Caligula

Interesting Facts

• The play was written in 1938 but first published and staged only in 1944.
• The main character, Roman Emperor Caligula, is depicted as a man who, confronted with the absurdity of life, decides to live without moral constraints.
• Caligula in the play seeks absolute freedom, which leads him to tyranny and cruelty.
• The play explores themes of absurdity, existentialism, and nihilism, which were central to Camus' philosophy.
• Caligula in the play seeks the impossible — the moon, symbolizing unattainable happiness and the meaning of life.
• The play was perceived as an allegory of the Nazi occupation of France and the resistance to it.