Abstract
Balthasar’s Theo-Drama is the first modern theological work to engage with the dramatic approach. This voluminous work presents and accounts for the world as a stage for the dynamic interplay between God and mankind. Some scholars, however, contend that Balthasar risks curtailing the weight and complexity of human existential struggle. In response, this study takes up Balthasar’s call to approach the dramatic from ‘various angles.’ It specifically revisits his thoughts about the role of language and tragedy and situates them alongside Artaud’s conception of the ‘theater of cruelty.’ This parallel reading explores their shared emphases on the limitations of language and the importance of affirmation in facing tragic reality. This essay observes how drama accommodates the aporetic nature of tragedy and fosters enactive affirmation despite the constraints of language.