Jolanta Rzegocka

On (Jesuit) Spoiling the Pleasure of the Time: Sarbiewski’s Vanitative Epigrams in Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit Playbills

Jolanta Rzegocka

Ignatianum University in Krakow

On (Jesuit) Spoiling the Pleasure of the Time: Sarbiewski’s Vanitative Epigrams in Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit Playbills

Keywords: Jesuit theatre, playbills, Vilnius, Braniewo, Sarbiewski, Epigram CXIX, Scotland, danse macabre, Shrovetide, Alexander super mensas (1716), Orgia Bacchi (1738)

This paper examines how mid-eighteenth-century Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit performative culture was shaped by the poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, particularly his Epigram CXIX from the Epigrammatum Liber. While Jesuits prioritized moral and catechetical goals over historical accuracy in their school theatre, they rarely compromised on dramatic storytelling. The rich depths of Scottish history provided compelling narratives that Jesuit playwrights eagerly explored. Much like Shakespeare’s Scottish play, which was loosely based on 11th-century events, the two surviving Jesuit Shrovetide playbills  - Alexander super mensas (Vilnius, 1716) and Orgia Bacchi (Braniewo, 1738)—creatively retell the reign of King Alexander III of Scotland (1241–1286).