The character of Ferdinand Vaněk in the works of Václav Havel "Protest" and Pavel Kohout "Marast"

The thesis focuses on the character of Ferdinand Vaněk, invented by Václav Havel. The autor aims to analyze and compare the character of Ferdinand Vaněk, who is the main protagonist of plays "Protest" by Václav Havel and "Marast" by Pavel Kohout, and is considered the alter ego of Václav Havel. The study examines motivations and language of Ferdinand Vaněk in various situations, and demonstrates the absurdity of the authoritarian regime, uncertainties, loss of individuality, and emptiness of phrases. The comparison showed that although Ferdinand Vaněk is portrayed differently by each author, he still serves as a strong symbol of protest against totalitarianism and a way to highlight the absurdity and lack of freedom during the normalization period. Keywords Ferdinand Vaněk, Václav Havel, Pavel Kohout, normalization, theatre of the absurd