The dualistic mythomodel of s. Cherkasenko’s drama “the price of blood”, particularly in its philosophical, spatiotemporal characteristics

Abstract

The article deconstructs the poetic mytho-model of world of the drama “The Price of Blood” by S. Cherkasenko, in particular in its philosophical characteristics: reveals the artistic features of the author's dualistic model of the world, examines the reinterpretation of biblical Christological themes, motifs and images. This thematic exploration adds depth to the understanding of the drama and underscores the profound philosophical questions S. Cherkasenko raises. The analysis shows that dualistic myths are represented through the forms of binary oppositions, such as cosmological (e.g. the space and chaos, the moon and the sun, heaven and earth, day and night), biological (e.g. male and female), social (e.g. dual organization of society) and ethical (e.g. good and evil). The drama “The Price of Blood” is based on the mythological plot of the Gospel story of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal, in which S. Cherkasenko uses dualistic mythological thinking to contrast “faith – mind”, which is reproduced through the following oppositions: “good - evil”, “sin – righteousness”, “truth – lie”, “God - Devil”, “life – death”, “freedom – slavery”, “love – hate”, “loyalty – betrayal”. This is a confrontation between faith and mind in a kind of search for the salvation of humanity. The relevance of this topic lies in the study of the author's dualistic model and the disclosure of biblical motifs in the drama “The Price of Blood” by S. Cherkasenko; comprehension of the problem of betrayal in a mythopoetic way. The results of the study showed that the author describes the universe as a unity of opposites, which is typical for a dualistic myth, where the victory of good implies the elimination of evil. The archetypal characters – Jesus Christ (faith) and Judas the Tempter (mind) – are encoded by the binary opposition “good – evil” and their confrontation can be seen as an antagonistic duality.