The Undivine Comedy

He considered composing a trilogy, of which the Undivine Comedy would likely have been the middle part, but he never finished the project (the draft of the first part would eventually be published in 1852 as Sen. Pieśń z „Niedokończonego poematu”, wyjęta z pozostałych rękopisów po świętej pamięci J. S., and more extensively, posthumously as Niedokończony poemat – The Unfinished Poem in 1860).

[14][8][15][16] The entire trilogy was to have featured the same protagonist, Count Henry, called "The Youth" in the unfinished prequel, and "The Husband" in The Undivine Comedy.

[8][7][17][10] The protagonist of the drama, Count Henry (in Polish, Henryk), is a conflicted poet, who finds himself leading, together with his fellow aristocrats, a defense of the Holy Trinity castle,[b] against revolutionary forces professing democratic and atheist ideals, commanded by a leader named Pancras (in Polish, Pankracy).

[33][31] The work has been influenced by Krasiński's thoughts about the Polish November Uprising and the contemporary French July Revolution of 1830, coupled with his study of the changes wrought by the emerging capitalism to Western Europe.

The work is also tackling the topics of the identity of a poet, the nature of poetry, and myths of romantic ideals such as perfect love, fame and happiness.

[8] Count Henry has been analyzed as an example of the "worst possible version of Romantic individualism", conceited and egoistical, only partially redeemed by his service to humankind, a task in which he will ultimately fail as well.

"[25] The controversial nature of the material led to the cancellation of a recent stage production by director Oliver Frljić [pl], that was due to open in 2014 in Warsaw.

[25][38] The 19th-century romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz discussed The Undivine Comedy in four lectures at the Collège de France, calling it "the highest achievement of the Slavic theater",[7] as well as "thoroughly nationalistic... [touching on] all the problems of Polish messianism.

[7] In 1972 Gordon M. Wickstrom, writing in the Educational Theatre Journal, called it "the finest achievement of Polish Romantic drama".

[10] In 1983 Robert Mann, in the Slavic and East European Journal, noted that the play "ranks alongside Mickiewicz's Forefather's Eve and Słowacki's Kordian as one of the greatest dramatic works in Polish Romantic literature.

[11] In 1986 Frank Northen Magill, in the Critical Survey of Drama: Authors, wrote that "The Undivine Comedy... suffices to ensure Krasiński's position as a dramatist of international stature".

[42] In 1997 Megan L. Dixon, writing in the same journal as Robert Mann, described the play as "a classic of 19th-century High Romanticism... worthy of comparison to Goethe or Byron".