A vital drama can always be expressed by a metaphor referred to weight. We say that the weight of events falls on the person. The person supports that burden or does not support it, falls under their weight, wins or loses. But what happened to Sabina? Nothing. He had abandoned a man because he wanted to abandon him. Did he chase her? Was he avenged? No. His drama was not the drama of weight, but that of lightness. What had fallen to Sabina was not a burden, but the unbearable lightness of being.
The concept of weight in drama illustrates how individuals bear the burdens of their experiences. Characters face events that can either empower or crush them, often leading to a struggle between endurance and failure. In contrast, Sabina’s situation signifies a departure from this traditional narrative of weight. Instead of grappling with heaviness and consequences, she exists in a realm where her decisions are free from the encumbrance of responsibility or revenge.
In Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," Sabina embodies the theme of lightness, suggesting that her choices are not laden with gravity. Her abandonment of a partner isn't driven by guilt or pursuit but reflects a state of liberation. The absence of emotional weight leads to an existence marked by freedom, yet simultaneously by existential uncertainty. Kundera contrasts this lightness with the conventional weight of existence, highlighting a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of being.