Starring:
威廉姆·伯格 Georg Brintrup 霍华德·沃侬
Director:
达尼埃尔·于伊耶 让-马里·斯特劳布
Introduction:
ThesubjectofDanièleHuilletandJean-MarieStraub’sDerToddesEmpedokles(TheDeathofEmpedocles,1987)istheGreekpre-SocraticphilosopherEmpedocles(c.490BC–430BC),wholivedintheGreekcolonyofAgrigentuminSicily.HistheoriesarementionedinseveralofPlato’sdialogues.Hemaintainedthatallmatterismadeupoffourirreducibleelementswater,earth,airandfire.Amysticandapoet,heisconsideredtobethefounderofclassicalrhetoric.HeisalsothoughttobethelastGreekphilosophertowriteinverse;twofragmentsofhisworkssurviveKatharmoi(Purifications)andPeriPhusbbb?s(OnNature).Anadvocateofdemocracy,hecameintoconflictwithhisfellowcitizensofAgrigentumand,asresult,wasbanishedwithhisyoungdisciple,Pausanius.Whenhewasaskedtoreturn,hepreferredtocommitsuicidebythrowinghimselfintotheactivevolcanoatMountAetna. TheGermanwriterFriedrichH?lderlinwrotetwoversionsofDerToddesEmpedoklesin1798and1800,andafinalthirdversionin1820,allthreeultimatelyunfinished.Theywereconceivedasfive-acttragediesandallthreedifferinplot.AccordingtoMichaelHamburger,H?lderlin’sEnglish-languagetranslator, themainreasonwhyH?lderlinfinishednoversionoftheplaymustbethatheremainedtoocloselyidentifiedwithEmpedocles,attheveryperiodinhislifewhenhisownviewofthepoetasphilosopher,prophetandpriest–andastragichero–wassubjecttoperpetualcrisisandre-examination. Huillet-Straub’sTheDeathofEmpedoclesisbasedonH?lderlin’sfirstversion(thelongestofthethree),whereasBlackSinisbasedonthethirdversion.