Abstrakt:
Thomas Hardy´s extended verse drama The Dynasts, in contrast to his novels, has gained neither stable appreciation of critics nor the interest of readers. With respect to the progress of English verse drama and the author´s developing concept of processing the theme of the Napoleonic Wars this thesis analyses the philosophical and historical issues of the drama, the main characters, style and dramatic devices used in the drama. The thesis tries to reveal the aspects which contribute to the failure of Hardy´s monumental work. The thesis also attempts to find the features of the drama which are of great value also in the 21st century.