• A literary duel between Catherine II and Gustav III: The dramatic works of the monarchs during the RussoSwedish war (1788–1790)

УДК: 821.161.1"17"-2+821.113.6"17"-2

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2023-1-27-45

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Maria S. Berlova

PhD in Theatre Studies, 
Independent Scholar
Moscow, Russia
E-mail: mashaberlova@yandex.ru

A literary duel between Catherine II and Gustav III: The dramatic works of the monarchs during the RussoSwedish war (1788–1790)

Abstract

Russian Empress Catherine II and Swedish King Gustav III were not only relatives (cousins), but also related by an adherence to the ideas of enlightened absolutism, a love for philosophy, literature, and theatre. Both monarchs were playwrights actively engaged in the production of their plays. During the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), Catherine II wrote the play, “Woeful Knight Kosometovich” (1788), a pamphlet on Gustav III that was staged as an opéra comique at the Hermitage Theatre in January of 1789. In his turn, Gustav III composed the musical comedy “Alexey Mikhailovich and Natalia Naryshkin” (1789), that idealized the Russian tsar and was staged at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in January of 1790. By Catherine II’s appeal to Russian folklore in her play and Gustav III’s appeal to the 17th-century Russian history in his comedy, each monarch contributed to the creation of the political myths that formed the rulers’ images, promoted their state ideology, and indicated the direction of their national theatres’ further development. These dramatic works of Catherine II and Gustav III deserve special attention because they refer to particular people and circumstances, which contemporary spectators easily identified. The detailed stage directions of the royal playwrights allow one to consider their different directing styles. The author contrasts the approach of stage direction usage by Catherine II and Gustav III and draws the conclusion that the Swedish King shows more experience and foresight than the Russian Empress as a stage director.

Keywords

Catherine II, Gustav III, Woeful Knight Kosometovich, Alexey Mikhailovich and Natalia Naryshkin, opéra comique, Russo-Swedish War, 18th-century Russian theatre, Gustavian theatre, royal playwrights, stage direction.

For citation

Berlova M.S. A literary duel between Catherine II and Gustav III: The dramatic works of the monarchs during the Russo-Swedish war (1788–1790). Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2023, no. 1, pp. 27–45.

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2023-1-27-45

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Received: 03.12.2022

Revised: 14.01.2023

Accepted: 01.02.2023