József Katona facts for kids
József Katona (born November 11, 1791, died April 16, 1830) was a famous Hungarian playwright and poet. He is best known for creating the Hungarian historical play called Bánk bán. He was born and passed away in his hometown of Kecskemét.
About His Life
József Katona studied to become a lawyer at the University in Pest. But while he was studying, he also spent a lot of time involved in the theater. He worked as an actor and wrote many plays. He also translated and changed German plays to be performed on the Hungarian stage.
Katona wrote his most important play, Bánk bán, for a writing contest in 1815. The contest asked for a historical play about Hungary. Sadly, Katona was disappointed because his play was not even mentioned by the judges. He didn't give up though! He rewrote the play and published it himself in 1820. Still, it didn't become famous until the mid-1830s.
After this, he went back to his hometown, Kecskemét. In the last ten years of his life, he didn't write any more plays for the stage. József Katona passed away on April 16, 1830, from a heart attack.
His Writings
Here are some of the works József Katona wrote:
- Aubigny Clementina, 1813
- Ziska, 1813
- Jeruzsálem pusztulása, 1814
- A rózsa, vagy a tapasztalatlan légy a pókok között, 1814
- Bánk bán, 1815 (final version, 1819)
About the Play Bánk bán
Bánk bán is a very important play in Hungarian history. It tells the story of a character named Bánk. He was like a prime minister, chosen by King Andrew II. This happened while the King was away fighting wars in other countries.
In the play, Bánk gets involved in a plan against the King's wife, who was from Germany. Bánk tries to stop the rebellion, but in the end, he is the one who kills the queen.
The play is famous because Bánk is a very complex character. He struggles between his duty to the King and his own personal sadness. This makes Bánk bán one of Hungary's best plays.
The play was written when many smart people in Hungary were against the Habsburg rulers. These rulers had too much power. The play is set in the Middle Ages, when Hungarian nobles also fought against foreign rulers. Because of this, the government banned the play.
However, Bánk bán became a symbol of freedom. On March 15, 1848, the Hungarian National Theater performed the play. This was a very important and symbolic event during the Hungarian revolution.
See also
- Bánk bán, an opera by Ferenc Erkel
- Bánk Bán (film), a 1914 movie by Michael Curtiz
