The Image of the Tiger in Thomas Mann's Tod in Venedig

Mann integrates the image of the tiger (according to Nietzsche a concomitant of the Dionysian) that is associated with Aschenbach into Tod in Venedig, commencing with the poet's anticipatory vision. Throughout the course of the novella, the city becomes Aschenbach's envisioned jungle. Of particular significance is the triangular relationship between the viewer, the birds, and the tiger in the vision,which is found again at the end of the novella. Here, there are many repetitions of expressions suggestive of the triangular relationship found in Aschenbach's vision. The tiger in the vision, repeatedly mentioned or alluded to in Tod in Venedig, remains crouching and makes no move until the conclusion. Here, then, this «open» aspect is resolved: Aschenbach, whose latent Dionysian side is represented by the tiger on the mythical level, ultimately dies. Citing Euripides' Bacchae, which, as Manfred Dierks demonstrated, served as a «structural model» for Tod in Venedig, we can say that just as Pentheus dons the bacchante's dress offered by Dionysus, Aschenbach symbolically assumes the garb of the tiger. Pentheus adopts the disguise to observe secretly Dionysus' bacchantes. The way in which Aschenbach tracks Tadzio is evocative of the manner in which a tiger tracks its prey. By assuming the female disguise Pentheus guarantees his own death. Aschenbach acts in a like manner to Pentheus. Finally, both protagonists begin in their respective stories as hunters and both end as the hunted. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol3/iss1/6 THE IMAGE OF THE TIGER IN THOMAS MANN'S TOD IN VENEDIG FORD B. PARKES The University of Iowa Manfred Dierks has recently shown that Thomas Mann used Euripides' Bacchae not only as a significative paradigm, but in important places also as a structural model* for Tod in Venedig (1912).(1) In addition, Dierks contends that Mann follows an «ideal structural line» taken from Nietzsche: the demonstration of the metaphysical-psychological misfortune of 'Apollonian' one-sidedness .*(2) Here too the paradigm derives from Nietzsche: «the tragic fate of Pentheus, Apollo's servant, who falls victim to the strange god [Dionysus] who has come from Asia. *(3) Translated into Tod in Venedig, the «fate* is that of Aschenbach. The purpose of this paper is to show that Mann uses the image of the tiger in connection with Aschenbach, beginning with the latter's anticipatory vision, and that he integrates this image with great subtlety into the rest of Tod in Venedig. Of particular significance is the triangular relationship formed by the viewer, the birds, and the tiger in the vision, which is found again at the end of the novella. The tiger in the vision, repeatedly mentioned or alluded to, remains crouching and makes no move until the conclusion. Here, then, this «open» aspect is resolved. Citing more examples from Euripides' Bacchae, we can say that just as Pentheus dons the bacchante's dress proffered by Dionysus, Aschenbach symbolically assumes the garb of the tiger (according to Nietzsche the tiger is a concomitant of the Dionysian(4). Pentheus adopts the disguise to observe secretly Dionysus' bacchantes. The way in which Aschenbach tracks Tadzio is evocative of the manner in which a tiger tracks its prey. By assuming the female disguise Pentheus guarantees his own death. Aschenbach acts in a like manner to Pentheus. Finally, both protagonists begin in their respective stories as hunters and