Political Thinking in a Nuclear Age: Hochhuth's Judith and Durrenmatt's Achterloo

Abstract

Despite the differences in their aesthetic theoriesone recalling the historical dramas of Schiller, the other the satirical comedies of Aristophanesthe outlooks of Rolf Hochhuth and of Friedrich Diirrenmatt show a number of striking similarities. One could point to their emphasis on the individual as a morally responsible agent, their rejection of the notion of any ultimate meaning in history, and their ongoing concern for justice and freedom.' One of the most important elements that unites them, however, is their vital commitment to what Ralf Dahrendorf has referred to as public virtues,2 to issues of concern to men and women as members of society or the polity. One such issue is the nuclear arms race and the possibility of nuclear warthemes central to both Judith (1984) and Achterloo (1983). The responses of the characters in these plays to the nuclear threat-ranging from political assassination to political accommodation with the superpowers suggest different modes of political thinking. The nature of this political thought, its epistemological foundations, and its consequences for political action in a nuclear age will be the subject of the following investigation.