Párducbőr, hollószín tunika, vérszínű bocskor : az Árpád ébredése ősbemutatójának értelmezése

Abstract

Mihály Vörösmarty, the poet laureate of the day, was requested to write a dramatic prologue for the opening gala performance of Pesti Magyar Színház (Pest Hungarian Theatre), which took place on 22nd August, 1837. The poet wrote The Awakening of Árpád for the occasion, and it was staged as part of the gala evening. In spite of the prestigious occasion and the distinguished author, the prologue has never been given too much attention in literary history. Vörösmarty-criticism is unequivocal concerning its merits: it must be dealt with in the context of Vörösmarty's dramatical works, but as a drama it is not of high enough quality to be really interesting (opinion based on the text). A more theatre-friendly way of approach has been emerging as late as the last two decades. The present study is contextualising the first performance of The Awakening of Árpád with the help of an up-to-now unknown manuscript, the list of costumes made for the premiere. At the moment, this costume catalogue is the one and only source which can give an overall picture about how the play actually looked like on the stage. Reconstructing the sight, the visual appearance can give a new clue to the original context of the prologue. The information gained can change the focus of attention, we can see that the foremost characteristics of the genre is its multimediality, so a multi-sided approach to it can be much more fruitful than relying solely on the text.