The Last Judgment by Karel Čapek
"The Last Judgment" by Karel Čapek is a thought-provoking exploration of morality and accountability, set in a celestial courtroom where the deceased are judged for their earthly actions. The narrative follows Ferdinand Kugler, a man with a lengthy criminal history, who finds himself on trial after dying in a gunfight. As he awaits judgment, the story reveals the complexities of his life through the testimony of God, who recounts Kugler's wrongdoings and their impacts on those around him.
The courtroom is presided over by a panel of judges tasked with evaluating Kugler's fate amidst a backlog of cases. Kugler's interactions with the divine witness unveil his past misdeeds, including theft and murder, and his responses oscillate between surprise, remorse, and defiance. Notably, God's insight highlights the theme that true justice is inherently human, implying a separation between divine knowledge and judicial action.
In the end, Kugler is found guilty and sentenced to Hell, provoking reflections on the nuances of guilt, justice, and the consequences of one's choices. Čapek's work invites readers to contemplate the moral dimensions of life and the ultimate accountability that follows death. This concise narrative serves as both a critique of human behavior and a meditation on the nature of justice.
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The Last Judgment by Karel Čapek
First published: "Posledni soud," 1929 (English translation, 1932)
Type of plot: Parody
Time of work: Around 1929
Locale: Heaven
Principal Characters:
Ferdinand Kugler , a recently deceased thief and murdererpresiding judge , a deceased judgeGod , a witness
The Story
Ferdinand Kugler dies in a gunfight with a police officer. Numerous warrants for his arrest are outstanding, and at the time of his death, he is a fugitive from an army of police officers and detectives. In Heaven, an overworked network of courts faces the chaotic task of delineating which souls will be allowed to remain and which will be sentenced to Hell. As a result of the number and severity of his crimes, Kugler must wait an indeterminate period until his case can be judged. For the same reason, his case is reserved for a special panel of three judges rather than a jury.
The defendant must state his name, occupation, and the dates of his birth and death. Kugler's inability to remember the date of his death bodes poorly with the judges, intensifying his own naturally contentious attitude. Without further formalities, the presiding judge summons the sole witness in Kugler's case: God. Before God testifies, the presiding judge explains why God need not swear the oath and then instructs him to avoid particulars that have no legal bearing on the case. The judge also warns Kugler against interrupting the witness, pointing out that it would be useless to deny any part of God's testimony.
God begins with a brief statement on Kugler's unruliness as a child. The defendant's first crime was his failure to express his love for his mother. When God describes Kugler's first act of larceny—stealing a rose from the notary's garden before he was ten—Kugler recalls having stolen the flower to give to a young girl, Irma, the daughter of the tax collector. The witness satisfies Kugler's curiosity about Irma's fate, explaining how she went on to marry the son of the man who owned the factory that employed Kugler's father. The witness adds that Irma contracted a venereal disease from her husband and subsequently died of a miscarriage.
Despite the presiding judge's persistent reminders to avoid such digressions, Kugler is irrepressibly curious as to the outcomes of the lives he touched. He discovers how his family suffered for his crimes. He was a drunkard and runaway by fourteen, bringing the dishonor to his home that would force his father to die of grief, and his pretty sister, Martika, to live a poverty-stricken life and remain unmarried.
The testimony goes down the list of Kugler's murders. The defendant is often genuinely surprised by the resonance of his actions, at times remorseful, and at others amazed. After an accounting of Kugler's murders is finished, the judge asks the witness to explain the defendant's motives. "For the same reasons others do," is his response, "From anger, from greed, deliberately and by chance."
After Kugler turns down his only opportunity to speak in his defense, the judges withdraw to make their decision, leaving him alone with God. Kugler takes advantage of their absence to ask God several questions. God explains that the judges were also judges on earth, making Kugler wonder why God himself takes no part in passing judgments. God explains that because he knows everything, it would be impossible for him to judge, adding that "the only justice people deserve is human justice."
After the judges return, the presiding judge pronounces Kugler guilty and sentences him to Hell. He then summarily calls the next case.