''Tango'' is a

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

written by

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

writer, dramatist and cartoonist

Sławomir Mrożek Sławomir Mrożek (29 June 1930 – 15 August 2013) was a Polish dramatist, writer and cartoonist. Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers' Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of Poland, and made a living as a politica ...

(1930–2013). It was first published in the literary magazine '' Dialog (Dialogue)'' in 1964. In Poland, ''Tango'' was staged for the first time in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

in 1965. The drama has been translated into English, Italian, Japanese, French, Danish, Hebrew, Czech, Slovenian, Dutch, Estonian, German, Spanish and other languages.

Plot

The play is set in a non-defined time in the home of Stomil and Eleonora, parents of Artur (student of

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

). The home is disorganized, not only because of the way it is furnished, but also through the complete lack of house rules and common values; everyone can do whatever they want. In addition, many unneeded objects like a baby carriage, an old wedding dress, and a

catafalque A catafalque is a raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person during a Christian funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalque ...

after Artur grandfather's death, can be found in there. It seems that "perplexity" may be the word that describes their lives best. Despite Artur’s attempts being bound to fail, he tries to make rules and grant some things meaning. Artur tries to coax his grandmother to use the catafalque, revolts against his father's slovenliness and his mother’s double standards of

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...

. He himself wants to have a traditional wedding, however he fails.Michał Bujanowicz
On Sławomir Mrożek - Playwright's Tango
by Culture.pl, January 30, 2008. Artur, while organizing the reception, forgets to declare his feelings toward his fiancée, causing her to think he’s indifferent to her and, in consequence, she claims to have an affair with Edek. Furthermore, his grandmother dies, and Artur is killed by Edek. The drama ends with a

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

dance, symbolizing simplicity, primitivism, and

mass culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

; meaning those "values" won. Edek announces that he is taking control over the home and that everyone must listen to him and follow his rules from now on.

Themes

"Tango" tells the story about

generation gap A generation gap or generational gap is a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. In today's usage, ''generation gap'' often refers to a perceived gap between younger people and their paren ...

in contemporary society and how

conformity Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often choo ...

anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...

entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...

and

formalism Formalism may refer to: * Form (disambiguation) * Formal (disambiguation) * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scie ...

come into conflict between generations. It tries to focus on finding the answer whether there is any space for an intellectual in such community.Tango. Sławomir Mrożek - ''Dzieła Zebrane''
at goodreads.com.

Characters

* Artur – Stomil and Eleonora’s son * Ala – Artur’s cousin and fiancée * Edek – "a man with a moustache", Eleonora’s lover, regular visitor to Stomil family house * Eugeniusz – Artur’s uncle and Eugenia’s brother * Eugenia – Artur’s grandmother * Eleonora – Artur’s mother * Stomil – Artur’s father

References

{{Reflist Theatre in Poland Polish plays 1964 plays

Plot

Themes

Characters

See also

References