Trauerspiel e Tragedia nell'«Origine del dramma barocco tedesco» di Walter Benjamin

The essay provides a hypothesis for the interpretation of the Origin of the German Mourning Play, written by Walter Benjamin. The history and analysis of the dramatic forms, contained herein, are seen as a medium to enunciate a philosophy of History in a theological rather than teleological terms. The essay focuses on the analysis of the concept of origin (Ursprung) and goes on to explain the main themes of Benjamin’s work: the Greek tragedy is viewed as a limited redemption and the prophecy of a new order, Trauerspiel, as an expression of a melancholic outlook that originates from the secularization of the medieval religious perspective. Special attention is devoted to three moments: the influence of Florens Christian Rang, with particular regard to the meaning of the concepts of agon and prophecy; the interpretation of the end of the tragedy and the role of Socrates; the presentation of the allegorical form of expression and its dialectic. The essay tries to show, through these three stages, the point of reference from which Benjamin conceived the story, the complex historical- critical formulation of tragedy and Trauerspiel within the work, and finally, the historical and political meaning of the interpretation offered by Benjamin.