Die Ponderación Mysteriosa: Eine Graciánsche Figur im Walter Benjamins Trauerspielbuch

Abstract

In the final pages of Walter Benjamins Origin of German Tragic Drama appears an expression in Spanish, "ponderacion mysteriosa", which evokes the apotheosis of the drama and the possibility of salvation. Benjamin took the concept from Karl Borinski and reinterpreted, who took it originally from Baltasar Gracián. This essay explores de meaning and function of the concept of "ponderación mysteriosa" in Benjamin's Trauerspiel-Book and traces it`s origins and it?s transformations through the readings of Borinski and Benjamin. The analysis will throw some light on the End of the Trauerspiel-book and the comparison between the different interpretations clarifies the meaning and scope of this Gracianic Figure.