No 'Happy Wrecks' - Pessimism and Suffering in Krzysztof Warlikowski's Adaptation of The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Krzysztof Warlikowski's 2003 production of The Tempest remains one of the most memorable in Poland: an avant-garde staging by a distinguished director, both politically aware and commercial. This essay addresses the historical, political and theatrical contexts of Warlikowski's Tempest, and explores the nuances of the production, in order to establish it as an important statement on early 21^st-century disillusionment. Having located Warlikowski's interpretation within the canon of 20^th and 21^st-century Polish Tempests, it is then considered in terms of its reaction to then-current issues surrounding the reestablishment of democracy in the country. Warlikowsi's political engagement is analysed in specific terms - as with his Gonzalo's impression of newspaper editor Adam Michnik - and more generally: deliberately awkward performances, unsettling modernisations, and ironic use of Polish folk iconography contributed to an atmosphere of political pessimism and psychological suffering. Prospero's uneasy relationships with Miranda and a newly-female Caliban and Ariel are explored as a conduit for Warlikowski's anger at Poland's social barriers, patriarchal dominance, and matters of gender identity. Finally, the essay questions Warlikowski's sacrifice of the traditionally 'universal' Tempest in favour of topicality, asking whether the production - or the aforementioned interpretations thereof - will stand the test of time.