The Baroque concept of theatrum mundi in the former Commonwealth

“The topos of theatrum mundi has appeared in culture and
literature since antiquity. The conviction that the world is a stage was
particularly strong in the Baroque – an epoch in which people realised
the volatility of Fortune and the struggles of man on the stage of life
with Time, Vanitas and Death. The idea of theatrum mundi in the
Baroque era had a significant influence on the culture and style of the
period, and shaped people’s attitudes, mentalities and sensitivities.
The topos found its reflection in Polish hand-written newspapers in the
17th and early 18th centuries. Let us then try to capture the basic
elements of theatrum mundi, which emerged from the content of the analysed newspapers….”