To Damascus: Who Knows? Not me . . .

Out of all the plays we’ve read so far, this one is my favorite. It is also the one I understand the least. It is almost bursting with symbolism – of death (the repeating funeral dirge), of hell (the introduction says “the first nine scenes represent the nine circles of Dante’s inferno (pg. 384),” and of rebirth (the repetition, backwards, of the nine scenes) to name just a few – and the text is stuffed with biblical allusions. The difficult part is simply trying to get a sensible idea of what all those symbols and allusions mean. Honestly, I like a play that doesn’t lay everything out on the table for you. I like trying to sift through all the metaphors and insinuations. I also much prefer this translator than the one from Miss Julie. It is more realistic, and lent the Stranger, and the play itself, an informal and almost careless attitude. Its difficult for me to comment on what is trying to be told through the play, because many of the symbols and allusions are related to personal events of Strindberg (also from the introduction, pg.383). However, I greatly enjoy the format.