Abstract
The paper examines The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, a poem by Teimuraz I, the Georgian king and poet. As is well known, Teimuraz I dedicated the poem to the martyrdom of his mother, Queen Ketevan. In the work, the author discusses historical events in detail, evaluates the historical and social realities of his time, and openly expresses his personal views on the events he describes.
The poet addresses the readers of his work as “interpreters of the truth” and urges them, if the author himself has failed to portray reality fully, to undertake this task. Since Teimuraz himself places particular emphasis on the impartial representation of reality, it is therefore appropriate to examine the text from this perspective as well.
At the same time, another issue requires detailed study: how Teimuraz I, through the representation of his own personal tragedy, succeeds not only in establishing the foundations of the principle of “truth-telling,” but also in contributing to the dissemination of the cult of Saint Queen Ketevan.
The paper will analyze the text of The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, in which the foundations of the principle of “truth-telling” were, in effect, articulated for the first time in Georgian literary discourse. The analysis will reveal the distinctive features of this principle as an aesthetic credo, while particular attention will be paid to the contemporary historical, social, and national processes that may have influenced the discourse.