SOURCE: “The Inescapable Paternal Legacy: Act One,” in Grillparzer's “Libussa”: The Tragedy of Separation, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1999, pp. 9-57.

In the following excerpt, Reeve explores the first act of Libussa, focusing on the title character's struggle to define herself in relation to the men in her life, particularly her father, while also distancing herself from the circle of women in the play.

All of Grillparzer's completed posthumous plays commence with a negation: “primislaus an der Tür der Hütte horchend: Bist du schon fertig? libussa von innen: Nein”; “gerichtsperson Im Namen kaiserlicher Majestät / Ruf' ich euch zu: Laβt ab! don cäsar Ich nicht, fürwahr!” (Ein Bruderzwist 1-2); “isak Bleib zurück, geh nicht in' Garten!” (Die Jüdin 1). In all three instances the denial, pointing to a personal conflict, whether between a man and a woman, father and son, or father and daughter...