danse macabre

• Französischer Begriff für den „Tanz des Todes“, eine mittelalterliche allegorische Vorstellung oder ein Kunstwerk, in dem der Tod Menschen aller Stände in einem Reigen zum Grab führt; oft metaphorisch für eine düstere oder chaotische Situation verwendet.

A French term meaning 'dance of death,' referring to a medieval allegorical concept or artistic work depicting Death leading people from all walks of life in a procession to the grave, often used metaphorically to describe a grim or chaotic situation.

1. Dance of DeathC2formal

   A medieval allegorical concept representing the universality of death, often depicted as a procession of people from all walks of life dancing with skeletons or personified Death.

   Totentanz

   • The painting 'Danse Macabre' shows a king and a peasant dancing together with skeletons.
   • The composer Saint-Saëns wrote a famous tone poem titled 'Danse Macabre'.
   • Medieval artists used the Danse Macabre to remind people of the inevitability of death.