Camus' "The Righteous"

Albert Camus was beside his activity as an author, publisher and his philosophical Debate also one of the most ingenious playwrights and is one of the most important 20th century writers Century. "Die Gerechten", his fourth piece, premiered in 1949, has the status of compulsory reading French lessons and raises the ever-topical question of what is justice for adolescents is.

Table of contents and summary of "The Righteous"

Albert Camus takes up an actual event of the with his play "Die Gerechten" story Russia on. He transferred his own conflict of conscience during his work for the Resistance to the murder of Grand Duke Sergius in 1905.

• The first act of the piece describes the meeting of the revolutionaries Annenko, Dora, Stephan, Woinow and Kaliajev. They discuss the planning of the assassination attempt on Grand Duke Segej. A bomb is said to be thrown on his carriage, and Kaliajev is said to be the assassin.
• In the second act, Annenkov and Dora follow Kaliajev, who is unable to carry out the bomb attack. Because he sees that the Grand Duke's nephews are also traveling in the carriage with their uncle. It is not possible for him to kill the children. When he returns to the apartment, the anarchists discuss how to proceed. The group disagrees as to whether the murder of the children is politically justifiable. Stephan opposes Kaliajev's decision, the others agree with him.
• In the third act of the play "The Just" Kaliajev and Dora speak of the pros and cons of one thing political murder, the ideals that they represent and the justice that by all means find their way must find. In the course of this conversation it becomes clear that the two have a relationship with each other. Kaliajev decides to carry out the attack after all, does so after two days and is then arrested.


Features of a calendar story - this is how the interpretation works

The calendar story, which often ends surprisingly and with an unexpected meaning, ...

• The fourth act takes place in the prison where Kaliajev is now. He had a discussion with a Foka, another prisoner, then with the head of the police department and finally with the Grand Duchess, the wife of the murdered man. All of these conversations revolve around the question of what is meant by justice and whether Kaliajev sees himself as a murderer. He does not do this himself, because he justifies his act with a noble aim. Nor does he accept the chairman's deal to betray his group in order to save his life.
• The other group members discuss in the fifth and final act whether they have been betrayed by Kaliajev and finally learn from an informant that Kaliajev has been hanged without disclosing his comrades to have. Dora then wants to carry out the next bomb attack, on the one hand to let the group's idea live on, on the other hand to be able to be united with her lover in death.

Interpretative approaches to Albert Camus' question of justice

• Around 40 years after the actual assassination attempt on Grand Duke Sergei in Russia, Albert Camus poses in "Die Righteous "the question of whether it should be accepted if innocent people are also innocent in an assassination attempt on a" guilty party " die.
• A real discussion about the justification of a political murder in which one was chosen by the group Guilty party as such is found guilty and sentenced to death by the group does not really arise. Albert Camus questions the sense of politically motivated attacks, but does not fundamentally deny them.
• The juxtaposition of Stephan, who could be described as a cold, heartless hardliner, and the thoughtful writer Kaliajev, who is a moral and ethical one Takes a stand, is the main theme of the play, which can also be seen as a discussion of the question of the so-called "collateral damage" of a political act can. Especially now that there are military invasions in many countries and the killing of innocent people is noticed almost without comment, the idea behind Camu's work "Die Gerechten" is highly topical Instance.
• Dora's role, who at the end of the play wants to die for both love and ideology, is also interesting to analyze. Here the question arises as to which motivation is actually paramount for them and also whether one Intentional suicide (as she anticipates arrest and execution) is morally acceptable is.

Albert Camus was also politically active

• Albert Camus was born in 1913 in what is now Algeria; his family had lived there for three generations.
• He grew up in poor conditions and was given the opportunity to study thanks to the approval of his teachers, who recognized his talent.
• His successes increased and he belonged to the intellectual scene in France, where he also lived.
• The role of the writer was not enough for him, he dealt critically above all with philosophical questions and tried to make himself To engage journalist politically in order to assert his humanity claims, his pacifist thinking and his great criticism of the colonial policy of France document. Nevertheless, he did not manage to get a clear position in public because it was due to him his high philosophical claims was unable to follow any real political direction to connect.
• In 1957 he received the Nobel Prize for literatureAs a justification, the committee gave its astuteness and its seriousness in describing the human conscience problems of today.
• At 4. On January 1st, 1960, Albert Camus was killed in a car accident while driving to Paris, where he was a passenger.