▁and ▁her ▁husband , ▁captain ▁Karl ▁Bal og ▁de ▁M án ko - B ük , ▁and ▁his ▁temporary ▁stay ▁in ▁prison ▁fue led ▁the ▁emot ional ▁status ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁completed ▁his ▁work . ▁Today ▁it ▁is ▁the ▁central ▁piece ▁of ▁Hung arian ▁the aters ' ▁re per toire ▁and ▁is ▁mand atory ▁reading ▁for ▁students ▁in ▁secondary ▁school . ▁Many ▁lines ▁have ▁become ▁common ▁quotes ▁in ▁Hung ary . ▁Mad ách , ▁then ▁a ▁country ▁no blem an ▁with ▁virt ually ▁no ▁literary ▁experience , ▁sent ▁the ▁work ▁to ▁the ▁poet ▁A ran y ▁who ▁enthus iast ically ▁encourag ed ▁him ▁and ▁suggested ▁some ▁em end ations ▁to ▁the ▁text . ▁The ▁piece ▁was ▁at ▁first ▁only ▁published ▁in ▁printed ▁form , ▁not ▁st aged , ▁because ▁the ▁many ▁changes ▁of ▁scene ▁( 1 5 ▁scenes ) ▁were ▁hard ▁to ▁come ▁by ▁through ▁the ▁technical ▁standards ▁of ▁the ▁day . ▁ ▁The ▁main ▁characters ▁are ▁Adam , ▁E ve ▁and ▁Luc ifer . ▁The ▁three ▁travel ▁through ▁time ▁to ▁visit ▁different ▁turning - points ▁in ▁human ▁history ▁and ▁Luc ifer ▁tries ▁to ▁conv ince ▁Adam ▁that ▁life ▁is ▁( will ▁be ) ▁meaning less ▁and ▁man kind ▁is ▁do omed . ▁Adam ▁and ▁Luc ifer ▁are ▁introduced ▁at ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁each ▁scene , ▁with ▁Adam ▁assuming ▁various ▁important ▁historical ▁roles ▁and ▁Luc ifer ▁usually ▁acting ▁as ▁a ▁servant ▁or ▁conf id ant . ▁E ve ▁enters ▁only ▁later ▁in ▁each ▁scene . ▁The ▁T rag edy ▁of ▁Man ▁contains ▁fifteen