Romulus und seine Kinder. Das Groteske als Verfremdung

Abstract

In his theoretical writings Friedrich Dürrenmatt describes the world as opaque and, henceforth, the traditional forms of theater such as the tragedy as inappropriate. The analysis opposes Dürrenmatt´s skepticism to Brecht´s marxist realism. While Brecht views reality as a process of cause and effect, Dürrenmatt juxtaposes reality and fictitious contra-reality. His definition of the grotesque as the central element of comedy calls particular attention. The discussion of the ahistoricity of the heroes in Romulus der Große and their way of refuting historical processes establishes the grotesque as the only appropriate form to narrate the present.