Res Humanitariae

The article analyses the plays ‘Children in the Amber Palace’ (1985) and ‘The Comedians’ (1994) by Algirdas Landsbergis (1924–2004), an expatriate Lithuanian playwright, novelist, editor, and literary and theatre critic. The article is based on the idea that the connection with the mother is innate, not acquired, and that is why every person’s subconscious contains a preconceived (archetypal) expectation of the image of the mother. The complicated relationship between a mother and child in the creative process is linked to the transformation and de-archetyping of the image of the mother, i.e. the conscious separation from the inherently archetypal concept of motherhood. Therefore, the article analyses the change in the image of the mother as a result of the failure of the interpersonal relationship with the child. A phenomenological approach and Husserl’s theory of values are used to unpack the emotional states of the characters’ experiences. This perspective is chosen because of the archetypal interconnection between the mother and the perception of identity, considering identity as a sensitive topic in the work of diasporic authors. The analysis reveals that the expression of the relationship with the mother in Landsbergis’ dramaturgy is connected with the depiction of a sense of insecurity, and problems of personal identification, exceptional emotionality and exaggerated apathy in children.