The Reconfiguration of the Tragic

Surrealism and Elements of the Theatre of the Absurd in the Dramaturgy of Los traidores, by Silvina Ocampo and J. R. Wilcock

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the reconfiguration of the tragic in the play Los traidores by Silvina Ocampo and Juan Rodolfo Wilcock, written in the mid-20th century, through the interplay between surrealist techniques and elements characteristic of the theatre of the absurd. It is based on the assumption that dramaturgical reworkings, rooted in the classical tradition, generate new meanings when intersected by contemporary aesthetic, cultural and political issues. In this sense, the play establishes a dialogue with classical models, by re-inscribing them within an aesthetic framework characteristic of modernity. The methodology adopted consists of a theoretical-analytical approach, grounded in comparative literature and dramaturgy theory. The analysis focuses, on the one hand, on the work’s surrealist structure, understood as the juxtaposition of planes, images and registers without explicit logical articulation; on the other hand, it examines the presence of elements of the theatre of the absurd and their articulation with the tragic dimension, understood as a structuring aesthetic procedure. The results indicate that, in Los traidores, the dramaturgy reinterprets elements of the classical tradition, drawing on the political and aesthetic tensions of the present, thereby producing new layers of meaning. It is concluded that the contemporary rewriting of historical events highlights the vitality of these narratives and reaffirms theatre as a privileged space for critical dialogue between past and present. The theoretical framework draws on the work of Brandão (2021), D’Onofrio (2001) and Esslin (2018), whose studies examine the enduring nature of the classics, intertextual relationships, and the processes of adaptation and recreation.