National history, folklore and the Bible as sources of the Baltic modernist drama
ENArticle discusses manifestations on the subjects of national history, folklore and the Bible in Latvian and Estonian drama of the early 20th century. Two plays, "Joseph and his brothers" by Rainis, and "Judith" by Anton Hansen Tammsaare based on the Bible motives serve as case studies. The two works under discussion reveal a bitter experience of individual persons but at the same time they also point towards the difficulties of the social experience of the nations during the war. The way towards the national independence has been successful but prickly. The revaluation of this experience points out that to claim one's own identity it is not enough to ensure one's social status and situation. The search must go further towards the deepest essence of the individual, the discovery of his or her inner self. Therefore, the greatest importance in the course of the actions is devoted to inner self-evaluation of the heroes. There is an omnipresent tension between two positions, two moralities – one, which is condoned by society and is based on hundreds of years of inherited propriety; the other, which each individual can arrive only through serious internal struggle and merciless self-analysis.
