, Danton. Give away your wealth, suppress your vices and sensuality, stop being Danton. I'm talking to you frankly. Your merits are great. There was a time when you, like Atlas, put France on your shoulders and carried it out of the abyss. I watched you, I feared a lot - my fears were justified. You are lying now, gorged on blood and meat, your genius, your strength have gone into the pleasure of digestion, your spirit has gone out. You have established yourself. Soon, soon your body will begin to emit a disgusting stench. Danton, there are times when self-assertion is high treason.

Danton. Or are you crazy, or are you drunk? How do you talk to me? Well, do you think I came to you to ask for mercy?

Robespierre. Yes, Danton, you came to ask for mercy.

Danton. I will trample you and the entire Committee like a rotten radish! The whole of France is behind me.

Robespierre. You're wrong. Behind your back…

Danton. What?

Robespierre. There is an executioner behind you.

Danton(laughed). Executioner! Are you sure? Yes, you are a brave man, Robespierre. Listen. Have you ever thought about the word: life? You see, I want to live. Don't bother me, don't make me get my hands dirty again. I don't want more blood, I'm sick of killing. You want me not to meddle in your theories, you alone want to be a dictator. Damn you! But leave the revolution alone, don’t dig your spurs deeper, you’ve already pierced its belly.

Robespierre. So, our conversation is over. (Gets up and opens the door.) Ask.

Danton (approaches Robespierre, takes him by the lapels of his coat). Have you ever thought that it would be much easier to turn the wheel of history?

Robespierre(Cold). You won't do that.

Danton. Don't I dare?

Robespierre. Yes, you wouldn't dare.

Saint-Just enters.

Saint-Just. You are not alone?

Danton releases Robespierre.

Robespierre. Saint-Just, don't go.

Danton. We will meet at the Convention. (Leaves.)

Robespierre(Saint-Just). You came on time, I was suffocating, this dirty animal was breathing lust and rottenness on me. Saint-Just, what if they say that he cast too much shadow over me? Giant, great Danton! But do you believe me? You understand - I have to be relentless.

Saint-Just(Cold). I believe you, Robespierre.

Robespierre. Listen, it seems to me: so much blood, so much blood should pour out of his severed neck! Is this why I came to power? I wake up at dawn and listen to the birds chirping, I begin to think about those incredibly happy people who will only have a sheaf and a sickle in their hands. I see shady groves, cheerful children, beautiful women, husbands walking behind the plow. And no one remembers that these luxurious meadows were once filled with blood. In the name of this world, Saint-Just, I sacrifice myself. I look up from my visions, reach out my hand, feel for a piece of paper, a list of those who are to be executed today. I can't stop, I have to move forward. Every morning the soil of France is stained with the blood of my heart.

Saint-Just. You might not have to justify yourself to me.

Robespierre. But even in the Saint-Antoine quarter, workers grumble when they see carts loaded with convicts. Anticipation and horror gripped the entire city. Many report on themselves. We cut off the heads of the monster, and hundreds of new ones grow in place of the severed heads. The counter-revolution swept across France like a plague. Look into anyone's eyes - there are sparks of madness in everyone, everyone. The day of celebration is separated from us by corpses, corpses, corpses.

Saint-Just. You are sick, you need rest.

Robespierre. No, delay, stopping is the death of everything.

But I can't make up my mind.

Saint-Just(sharp). Danton must be executed.

Robespierre. Saint-Just, this needs to be discussed calmly. After all, it contains five years of our revolution. I know he is monstrous, but he contains all the flames of a fire, all the sacred delirium of the revolution. We are executing our youth, we are breaking with the past. This needs to be carefully considered. Saint-Just, he will not give in without a fight.

Saint-Just (hands him a piece of paper). Read it.

Robespierre. What is this?

Saint-Just. Proscription list. Proscription list.– Proscriptions – lists of persons declared outlaws.

Robespierre(is reading). Danton.

Saint-Just. The head of the conspiracy.

Robespierre. Gero de Sechelles.

Saint-Just. Libertine, cynic. Shame of the revolution.

Robespierre. Lacroix, Filippo.

Saint-Just. Embezzlers and embezzlers.

Robespierre. Camille, but he's not dangerous at all.

Saint-Just. He's talkative.

Robespierre. Camillus, Camillus, most beautiful of the sons of the revolution.

Saint-Just. I consider him the most dangerous of all. He is stupid, talented, sentimental, in love with the revolution as with a woman. He dresses up the revolution, puts pink wreaths on it. An amateur and a slacker, he discredits the authorities more than all of them together.

Robespierre. It will be like this. Where is the indictment?

Saint-Just (hands over the manuscript). Draft.

Robespierre. Okay, I'll take a look. Go. Leave me alone.

Saint-Just leaves.

Fourteen people. The laws of history are inexorable. I am just an instrument of her harsh will. Terrible, terrible - fourteen people. Camille, Danton, Camille, Camille... (Turns to the door, looks, slowly gets up. There is horror on his face.) Go away, go away, leave me. I have to, you understand, I have to. (He grabs the proscription list, crumples it, swings it, with groans and sits down at the table.) I must…

A curtain

Scene six

Boulevard. Simon is sitting on a bench with a newspaper. Off to the side, a merchant sells beans on a cart.

Trader(shouting). Ariko ver! Ariko, ariko-ko! Green beans! Beans, bo-both... (French: Haricots verts! Haricots, haricots-cots...)

Woman in a shawl. How much for a livre?

Trader. Think for yourself. I sold it for eight hundred francs, but I need to buy my daughter cashmere for a skirt, stockings, and wine. So I squandered all the money... But I still need butter and salt. And we haven’t seen any bread for the second week. Every day it gets harder to live, that's what I tell you.

Woman in a shawl. My girl hasn’t eaten since yesterday - maybe you’ll give in a little?

Trader. I'm telling you, I can't. Come in, citizen...

Painted woman. Everyone, everyone will soon die of hunger, damn me.

Lame woman. This is your freedom - to die of hunger.

Painted woman. And they also prohibit us from practicing our craft. Let them cut off my head, and I will bring men to me. I want to eat. We will all die.

Lame woman. Soon, soon it will be their turn, you will see.

Trader (grabs the lame woman by the skirt). Wait a minute, citizen, your face looks familiar to me.

Lame woman. Let me go, don't you dare grab me!

Trader. She! – I know her, she’s an aristocrat. Hold it, citizens!

Simon(fits). Crawling, crows! What's happened?

Trader. Call the police commissioner. I'm a good Republican. I demand that she be arrested. This is the former Marquise de Chevreuse. My relative was spotted in her stable until his death.

Lame. You're lying, lying, lying!

Simon. Wow, that's it - a conspiracy!

Painted woman. You're all lying. I won't let you touch the lame one. She's a rag picker. Then take me along with her.

Simon. Who are you?

Painted woman. I am a prostitute.

Simon. Oh, damn you, there's a whole bunch of you here! (Waves to two police soldiers who appear.) Citizens, take them all to the commissar.

Noise, crush. The women are taken away. Several women ran out of the crowd and knocked over a cart of beans.

(To the citizen in the wig.) You see why a good Republican should spend all day and night outside. Counter-revolutionary conspiracies break out every minute. Have you read today's maternity leave?

Citizen in a wig. Which?

Simon (unfolds the newspaper). Poverty is declared sacred. Holy poverty! What times, eh? Philosophical times! Noble times!

Citizen with a book (to a citizen in a wig). Pierre, let's go.

Citizen in a wig. Where?

Citizen with a book. To the Convention. They told me: Danton will perform today. His head hangs by a thread.

Citizen in a wig. What kind of book is this?

Citizen with a book. Anacreon. With notes in the margins. (Looks around, whispering.) With the king's own handwritten notes.

A citizen in a wig takes a book from him. Bursting with tears, he opens it and kisses it.

Citizen with a book. You are crazy!

They are going away.

Simon. Hey, there’s something wrong here too. (He follows them suspiciously.)

A woman in a shawl appears at the overturned cart. She is collecting beans. Danton looks at her as he comes out from behind the trees.

Woman in a shawl(scared). Here, I think, there is no more than two livres?

Danton. Yes, I think, in no case more than two livres.

Woman in a shawl. I will put money on her cart, but I will put less than what she asked for two livres. I don't have any more money. My girl is hungry. If only you knew how hard life is.

Danton. Our time is poorly suited for life. You're right.

Woman in a shawl. I'm not complaining. Do I have the right to complain?

Danton. You are very beautiful. You know that?

Woman in a shawl. Why, I’ve become so ugly, I don’t recognize myself. My daughter is the only one who finds me beautiful. Thank you. Goodbye.

Danton. Wait. (Removes from finger and gives her the ring.) Take it.

Woman in a shawl. But this is a very valuable thing. I can not take.

Danton. I ask you to take this ring as a souvenir from me. Are you a widow?

Woman in a shawl. Yes, my husband was killed.

Danton. At war?

Woman in a shawl. No. He was killed in vain. My husband was a poet. He was supposed to become a great poet. At night I pulled his body out of a whole mountain of chopped up corpses, and he could be the pride of France.

Danton. Was this in September?

Woman in a shawl. My husband was killed in the September massacre. Killers will be damned, I know. The blood will choke them. I saw that at night they stuck torches in the ground, sat on the corpses and drank vodka, poured gunpowder into it. They had black, terrible faces, this cannot be forgotten.

Danton. Did they have black faces?

Woman in a shawl. They will all be damned. Damn their leader, the monster!

Danton. Who, who?

Woman in a shawl. Oh, you know his name. He, like Satan, spread his wings over Paris in those days.

Danton. Are you sure that Danton carried out the September massacre?

Woman in a shawl (stops, looks at him wildly, With recoils with a muffled cry). Danton!

She disappears behind the trees, he goes after her. Camille and Lucy appear.

Lucy. He's with some woman again.

Camille. All these days he has a terrible attraction to women. He sits them on his knees, examines their hands, neck, face, eyes, as if he is warmed by their warmth. Look how hard he walks. The way his shoulders are bent. There is some kind of terrible numbness in him.

Lucy. I love you more than ever, Camille. I love you to tears, to despair. I'm scared, I'm scared.

Camille. Love, love me, my Lucy. We will never be separated - neither here nor there. (He kisses her.)

Lucy. My sun, my life!

Lakrua enters.

Lacroix. Where is Danton? The meeting has begun. It's over, damn it. I warned you, he was slow, he was a drunkard, he was a glutton! Everything is over. An order has been given to arrest Danton, me, you, everyone... Fourteen people are to be arrested tonight. Go and tell him stories. I'm going home, I don't care - death is death!

Lucy falls unconscious.

A curtain

Scene seven

Right there. Evening. The boulevard is illuminated by the light of a lantern. The sunset is visible through the trees. Danton is sitting on the bench. Louise appears between the trees.

Louise. It's me, don't be afraid. (Sits down next to him.) They will never dare to lay a hand on you.

Danton. I'm not afraid, I'm sitting calm.

Louise. Now I was at Lucy's. The poor thing is crying, Camille begs to go to Robespierre. After all, they are school friends. Robespierre baptized their little one. God, I think this is all a dream.

Danton. Yes, this is all a dream.

Louise. In my presence, some stranger came to them and said that they were looking for you everywhere, all over Paris. Let's leave.

Danton. I don't want to hide. I shouldn’t run abroad. Louise, the sun was going down now, and my shadow stretched to the end of the boulevard. I looked at this reddish shadow for a long time. This is the true size of my body. Where should I hide? When a person grows to this size, he must stand still. You say it's a dream. How strange, I became completely numb - this happens in a dream, I seem to have grown into roots all over. When I walk, I have trouble lifting my soles off the ground. I want only one thing: to lie down on the ground and fall asleep. Yes, Lyulya, you cannot turn away the guillotine knife: if it is destined to fall, it will fall on my neck.

Louise. May the most pure Mother of God protect you! Pray, pray with me. Your mind went dark.

Danton. When I was little, my mother and I would kneel before the bed and pray for our family, for the harvest, for the lame beggar, for the king. What should I pray for now? I will go into the darkness, into the eternal rear. And there I don’t want to remember anything or regret anything. This is the sweetness of death: to forget everything.

Louise. Do you love me at least a little? Why are you pushing my hand away? I don't want to be separated.

Danton. Memories weigh on me. There are more and more of them every day. At first they walked alone, now they wander through my brain in whole crowds. I hear their terrible steps, Louise. These are nomadic hordes of memories. Before you arrived, I sat and listened - the streets became quiet, the lights came on. It became so quiet that I could hear my heart beating. Little by little, the blood in my veins roared louder and more solemnly. Its noise was like the dull murmur of a crowd. In its mysterious noise I discerned frantic screams, screams, and the clanging of steel. I could hear the voices howling in my blood: September, September! Why is he stretching out his bloody hands to me?

Louise. Have you forgotten - the republic was on the verge of destruction.

Danton. Yes, yes, I saved the republic.

Louise. Enemies flooded the borders and moved towards Paris.

Danton. Yes, yes, the Duke of Brunswick and the Prussian king were moving towards Paris. ...the Duke of Brunswick and the Prussian king were moving towards Paris.– The Duchy of Brunswick joined the Austro-Prussian coalition. The intervention began in 1792. In September she posed a real threat to the republic. It was then that Danton gave the order to exterminate supporters of the monarchy in prisons, fearing the strengthening of internal counter-revolution.

Louise. Paris was filled with conspirators and traitors. No one could keep the people from the bloody massacre. In September, you alone took upon your conscience the salvation of France.

Danton. Five thousand innocent old people, women, and children were slaughtered in prisons. Who invented that to save humanity it is necessary to fill it with his own blood? I no longer believe in myself, nor in you, neither in day nor in night, neither in truth nor in lies! Louise, save me.

Louise. Mother of God, have mercy on us!

Danton. It's behind me. Let's go home, Louise. I don't want to be caught like a street thief.

Danton and Louise leave. Simon appears, soldiers with torches, and several citizens.

Simon. I swear by the guillotine - he is here somewhere! I saw his wife run here. Hey Danton! Dead or alive, we will capture him. If he escapes to England, the republic is ruined. Hey Danton!

A curtain

Scene eight

Revolutionary Tribunal. The benches fill with the public. In the foreground, Fouquier Tenville is leafing through papers, next to him is Herman.

Fouquier. Are you afraid of Danton?

Hermann. He will defend himself. The rest are easy to deal with.

Fouquier. And Camille Desmoulins?

Hermann. This one isn't scary.

Fouquier. He has merit in the past. Still, he was the first to start the revolution.

Hermann. He will finish it. The snake will bite its own tail.

Fouquier (puts papers in a folder). So far, Robespierre has won the Convention. His speech made a very strong impression. Very.

Hermann. What was he talking about?

Fouquier. Robespierre spoke about the purity of principles, the greatness of the spirit and the sacrifices that the revolution requires. When he reached the victims, a breath of horror flew through the benches. The deputies listened in stupor, each expecting his name to be spoken. When it became clear that Robespierre was only demanding the extradition of Danton and the Dantonists, the Convention breathed a sigh of relief and servile vile applause began. This was the moment of the greatest meanness in history. Then Saint-Just entered the podium and with icy calm proved, purely philosophically, that humanity, in its movement towards happiness, always steps over corpses. This is as natural as a natural phenomenon. Saint-Just calmed the conscience of the Convention, and Danton was handed over to us with his head. That's how it was, but still this is only the doormat of victory. Danton can scare the jury to death and win over the streets of Paris to his side. Well, what if the jury acquits him?

Hermann. This cannot be allowed.

Fouquier. Are you confident in the jury?

Hermann. I had to circumvent the law. I did not choose the jury by lot, but selected the most reliable ones.

Fouquier. Will they be reliable?

Hermann. One is deaf and fierce as the devil. Two are alcoholics - they will doze throughout the hearing and open their mouths only to say “guilty.” Another failed artist, hungry, embittered, he has a principle: from the revolutionary tribunal there is only one road - to the guillotine. The rest are also reliable.

Fouquier. But people, people! Look what's happening under the windows.

They come to the window. Fouquier sniffs tobacco.

Listen, Herman, what if, say, there was a small conspiracy in prison?

Hermann. Conspiracy in prison?

Fouquier. Yes. Suppose the prisoners bribe the guards.

Hermann. So.

Fouquier. They are distributing money to the people in order to cause outrage in the city over the trial.

Hermann. So-so.

Fouquier. This would greatly support our accusation.

Hermann. Yes, you are right.

The attendant enters.

Fouquier. Is the jury seated? Servant. The jury is all assembled, people are banging on the doors.

Fouquier. Let's begin.

Hermann(to the minister). Bring in the judges, open the doors.

The benches quickly fill with people. The jury appears. The members of the tribunal take their places.

Citizen in a red cap. Long live the republic, long live the revolutionary tribunal!

Citizen in a black cap. Citizens, members of the revolutionary tribunal, we demand that the accused be sentenced to death.

- Death sentence to the one who shouted that!

- Hush hush!

- Who said?

- Who is speaking?

- There is a conspiracy here!

- Death to the conspirators!

Citizen in a red cap. Close all doors, search everyone!

Excitement, noise in the public.

Hermann (rings the bell). Enter the defendants.

Citizen in a black cap. Danton, here you go, get it from an honest citizen! (Spits at him from above.)

Danton (turning to the audience). Watch and enjoy. A rare sight in the dock.

Citizen in a red cap. You robbed the people's money, take the trouble to give an account of it.

- Thief, libertine!

- Murderer, butcher!

- Now choke on your own blood!

– We haven’t forgotten September. We haven't forgotten September!

Hermann(calls). I ask for silence. The meeting is open. (Addresses Gero.) Defendant, what is your name?

Gero. Gero de Sechelles.

Hermann. Age?

Gero. Thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. History will find out for sure after my death.

Hermann. Occupation?

Gero. Deputy, member of the Convention. Collector of ladies' gloves. (Sits down, audience laughs.)

Hermann(Camilla). Defendant, what is your name?

Camille(with anger). You know him, scoundrel!

Fouquier. The defendant is personally known to me; his name is Camille Desmoulins.

Camille. My name, Fouquier Tenville, must be too familiar to you. I put you in this chair as a public accuser.

Hermann. Your age?

Camille. I am exactly the same age as the famous sans-culotte, Jesus Christ, on the day of his death.

- Well answered!

- Hey, Herman, ask him something else!

Hermann. Occupation?

Camille(screams furiously). Revolutionary, patriot, tribune of the people!

- Bravo, Camille Desmoulins!

“He’s right, he’s our tribune.”

- He is a good patriot.

Hermann (calls Danton). Defendant, what is your name?

Danton. My name is well known to everyone present here.

- Danton, Danton!

Hermann. Age?

Danton. I am thirty five years old.

Hermann. Occupation?

Danton. Minister of Justice of the French Republic, member of the Convention, member of the Committee of Public Safety.

Hermann. Your place of residence?

Danton. My home will soon be nothing, my name will live in the pantheon of history.

- Bravo, Danton!

- Bravo, Danton, be brave!

- Danton, shake the lion's mane!

- Danton, growl!

The chairman is calling.

Camille. Herman, ask again how many teeth Danton has in his mouth.

There is laughter in the audience.

Danton (hits the balustrade with the manuscript). Here is the indictment. Some scoundrel was diligently working to denigrate and slander my name. The insult was not caused to me, but to the revolution. All of France has been slapped in the face by this pile of trashy paper.

Hermann. I call you to order. Danton, you are accused of having relations with the court of Louis Capet: ...with a yard Louis Capet...– After the execution of Louis XVI, his son Louis XVII was under the supervision of the Jacobins until 1795. It is not clear here whether we are talking about him or Louis XVIII, the organizer of the French counter-revolutionary emigration. In Buchner's play, Louis XVII is mentioned at this point. None of these kings belongs to the Capetian dynasty, however, the Republicans called this line of French kings the Capets. you received money from the personal sums of the executed king, you are accused of complicity with the late Mirabeau in order to restore the monarchy, you are accused of friendship with General Dumouriez, ...in friendship with General Dumouriez...– Dumouriez Charles-François (1739–1823) – was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Girondin government; Having become commander of the revolutionary army, he defeated the interventionist troops in 1792, but was defeated by them in March 1793. At the same time he tried to oppose the power of the National Convention, but, not receiving sufficient support in the army, he fled to the Austrians. you secretly communicated with the general, with the goal of stirring up the army against the Convention and turning it towards Paris. Your task was to restore the constitutional monarchy and enthrone the Duke of Orleans.

Danton. All this is a disgusting lie!

Hermann. So, we will begin reading the indictment.

Danton. The indictment is a lie from beginning to end! I demand the floor.

Hermann(calls). You will be given the word in due time.

- Let him speak!

“We demand that he speak!”

- To hell with formalities!

- Down with the chairman!

Danton. Let the scoundrel who slandered me come forward openly. Let him appear in court with his visor raised. I'm not afraid of slander. I'm not afraid of death. People like me are born once a century, with the stamp of genius shining on their brow. So where are my slanderers? Where are these secret accusers, striking on the sly? I do not see them. (To the audience.) Perhaps you accuse me of treason against the republic?

Here is the indictment. I am accused of subservience to the court of Louis Capet, I am accused of secret relations with the traitor Dumouriez. Oh, Saint-Just, you will answer me for this base slander.

Applause.

You are making an attempt on my life. My instinct tells me to defend myself. I will smash each point in the indictment like a clay chimera. I will bury you under any of my merits. You forgot them. I remind you. When Lafayette was gunning you down on the Champs de Mars, When Lafayette shot you from cannons on the Champ de Mars...– Lafayette Marie-Joseph (1757–1834) – organizer and head of the National Guard, was a supporter of the moderate liberal bourgeoisie, constitutional monarchy; On July 17, 1791, he led the execution of a demonstration on the Champ de Mars, organized by Danton and demanding the deposition of the king. I declared war on the monarchy. On the tenth of August I broke it. On January twenty-first I killed her. On the tenth of August I broke it. On January twenty-first I killed her.– On August 10, 1792, a popular uprising began, as a result of which the monarchy was overthrown; on January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was executed. I threw the bloody head of the king at the feet of the monarchs of Europe like a glove.

Stormy applause from the audience.

Hermann(calls). Can't you hear the bell?

Danton. The voice of a person defending life and honor must be drowned out by the ringing of the bell. Yes, in September I raised the last waves of popular anger. The people roared so fiercely that the Duke of Brunswick in horror withdrew his hand, already outstretched towards Paris. Europe trembled. I forged weapons for the people from the gold of aristocrats. I sent two thousand revolutionary battalions to the eastern border. Who dares to throw a stone at me?!

There is applause, shouts, flowers are thrown at Danton.

- Long live Danton!

- Long live the people's tribune!

– We demand release!

– Release, release Danton!

- Down with the revolutionary tribunal!

- To hell with the judges!

Hermann(calls). I announce a break for ten minutes.

Danton. People, you yourself will judge me. I give my life to your judgment and justice.

Applause, shouts.

A curtain

Scene nine

The area in front of the revolutionary tribunal building. Third day of the process. Lunch break, through the windows you can see the guards cleaning the courtroom.

Simon (appears on the landing. Out the window - watchman). Hello! Pashen.

Watchman (looking out the window). What do you want?

Simon. I had a nice lunch here, around the corner in a coffee shop.

Watchman Well, cook for your health if you had a hearty lunch.

Simon. That's not the point, Paschen. Let me in, old man, to the tribunal. I want to take a closer seat in advance.

Watchman. But things are bad. The judges are completely chickened out, Danton does what he wants with them.

Simon. Danton growls so that he can be heard on the other side of the Seine. All the people are for Danton. The Commune is also for Danton. Here's what it's like.

Watchman. It turns out that it is not Danton who is being tried, but Danton who is being tried by the revolutionary tribunal.

Simon. I’ll tell you in all honesty, Paschen, I myself don’t understand anything anymore: who should I stand for, Danton or Robespierre? Danton is a friend of the people, and Robespierre is a friend of the people. I really like both of them. But for some reason, one of them still needs to cut off his head. Understand me, Paschen, I drank three whole aperitifs before dinner and fell into terrible melancholy, I can’t decide which of them should be beheaded. My patriotism is confused.

Watchman. Well, go ahead, I'll let you through.

Simon goes into the entrance, and then you can see through the window how he goes to the public seats. Collot and Fouquier appear on the court.

Collo. Danton's victory will be the defeat of the revolution. Danton is a stop. This is a revolution gone into digestion. He must be removed from the road at any cost, even with a blow of a dagger.

Fouquier(sniffs tobacco). The accused demand that deputies of the Convention and members of the Committee of Public Safety be summoned to court.

Collo. But then we died, this cannot be allowed!

Fouquier. It's their right. The law is powerless to refuse.

Collo. Bring more prosecution witnesses.

Fouquier. All the witnesses have already been questioned.

Collo. Find new ones. Pay them money. We are risking our heads now. Pay them a thousand francs for every word.

Fouquier. Danton constantly addresses the people.

The excitement in the hall and in court is beyond description. The judges sit with their noses hanging down like wet crows. Danton, Camille and Lacroix swear so much that the women squeal with pleasure.

(Hands out the snuff box.) Ask. It was a big mistake to start this process.

Collo. I told Robespierre that he needed to wait. The yeast of anarchy is still fermenting among the people. In Paris, the taste for revolutions and rebellions has not yet dulled. The idea of ​​iron state power is not yet based on the masses.

Fouquier. What did Robespierre answer to this?

Collo. Robespierre, as always in such cases, buttoned his coat tightly, and his nose became white as bone.

Fouquier. Maybe he's right.

Saint-Just enters.

Saint-Just. I was looking for you, Fouquier: I just received a denunciation from Luxembourg. A conspiracy is uncovered in prison. The wives of Danton and Desmoulins organized the distribution of money to the people. The guards have been bribed. The destruction of the prisons is being prepared; they say that the Convention building will be blown up.

Collo. We are saved!

Fouquier. Are there any witnesses?

Saint-Just. Eighteen people were arrested. For now, keep quiet about everything. I will go to the Convention and force it to quickly issue a decree so that the process can continue behind closed doors.

Fouquier(slamming the snuff box). Yes, it's a death sentence.

A curtain

Scene ten

There in an hour. There is a crowd of people around the bars. Through the windows the judges, the accused, and part of the public are visible in the tribunal hall.

Danton (visible at full height in the window). You must know the truth. France is facing dictatorship. A gang of ambitious and scoundrels seeks to throw an iron rein on the republic. Mortal danger threatens all liberties, human rights and the gains of the revolution. I accuse Robespierre, Saint-Just, Couthon and Collot d'Herbois of striving for dictatorship. I accuse them of high treason. They want to drown the republic in blood, disperse the Convention and establish the Directory. ...dissolve the Convention and establish a Directory.– Danton accuses Robespierre’s supporters of actually committing a counter-revolution after the coup of July 27, 1794, which marked the beginning of the Thermidorian Convention, which switched to the Directory regime (November 4, 1795 - November 10, 1799), that is, to a government consisting of five members (directors) who expressed the interests of the big bourgeoisie. People, you demand bread, but the heads of your tribunes are thrown at you. You are thirsty, and you are forced to lick blood on the steps of the guillotine.

- Down with dictators!

- Down, down, down with dictators!

- Long live Danton!

- Danton and bread!

- Danton and bread!

- Danton and bread!

The crowd is pressing, several soldiers with guns are trying to push it back.

Danton(shouts to the judges). Scoundrels! Can you hear the people screaming! Hold your heads tight.

Camille(shouts to the judges). We require a separate commission.

Hermann (ringing the bell, grabbing his disheveled wig). I call you to order. Have respect for the court.

Lacroix. This is not a court, but a gang of bribed swindlers. Shut up, scoundrel.

Camille. Herman, straighten your wig, it will fall into the inkwell.

Gero. Citizen Chairman, in the name of Themis, stop calling, my ears will burst.

Danton. I order you to stop this vile comedy.

Camille. We demand that the meeting be interrupted until the commission convenes.

Lacroix. Abort the meeting! To hell!

There is noise, the judges are confused, the accused stand up. The crowd is rushing to the windows.

Danton. People, they are trying to deceive you... We have uncovered a monstrous conspiracy.

- Free Danton!

- Down with traitors. Hit the windows!

At this time, Collo squeezes through the crowd of the tribunal.

Collo. The road, the road, the road. Decree of the Convention, decree of the Convention! (Enters the courtroom.)

- This is Collot d'Herbois!

- Bloodsucker!

“He said it was a decree of the Convention.”

- Some kind of meanness again.

- A new conspiracy against the people.

- One gang. Hooligans! Bloodsuckers!

- And we are sitting without bread.

- Bread, bread, bread!

- Free Danton!

Fouquier (to whom Collo handed the paper). Decree of the Convention.

Instant silence.

The convention decided. Due to the fact that a rebellion was discovered among prisoners in the Luxembourg prison, due to the fact that citizens Lucie Desmoulins and Louise Danton distributed banknotes to the people in order to raise an uprising against the government, due to the fact that General Dillon, having bribed the guards, attempted to escape from prison and become a prisoner. the head of the rebels, due to the fact that the accused in the present trial took part in these criminal plans and repeatedly insulted the court, the revolutionary tribunal is ordered to continue the trial without interruption and is charged with the right to deprive the accused of speech if the accused does not show due respect in the face of the law.

Danton. I protest. They cover my mouth so they can cut my throat more efficiently. This is not a trial, this is murder!

Camille(to the judges). Scoundrels, butchers.

Hermann. I'm leaving you speechless.

Camille. So choke on my word. (Throws the crumpled manuscript into Herman’s face.)

Hermann. I announce the highest measure of restraint: I ask the public to clear the hall.

- We protest!

- We won’t leave!

– We demand the cancellation of the decree!

- Shame, shame, shame!

Soldiers clear areas for the public.

- Citizens, what is this?

- What kind of trial is this, this is murder!

- Kill us, shoot at us!

- Die anyway!

- Free Danton!

Danton (rushes to the window, stretches out his hands to the crowd). Citizens, brothers, protect us, they are killing us!

Hermann. Close the windows, draw the curtains.

The attendant pulls Danton away, closes the windows, and lowers the curtains.

There is confusion and fighting in the crowd. Desperate screams. The people who were in the hall pour out of the door.

Citizen in a red cap (climbing onto the lantern). Citizens, listen, citizens, be quiet! Do you want to know why there is no bread in Paris?

-What is he talking about?

- He says why there is no bread in Paris.

- Quiet, he's talking about bread.

Citizen in a red cap. I ask why are you starving? But only because this traitor Danton secretly sold bread to the British.

Citizen in black cap (climbing onto another lantern). Citizens, I have reliable information that Danton is a traitor.

Citizen in a red cap. Citizens, lice are eating you. Your clothes, like those of the dead, have decayed. Do you know how Danton lives?

Citizen in a black cap. Danton bought a palace in Sevres. Danton wears silk underwear.

Citizen in a red cap. Danton Eats pheasants and bathes in Burgundy. Danton feeds the hunting dogs white bread.

Citizen in a black cap. Danton used to be as poor as the rest of us. Danton went to Belgium and received five million francs in gold from the Duke of Orleans.

Citizen in a red cap. The government handed over the diamonds of the damned Austrian woman to Danton, as Minister of Justice, for safekeeping. I ask: where are these treasures?

Citizen in a black cap. The Austrian diamonds were exported to Spain, the gold was sold to the British. Danton is rich. Danton is up to his neck in gold.

Citizen in a red cap. Do you know, citizens, how Robespierre, a true friend of the people, lives? For five years he did not sew himself a new frock coat. He has two shirts - all in patches. I myself saw how one citizen gave him a handkerchief. Robespierre indignantly threw the handkerchief into the stupid woman's face. He said: “I do not want to indulge in excess while the French people have no bread to satisfy their hunger.” And Danton wanted to denigrate such a person and throw him under the guillotine.

Citizen in a black cap. Long live Robespierre! Vote:

- Long live Robespierre!

- Long live the Incorruptible!

– Long live the friend of the people!

Citizen in a red cap. Death to Danton!

- Down with Danton!

- Death, death to Danton!

A curtain

Scene eleven

Prison, vaulted room. There's a window in the back. Danton, Camille, Lacroix, Filippo and Hero lie on the beds. In the middle is a table with leftover food. A watchman enters with a lantern.

Watchman. Some people eat and drink a lot before death, while others eat and drink nothing, and others eat and drink without any pleasure; they remember that in the morning their head will be lying in a basket - and they feel sick, and digestion stops in their stomach. (Looks at the bottles and plates.) They ate everything and drank all the wine. No, damn children, leave them to the watchman. Does it really matter whether your head is cut off on an empty stomach, or whether you fill your belly with pork? (She shines a flashlight on the beds and counts with her finger.) One two three four five.

Gero (raises his head). Who is this?

Watchman. Maybe they also hid a bottle somewhere?

Gero. It's you, Diogenes. Search, my dear, search.

Watchman. Where did they hide it?

Gero. Far hidden and deep, and tomorrow they will hide forever.

Watchman. What are you talking about?

Gero. About man, Diogenes, about man.

Watchman. It's a dog's throat, and I'm talking about a bottle.

Gero. We drank all the wine to the last drop and leave the feast with such a light head, as if it were not on our shoulders.

Watchman. Well, okay, sleep, you damn children.

A clock is ringing in the distance.

Three o'clock, they'll come for you soon. (He leaves, locking the door behind him.)

Lacroix. I'm all eaten up.

Gero. You did not sleep?

Lacroix. There are an extraordinary number of insects here. Unbearable!

Gero. From tomorrow we will be eaten by insects of a different breed.

Lacroix. Worms? Yes.

The moon appears in the window, the prison is illuminated by its light.

Gero. We boarded the mysterious ship. The sails are already out. We'll fly on these blue waves. The native land will be covered with fog and will be gone forever. This is inevitable and very sad, but what can you do? We are all just visiting our beautiful planet for a short time.

Lacroix. I'm not afraid of death, but of pain. They say that this hundredth of a second, when the guillotine knife cuts the neck, is frantically painful and long, like an eternity. What happiness it would be to get poison.

Filippo. Be quiet, I want to sleep.

Gero. When I was little, I often had a dream: I was sailing in a fantasy ship under the moonlight.

Filippo. If only it were possible to get rid of insects!

Lacroix. It's horrible!

Filippo. The Republic is just a butcher shop! We are being eliminated - excellent! But who will remain? A people without leaders, a country without a head - just one belly. For God's sake, at least a hint of common sense in our execution. Aimlessness is painful. The only thing is that Robespierre will last an extra two or three months, but he will also fall under the knife. The whole flower of the country, the whole genius of the people has been cut off. Triumph, shopkeepers!.. Triumph, tradesmen!..

Lacroix. Shut up, don't you care now - it's late, late.

Gero. One thing is good. There we will be silent. This reconciles me with death. Quiet and decent. Lacroix, don't take the blanket off me. It's blowing terribly from somewhere. I wouldn't want my nose to be swollen by morning. Camille gets off the bed and goes to the window and writes a letter on the windowsill.

Filippo. For five years we have been flying along a glass plane into the abyss. Not a moment's pause. What a nonentity, what a self-important nonentity man!

Lacroix. The executioners are approaching, rushing at you like an animal... “Justice is done!” It's horrible.

Danton. They dare to cut off my head! Incredible! (Gets up from the bed and walks from corner to corner.) Lacroix, can you understand this with all the power of your mind?

Lacroix. I'm sick. I ate too much, the food is lumpy in my stomach.

Gero. Jugglers, circus acrobats, and jockeys never eat much before a performance. A tight stomach pulls you toward the ground and makes it difficult to do clean somersaults.

Filippo. Somersault! First you need to learn to walk on the ground, and France immediately began death leaps.

Danton. I will stop being! Tomorrow there will be no Danton in France! But none of them understands how to run a country. What rejoicing will arise in England: the French have gone mad! (He takes hold of the door lattice and shakes it.) The French have gone crazy! Hey French! The revolution has gone crazy!

Gero (jumps up from the bed). Danton, wait. Who's talking behind the wall? What?

Filippo. This cannot be! Andre Chenier thrown in jail?

Danton. Robespierre long ago included it in the proscription list. He was arrested last week, at night, near the Boulainvilliers hotel. They would have arrested Voltaire and Rousseau. Executing ordinary people is old and boring. Throw them into a lime pit, even in dozens, but to raise the head of a national genius above the scaffold - oh, not every nation can afford such a luxury. Tomorrow, tomorrow is a fun day for Parisians. Think about the exchange of impressions over a glass of aperitif. Did you see how Danton ascended the scaffold? Magnificent figure! How he threw back his mane and looked around the square, winced in disgust and lay down, and - gristle! the ball bounced off his shoulders.

Gero. Women in particular will be pleased. Tomorrow night they will see you in their dreams. Tomorrow night, a hundred thousand young Parisians will cheat on their husbands with your shadow. One hundred thousand mistresses in one night—not bad, Danton! (Snaps fingers.)

Lacroix. Hush... Wait...

The clock is striking.

Filippo. Half past three.

Danton. I step out of the cart onto the scaffold. There are two pillars in front, between them there is a board with a round hole, into this hole I must stick my head. For thirty-five years I lived, loved, enjoyed, shocked the world. I rose higher than everyone else - only to stick my head into this hole, no wider than my neck, with my last effort. The gateway from life to oblivion! It was worth starting a revolution. It was worth creating man, it was worth creating this stupid earth!

Gero. I did the math. My body will still turn out to be a handful of black soil, and an artichoke will grow on it.

Camille(near the window). Lucille, Lucille, my dear Lucille. (Bows his head on the letter and cries.)

Gero. Well, it came to tears. (Pulls out a book from under the pillow, opens it and dives into reading.)

Danton(quiet). Scoundrels, scoundrels!

Lacroix. If you knew what was there, beyond death?

Filippo. Bad dream, delirium, madness!

Danton. What is there beyond death? Spit. In any case, I made good use of life. Made a lot of noise on earth, drank a lot of wine. Yes, maybe it's wise that I leave on time. (Approaches Camille.) Dont cry. Are you writing to Lucy? And these days I never thought about my wife. Poor thing, she's pregnant. Don't cry, read it to me.

Camille(is reading). “A beneficial sleep reduced my torment. The sky took pity on me. I saw you in my dreams, Lucy. I kissed your hands, your lips, your tear-stained face. I woke up groaning, and here I am again in prison. The cold moon shines through the window. God, it's so cold there! How cold! Lucille, Lucille, where are you? (Breaked tears.)

Danton. Oh well.

Camille. “I beg you, if you see me being taken away tomorrow, be silent, don’t break my heart, don’t scream, grit your teeth. You must live for our child. Tell him about me. Say that I wanted great happiness. I wanted a republic that the whole world would adore. I'm dying, Lucy. I believe there is a God. For my love, for my suffering, God will forgive me. I believe I will see you there, Lucy. Farewell, my life, my joy, my god. Goodbye Lucille, my Lucille, my dear Lucille. I feel the shore of life running away, but my bound arms still hug you, and my head, separated from my body, does not take my dull eyes off you, Lucy.”

Danton. Don't we have any wine left?

There is a strong knock on the door.

Lacroix. Who's there? Executioner?

Danton. They came for us, we'll say goodbye. Farewell Camille, be courageous.

Gero (slamming the book). It's time to go.

The door opens, a jailer with a lantern, soldiers and an executioner enter.

A curtain

Scene twelve

Rainy morning. Part of the area. Crowds of curious people. Lucy stands against the wall, covering her head with a black shawl. At her feet is Louise, hiding her head in her lap. In the depths is a guillotine scaffold. Simon appears.

Simon. They're driving, they're driving.

Citizens, justice is being done. The enemies of the revolution will lay down their heads. Remember this minute. The eyes of the whole world are directed there at this moment. (Points to the scaffold.) Over there on those two pillars with the shiny blade. You know what those two pillars and the blade mean. This is the stern angel of history, this is the avenger of the times, the genius of humanity. This machine emerged from oblivion to, like a fiery angel, lead the French people to immortal glory. Its appearance is simple and scary: two pillars and a blade. Take a good look at it, take a good look at it. She's beautiful. Dazzling rays come from it. You will go blind if you look at it for too long. Milk and honey flow from her platform. Its base is made of baked bread. She stands on gold, on piles of gold. She shines like the sun.

The rumble of wheels is approaching.

Zhanna. They're bringing it, they're bringing it!

Rosalia. I'm afraid we'll leave.

Zhanna. Be quiet. Look - here they are.

A cart containing convicts appears. Everyone's hands are tied behind their backs. The cart, through the silently parting crowd, approaches the scaffold. Soldiers with bayonets stand around him. Lucy silently extends her hands to the cart.

Goodbye Danton!

Rosalia cries loudly. Danton is the first to emerge from the cart onto the scaffold and pushes the executioner away.

Danton. French, I leave you my glory. And you, executioner, show my head to the people, it’s worth it.

Yu.Yu. Danilkova

POETICS OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN G. BUCHNER’S DRAMA “THE DEATH OF DANTON”

The article is devoted to the study of the role of allusions, reminiscences and quotations dating back to ancient culture and the Gospel, and related to the themes of sacrifice and suicide. The general context of the heroes’ attitude to antiquity is also considered. The article shows how, thanks to the “alien word”, a system of leitmotifs is set in the drama, containing different connotations - from parody to tragic.

Key words: allusion, reminiscence, quotation, antiquity, Gospel.

Before moving on to the main issue of the article, the analysis of the role of the “alien” word in G. Buchner’s drama, let us turn to the biographical and historical context necessary for understanding the meaning of the drama.

“The Death of Danton” (1835) - the only one of the three dramatic works of G. Buchner - was published with a number of censorship edits and cuts during the author’s lifetime (1835)1. More than sixty years passed between its writing and its first production in 1902. The lack of demand for drama on stage was largely explained, on the one hand, by the fact that for a long time G. Buchner was perceived as a person of too strong radical convictions, and on the other hand, by its special genre of “drama for reading.”

A primary role in the perception of Georg Büchner’s legacy was played by his biography. Georg Büchner was the older brother of Ludwig Büchner, the author of the treatise “Force and Matter” (1855), which was reprinted many times in pre-revolutionary Russia. One of the remarkable episodes in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Demons" is associated with the personality of Buchner Jr. The sixth chapter tells about the strange actions of one second lieutenant, one of whom was imprisoned.

© Danilkova Yu.Yu., 2015

began as follows: “For example, he threw two of the master’s images out of his apartment and chopped one of them with an ax; in his own room he laid out the works of Vocht, Moleschott and Büchner on stands in the form of three layers and lit wax church candles in front of each layer.”2 The described episode reflects the fact of the great popularity of L. Buchner’s works in Russia.

Radicalism of the 30s. XIX century Georg Büchner is also influenced. It was then that he headed the “Society of Human Rights” and wrote several political pamphlets. He had to hide and even secretly leave for Strasbourg (1835), and then to Zurich. Revolutionary activities At that stage, the study of medicine, to which Georg Büchner always felt a calling, eclipses the study.

But it was in 1835, shortly before leaving for Strasbourg, that an unmotivated, as it seems to us now, transition to literary creativity took place.

The action of the drama “The Death of Danton” dates back to the time of the Great French Revolution. G. Büchner describes the events that occurred between March 24 and April 5, 1794, when, in the wake of revolutionary terror, first the Hebertists were executed, then the Dantonists.

The article is devoted to considering the range of allusions, quotes and reminiscences in G. Buchner’s drama “The Death of Danton” and identifying their meaning. Among many of these, we will be especially interested in cases where the heroes use a “foreign” word, mostly appealing to ancient culture and associated with such themes as sacrifice and suicide.

G. Buchner made an attempt to reconstruct the discourse at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. The author was faced with the task of restoration, according to A.V. Mikhailov, the “mythological system” itself, which underlies the speech culture of the ready-made word, as it was, including the turn of the 18th-19th centuries.3

The ancient tradition with its heroic past was the main point of reference in the question of self-determination for French republicans. Ancient images and motifs became part of their worldview, the basis for rhetorical mastery. The drama mentions such combinations as “Socrates’ cup”, “Brutus’s dagger”, “Cato’s sword”, and the characters in the drama are compared to heroes who committed heroic suicide. The ability to commit suicide is understood as one of the traits of an extraordinary personality. At the same time, quotes and allusions in drama are a kind of “texts within a text.” Analyzing the role of the “alien” word, we will follow the concept of Yu.M. Lotman, who understood this

construction (“text within a text”) as a “specific rhetorical construction”4.

So, ancient heroics became for revolutionaries, on the one hand, an ideal model; examples from ancient times served the purpose of justifying their actions and for persuasion. On the other hand, as can be seen from the first act of the drama, to answer the simple question “who are we?” It is clearly not enough for Dantonists to resort to images of antiquity. Its perception in the time of Buchner largely followed the views of I.I. Winckelmann, who saw in antiquity the ideal embodiment of the aesthetics of beauty. But for Danton, as well as for his circle, antiquity represents an unattainable ideal, and the bloody reality of France at that time is shown in contrast to this era: “The incomparable Epicurus and the divine buttocks of Venus will become the pillars of our republic, and not saints Marat and Chalier,” says Camille5 . Thus, the heroic antiquity of Brutus and Cato is contrasted with another antiquity, revealed in female image- the image of the goddess Venus. Antiquity for Danton and his supporters is beautiful, it is not associated with aggression and violence, but it is also recognized as an ideal unattainable in France.

At the very beginning of the drama, a contrast is set between “real” antiquity and the pathetic imitation of it by French contemporaries: “These were the real republicans! How can we relate to them with our guillotine romance!”6.

The events of modern times, when the beautiful turns out to be mutilated and desecrated, are perceived in Buchner’s drama as an attempt at a pathetic imitation of antiquity. The image of Venus, mentioned at the very beginning of the drama, appears further in the text. It is said about Danton: “He is probably collecting pieces of the Venus de Medicea from the grisettes of the Palais Royal... Insidious nature dismembered beauty, like Medea’s brother, and allocated only a pitiful particle to each body”7. This ironic statement by Lacroix about Danton sheds light on the latter’s hidden aspirations: his desire to stop the course of the revolution, to escape from it, and most importantly, his craving for beauty.

The idea of ​​unattainable beauty, of destroyed beauty, is also present in the description of one of the grisettes: “And Mademoiselle Rosalie looks like a restored torso, in which only the legs and hips are antique”8. Modernity turns out to be completely devoid of beauty and harmony.

In drama, such a figure as comparison is often used. At the same time, from the world of ancient imagery, they are in demand

mythological, often zoomorphic characters who bring the horror of destruction - Medusa, Gorgon, Minotaur, Saturn. “...the people are like the Minotaur. If they don’t give him fresh corpses every week, he will devour them themselves,” this is what they say about the revolutionaries9. “Revolution, like Saturn, devours its own children”10. Ancient mythology is intended to illustrate the ideas of revenge and violence, but that heroic and beautiful world of antiquity, which became an ideal, is lost forever in the understanding of Danton and his supporters.

Thus, antiquity creates a certain matrix, a pattern of behavior, despite the fact that many heroes are convinced of the complete discrepancy between reality and the past. Showing the discrepancy between reality and the ideal was also part of Buchner’s plan: this is evidenced by the abundance of crowd scenes in which the author uses “low” vocabulary.

Another attempt to relate revolutionary modernity to the historical or cultural past lies in the field of Christianity. This is what Camille says about Robespierre: “This bloody messiah Robespierre<...>arranges Golgotha ​​not for himself, but for others.”11 This statement could be interpreted as follows: Robespierre is not a Christian, he is an “anti-Christian,” a Christian “on the contrary.” Buchner often interprets a mythological example with a negative sign. Danton himself will later be compared to the horny Siegfried, but a caveat is made that Danton became invulnerable by washing himself not in the blood of a dragon, but of innocent victims.

As it turns out, any attempt to identify oneself with the heroes of ancient or Christian traditions inevitably fails. Modernity does not provide a clear reflection in the mirror of history; analogies are lame. To the question “who are we?” It is extremely difficult to answer. The question “who are we?” for Robespierre it is translated into an existential plane about the existence and essence of man: “What is it in us that commits adultery, steals and lies?”12.

One of the ways to appeal to antiquity in drama is the “theatrical” behavior of its heroes, because, according to Yu.M. Lotman, “the people of the Revolution behave in life as on stage”13.

Thus, Robespierre is likened to Brutus, he “scowled like Brutus sacrificing his sons”14. The characters themselves are aware of the theatricality of what is happening, as they say about Danton: “He makes a face as if he is about to turn to stone so that his descendants will unearth him like an antique statue. You can, of course, put on an important air, put on rouge and speak in a well-trained voice. But if we decided to take off our masks at least once, we would be like in a room with

mirrors, we saw everywhere only countless, indestructible, immortal sheep - no more, no less.”15

Sometimes the ideal itself is ridiculed. According to Hérault, when feeling pain, the Romans and Stoics “made heroic faces”16. And in the original text such combinations as “...machten die heroische Fratze”, “Er suchte eine Miene zu machen, wie Brutus, der seine Söhne opfert”, “Er zieht ein Gesicht, als solle es versteinern” are constantly repeated in the original text17.

Theatricality is also a specific feature of the drama itself, when “the text acquires the features of increased conventionality, its playful character is emphasized: ironic, parody, theatrical meaning, and so on”18. Much has been written about Buchner’s “theater within a theater” technique, which traces back to Shakespeare’s19. It was noted that the image of the prompter Simon goes back to the image of the jester in carnival culture, but one cannot agree with the statement that the prompter is a parody of Robespierre20.

Let us move on to consider the main themes and motifs introduced by quotes and allusions. We will be interested in the very situation of “play in the text” (Yu.M. Lotman’s term), “switching from one system of semiotic awareness of the text to another”21.

We have mentioned several main themes set by quotes related to the theme of death and introduced with the help of an “alien” word - these are the themes of sacrifice and suicide in the name of the Revolution. The theme of sacrifice appears at the very beginning of the drama and is also presented through the prism of antiquity, but the intermediary text plays a significant role here. This is how Shakespeare’s tragedy “Julius Caesar” becomes for Buchner.

It is appropriate to make a small digression here. Buchner was a big fan of Shakespeare. In a letter dated February 21, 1835 to his publisher Gutzkow from Darmstadt, Buchner writes: “... I am consoled by the thought that all poets, with the exception of Shakespeare, bow their heads before history and nature, like shamed students”22. A little later, in a letter to his family, justifying his heroes “of flesh and blood,” Buchner again expressed his respect for the English playwright: “...in a word, I am for Goethe and Shakespeare, but not for Schiller”23. The passion for the work of Lenz, a famous figure in Sturm and Drang and an admirer of Shakespeare, who became the hero of Buchner’s fragment of the same name, also influenced.

Shakespeare's tragedy "Julius Caesar" was first translated into German in 1741 by von Bork, and later by Wieland and Schlegel. Buchner might have known all these translations, but it is very difficult to say which one he used. G. Buchner knew very well

French language, as evidenced by his translations from V. Hugo (“Lucretia Borgia”, “Mary Tudor”), but the degree of proficiency in it English language nothing is known.

An allusion to the text of “Julius Caesar” by A.V. Karelsky considers the remark about Danton by Saint-Just, a supporter of Robespierre: “We must bury the precious corpse with honors - like priests, not like murderers”24. In relation to the murder of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s heroes also have a similar maxim: “We will slaughter him as a sacrifice for the gods, but we will not chop him up as food for dogs” (“Julius Caesar” act 2, scene 1). The key word here is “priests” (“sacrificers”, “wie Priester, nicht wie Mörder”), in whose role the killers see themselves; in two texts there is the idea of ​​a victim, which gives meaning to murder.

This is where the similarity between the situations ends. Any comparison of Danton with Julius Caesar inevitably fails. Before his execution, Buchner's Danton feels tired of life; his private space is more important to him. As a historical figure, Danton is shown in the stage of descent, while Julius Caesar in the tragedy, on the contrary, appears as a strong politician.

The drama describes Danton’s “departure” from the revolution, which at that time was tantamount to leaving life. As you know, Danton was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal and executed for his moderate, insufficiently radical political position.

As A.V. writes Karelsky, “...the primary and initial impulse and through current of Buchner’s drama comes from one trait of its main character - a trait noted by all historians of that time. According to their testimony, Danton at this last stage of his life, on the eve of the guillotine, was overcome by a strange feeling of apathy, indifference not only to the fate of the revolution, but also to his own.”25

The motive of sacrifice, introduced by this allusion, is even more actualized towards the end of the drama. The rhetorical pathos of Saint-Just’s maxim about “priests” and sacrifice is ironically reduced by the remark of Camille, a supporter of Danton, before his execution: “Gentlemen, I want to serve myself according to all the rules of taste. This is a classic meal; everyone reclines on his bed and lets out a little blood as a sacrifice to the gods.”26 The idea of ​​death as sacrifice is reduced through a material and crude metaphor.

An unexpected interpretation of this motif arises due to the introduction of biblical quotations into the drama.

Thus, in the last scenes of the drama before his death, the revolutionary Camille curses the female onlookers who had gathered to watch the execution: “Damn you, witches! You will still pray "Fall"

mountains are upon us!” To which the women respond: “But the mountain fell on you! Or you fell from it.”27.

The significance of such a play of meanings is analyzed in detail by Ziss in his work28. On the one hand, the quoted quotation in the mouth of Camillus is nothing more than the words of Christ (Gospel of Luke 23:30), led to execution. To the women accompanying his mournful procession, Christ predicts the onset of future terrible times (Gospel of Luke 23:27). On the other hand, the concept of “mountain” is associated with the political situation; the Mountain is the wing of the Convention that represented the Jacobins. According to the mocking women, Camille’s prediction has already come true, “the mountain has fallen” on the revolutionaries themselves29. In addition, in the words of women, J. Ziss also sees an erotic connotation, explicated somewhat earlier by Camillus himself (“Venshe^”) and set in the drama (the likening of the Tarpeian Rock to the Mount of Venus). The last interpretation emphasizes the motive of lust; Mount Venus, which “fell” on Danton and his associates, becomes in the eyes of the common people a punishment for fornication30.

The episode with the execution of the Dantonists, creating allusions to the episode of the execution of Christ, repeats in a reduced form the symbolic details of the Gospel. If Christ is accompanied on his sorrowful journey by crying women, then here we see women mocking those being executed, considering the punishment to be fair. The idea of ​​“heroic” death, death as a sacrifice, appears here in the form of travesty.

This is not the end of Buchner's appeal to gospel motifs related to the theme of sacrificial death. A notable figure appearing in the first act is a certain Simon, a half-drunk theater prompter, his speech consisting of fragments of shouted quotes. In addition to the carnival background, we note that the name Simon itself is significant for the gospel story; this was the name of the man who carried the cross behind Jesus (Gospel of Luke 23:26). But we are again faced with a situation close to a parody31. Simon considers himself and those around him to be “Romans,” which creates a comic effect. “Will you forgive me, O Portia?” - Simon shouts, addressing his own wife. This is an allusion to the tragedy “Julius Caesar” (act 4, scene 3), these words are spoken by Brutus, who learned about the death of his wife. Portia is the wife of Brutus, the daughter of Cato Uticus, who committed suicide after the death of her husband. References to antiquity again appear in the drama. The mention of Portia is very important, not only because Buchner deliberately creates references to Shakespeare’s text: the mention of Portia continues a number of ancient heroes who committed suicide.

Why does Buchner, describing last days people who have neglected human and divine laws, who do not have the very idea for which they can die and who generally do not see meaning in their lives, turn to biblical quotations and allusions? Perhaps he seeks to separate sacred history from profane history, emphasizing the insignificance of the latter? Why does the image of Portia appear in the mouth of a drunken prompter with a gospel name?

Here we need to turn to the ending of the drama. The fact is that the condemned before death are met not only by mocking women. At the end of the drama, the image of Lucille, the wife of one of the convicts, Camille, is especially vivid. She also accompanies the mournful procession.

The image of Portia in the drama “The Death of Danton” is correlated with the image of Lucille, who voluntarily leaves this life, following her husband, and her act can be understood as suicide because of love. Thus, Shakespeare's tragedy and the text of the Gospel reorient Buchner's text: if during the drama ancient heroes who committed suicide are mentioned, then at the end Lucille commits it. This act is nothing more than death because of love, which is not committed by revolutionaries, but it is committed for the sake of one of them. The final scenes of the drama associated with Lucille are devoid of any parody: these scenes complete the drama in lyrical and tragic tones, unusual for drama.

Lucille performs her act freely and voluntarily, and it can be interpreted as suicide, while the theme of powerlessness and absolute lack of freedom of a person before history and revolution sounded like a refrain in the monologues and dialogues of the characters.

This most important theme, the theme of unfreedom, is connected for Buchner’s heroes with another circle of allusions and quotes - from the Gospel and the tragedy “Hamlet”.

Much has been written about how G. Buchner reconsidered the idea of ​​romantic anthropocentrism32. At the heart of the universe, and therefore history, according to G. Buchner, is not a person, but a set of cause-and-effect relationships that determine the course of history. The role of the individual in history turns out to be practically leveled. There is a kind of “wheel of history”: those at the top can find themselves at the bottom at any moment.

Shakespeare's metaphor of a person - a musical instrument in the wrong hands, a human flute - is also organically connected with the image of a puppet. Danton says at the beginning of the drama: “To be a miserable instrument with one string, which always makes only one sound, is this life?”33. At the end, this image expresses Danton’s sense of self: “We are just pathetic organ grinders, and our bodies are

tools"34. If the first paraphrase from Shakespeare is a rhetorical question, then the second is a statement.

It is interesting that here, too, the appeals that arise to someone else’s text are intended to illustrate an idea opposite to that stated in the original. After all, Hamlet just proves that he is not an instrument that can be played.

Danton is confident that a person does not have free will, all actions are subordinated to the need to protect himself. In order to explain the need to kill for the sake of self-defense, Danton quotes from the Gospel: “For temptations must come; but woe to the man through whom temptation comes!” (Gospel of Matthew 28:7)35. Robespierre and Danton are precisely those people through whom “temptation comes.” The idea of ​​unfreedom is metaphorically present in the drama and thanks to the motif of all-consuming physicality. As for the Greeks and Romans, the world for revolutionaries is nothing more than a “sensual cosmos”36, but for the latter it is absolutely disharmonious, since in this world there is nothing but physicality.

The oppressive materiality of the world is perceived by the heroes as a prison from which it is impossible to escape during life. “The Creator was not too lazy to fill everything in, he didn’t leave an empty space anywhere, there was a crush everywhere,” says Danton37. The description of the vision that Camille visited before his execution is noteworthy: “And suddenly the ceiling disappeared, and a month fell into the room, very low, and I grabbed it with my hand. Then the firmament with all the luminaries sank, I felt it everywhere, felt the stars and, like a drowning man, floundered under the icy edge.”38

It is noteworthy: in this passage, the celestial sphere, traditionally understood as ether, as a step into a world not subject to our direct sensations, turns out for Camille also to be something material, something that can be grasped, touched (“betasten”). It is no coincidence that the word “Decke” is repeated three times in one phrase (meaning “cover” - “Decke”, “Himmelsdecke”, “Eisdecke”). In the original, the descending month is called “completely dense” (“ganz dicht”). The image of a hard covering, a “lid,” refers to Danton’s words about people buried alive. Upper world impossible to discern due to the almost impenetrable physicality of the earthly world.

Of course, references to antiquity are also nothing more than decoration for the ideas of French sensationalism and emerging atheism. Nevertheless, matter, physicality for the heroes is absolute evil. Danton himself dreams of joining the world of the incorporeal, ethereal: “And yet I would like to die differently, easily and

silently, like a falling star<...>like a sunbeam drowning in a transparent stream”39.

In the last act, the sky seems to be “opening” slightly for the heroes: “Rejoice, Camillus, such a beautiful night awaits us. The clouds hang in the quiet evening sky, like a burnt-out Olympus with fading, melting gods,” says Ero40. Here we see a completely different picture, “fading, melting,” that is, the dying gods dissolve and, as it were, “give way” to open space.

Be that as it may, “The Death of Danton” is a tragedy of an unawakened spirit, the impossibility of independence and self-knowledge; if in the understanding of the heroes there is a higher world, beyond the limits of the visible world, then its inhabitants (“Götter”) are hostile to people who appear as puppets or “mirror carps.”

So, we have traced the existence and role of quotes and allusions associated with ancient and Christian cultures, developing themes of sacrifice, self-sacrifice, and suicide. We considered the problem of intertextuality taking into account the poetics of the game, the atmosphere of theatricality inherent in the text itself. We showed the pattern of the appearance of individual images in the text, lines, their development - from scenes that were parodically reduced to scenes created by Buchner in a completely tragic style, devoid of any irony.

Notes

1 History of Western European literature. XIX century: Germany, Austria, Switzerland. SPb.: Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University; M.: Academy, 2005. P. 123.

2 Dostoevsky F.M. Demons. St. Petersburg: SPICS, 1993. P. 311.

3 Mikhailov A.V. Antiquity as an ideal and cultural reality of the 18th-19th centuries. // Antiquity as a type of culture. M.: Nauka, 1988. P. 312.

4 Lotman Yu.M. Text within the text // Lotman Yu.M. Selected articles: In 3 volumes. T. 1. Articles on semiotics and typology of culture. Tallinn: Alexandra, 1992. P. 155.

5 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 77.

6 Ibid. P. 75.

7 Ibid. P. 87.

8 Ibid. P. 91.

9 Ibid. P. 87.

10 Ibid. P. 92.

11 Ibid. P. 98.

12 Ibid. P. 111.

13 Lotman Yu.M. Conversations about Russian culture. St. Petersburg: Art - St. Petersburg, 1997. P. 183.

14 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 92.

15 Ibid. P. 145.

16 Ibid. P. 146.

17 Büchner G. Dantons Tod: Krit. Studienaus. des Orig. mit Quellen, Aufsätzen u. Materialien/Hrsg. von P. von Becker. Frankfurt am/M.: Syndikat, 1985. S. 43.

18 Lotman Yu.M. Text within text. P. 155.

19 Moskvina E.V. The artistic world of G. Buchner. M.: Prometheus, 2007. P. 169.

20 Ibid. P. 169.

21 Lotman Yu.M. Text within text. P. 155.

22 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 289.

23 Ibid. P. 299.

24 Ibid. P. 97.

25 Karelsky A.V. From hero to person. P. 100.

26 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 148.

27 Ibid. P. 148.

28 SießJ. Op. cit. S. 12.

31 Krivonos V.Sh. Parody // Poetics: Dictionary of current terms and concepts / Ch. scientific ed. N.D. Tamarchenko. M.: Kulagina Publishing House; Intrada, 2008. P. 159.

32 Karelsky A.V. From hero to person. M.: Soviet writer, 1990. P. 45.

33 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 101.

34 Ibid. P. 146.

35 Ibid. P. 111.

36 Losev A.F. History of ancient aesthetics. M.: Art, 1992. P. 314.

37 Buchner G. Decree. Op. P. 134.

38 Ibid. P. 141.