Komödie der Worte

His 'Comedy of Words' consists of three one-act plays in which Schnitzler explores one of his favorite themes through short, highly entertaining dialogues: truth and lies in marriage and partnerships. Why is a person unfaithful? When is someone truly unfaithful? How much truth can a partnership handle? In 'Great Scene,' actor Konrad Herbot, after having betrayed the likable Edgar Gley with his fiancée, performs such a successful scene for his wife and Edgar that he begins to doubt the truth himself. In 'The Bacchus Festival,' writer Felix Stauffner cleverly and wittily wins back his wife, who wants to leave him for another man. And in 'Hour of Recognition,' the wounded doctor Dr. Karl Eckold petty revenge on his wife for an alleged infidelity, ultimately becoming a perpetrator himself. Although Schnitzler proves to be an advocate for truth, he is no simplistic, moralizing propagandist of easy rules. He understands both the liar and the victim of the lie because he knows how subjective truth is and how independent feelings can be.