The Damned MITEM 16

Original title: La caduta degli dei; in Slovenian: Somrak bogov

The scope of German political manipulations during the times of the Reichstag fire in February 1933 and, later on, during the Night of the Long Knives in late June 1934, is an important backbone of the play, The Damned. The theme is transposed into the intimate space of Joachim Von Essenbeck's family, a renowned steelmaking dynasty. The times of crisis had imminent effects, as the rapidly decaying old Germany, as well as the alarming emergence of a new German state under the new Chancellor, where of the Von Essenbeck family’s destiny is portrayed. After the death of Baron Joachim, the Von Essenbeck family members, being engaged in their small scale feuds over succession, fail to realize that they have become marionettes and mere casualties of a higher political agenda. The Damned uses the juxtaposition of politics and intimate manipulations, especially, from the aspect of interpersonal relations, to show how meticulously the Nazi government manipulated citizens, years before the official beginning of World War II. In the new war, the state needs the cannons, as much as it thrives on corpses and hatred. Thus, Martin Von Essenbeck hands over the whole family to the Third Reich, so, they are to die one after another, should they consider themselves stronger than the state. Consequently, the new state is no longer a place for communities such as family, as it has become the family itself. In turn, Martin will be the one to cast the last stone, and unleash the deadly sweep of the Von Essenbeck family's sadism. This also brings the last judgement on the once powerful dynasty.