"Danton's Death"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses whether the play "Danton's Death", which professes a nihilistic philosophy which states that life and specifically political struggle is futile, can be considered political. It examines whether Danton's loss of faith in humanity makes the play existential to the point where it considers politics a pointless endeavor.

From the Paper:

"It is Danton's moment of sanguinity, which takes this bleakest of plays into the realm of political theater. For a brief moment Danton believes that all is not lost, even if he can no longer achieve anything himself, there is hope for the future; his acts would not be futile if they inspire revolution after him; his actions have not been worthless. Even if he is dead, buried and forgotten, in this moment he shows that he has some belief in the human race; he believes that there can be others like him that will rebuild the foundations of liberty on the graves of their forefathers."

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