Abstract
This article examines some aspects of a broader theme indicated in the title with respect to the
diptych Tyrtaeus: A Tragedy and Behind the Scenes: A Fantastic Tale. While the present analysis
is based on the fi ndings of earlier critics, it develops various parallels suggested by the use of
musical motifs in Norwid’s twin dramas. Those associations act as an aid to a better understanding
of the differences between the attitudes and ideas presented in the plays. Moreover, by indirectly
marking the contrasts of truth and falsehood, they hold the key to the moral interpretation of the
plays. The overall pattern of the musical references and associations in Tyrtaeus and Behind the
Scenes appears to refl ect Norwid’s organic philosophy and his idea of creative originality. Finally,
the purported pushing of Tyrtaeus off a cliff, an episode symbolizing the rejection of the right path,
is analyzed along two similar poetic images of Norwid’s, Aesop’s fall into an abyss (On Freedom of
Speech) and the hurling of Chopin’s piano out of the window (‘Chopin’s Piano’).
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