Step Forward and Speak. Demagogic Counseling Between Representation and Paternalism

Abstract

Drawing on the politological discourse in ancient Athens, this article situates demagogic speech as a form of counsel. Comical demagogues generate perceived certainty by insisting that no alternatives exist to their proposed actions, while simultaneously granting the demos an illusion of sovereignty and self-efficacy. Old Athenian comedy exposes and interrogates this performative construction of certainty.
The article applies this model to Elfriede Jelinek’s theatre texts ›Am Königsweg‹ (2017) and ›Endsieg‹ (2024), both of which address Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States. It demonstrates how Jelinek’s works entangle the demagogic rhetoric of MAGA ideology in contradictions, compelling readers to confront the fundamental uncertainty of their own perspectives.