SOURCE: “The Hero as an Old Man: The Role of Bancbanus in Grillparzer's Ein Treuer Diener Seines Herrn,” in Modern Language Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 1, March, 1982, pp. 29-42.

In the following essay, Nicholls explores Grillparzer's utilization of Bancbanus as protagonist of Ein treuer Diener seines Herrn.

Fundamental to the interpretation of Grillparzer's drama is recognition of the contrast between the expectation aroused by the formal language and structure of his plays and the reality of the inner action. Grillparzer's insistent emphasis on verse as the medium of his drama, his recurrent use of mythological and historical themes, and his vision of himself as the last poet in an age of prose lead us to anticipations that are not realized in practice. There was a time when Grillparzer was regarded as a third classic of German literature beside Goethe and Schiller. Later, more negatively, he was treated as an “Epigone...