Throughout Montherlant's dramatic production, there exists a striking similarity of thematic content. Virtually each play stresses the drive for self-realization and the resultant heroic stature achieved by the protagonist, as well as his final recognition that, as his destiny differs from that of common humanity, he is condemned to solitude and exile. Each dénouement reveals to the hero the vanity of all things, including his own achievements. In his anguish at the absurdity of man's existence. Montherlant's hero longs for death and oblivion.

This pessimism and nihilism in Montherlant's theatrical production are a logical outcome of his theory of alternation, a doctrine which has guided him throughout his life. In 1926, in the essay entitled "Syncrétisme et alternance," Montherlant first set forth this theory which asserted that, since everything in nature has its proper place and everything is justified, one must taste of every human experience in...