Dramatic metaphors of fascism and antifascism

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„Yet the dark places are the centre“ claims George Steiner. Analyzing the Holocaust and its Fascist background challenges human understanding, as it emerges from these "dark places" where we have strayed from the order of Western civilization. A complete grasp of this theme transcends rationality and resonates with Adorno's assertion of „no poetry after Auschwitz“. However, the imperative for reflective and creative engagement with this topic persists. This study explores the interplay between ideology and myth in Fascist and Antifascist drama, where plays serve as paradigmatic constellations of political intent shaped by their respective attitudes. The selected works revolve around a common thematic Ur-myth: the return of the prodigal son and the crucifixion narrative from the New Testament. The 'prodigal cluster' features plays by Franz Theodor Csokor, Ernst Wiechert, and Max Frisch, while the 'sacrificial cluster' includes works by Otto Erler, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and George Tabori. An introductory analysis examines the artist's mission in two pre-National Socialist plays: „Der Einsame. Ein Menschenuntergang“ by Hanns Johst and Bertold Brecht's response in „Baal“. The final analysis focuses on the fusion of mythologems and ideologems in two plays addressing the New Myth of Germania by Richard Eutinger and Heiner Müller.