Resumen

The article intends to elaborate the idea that Michael Tippett"s The Knot Garden (1970) encapsulates the spirit of the “swinging „60"s”. War, violence, sex, homoeroticism and social and interpersonal alienation are tightly packed within this two-hour opera. By unpacking each character"s psychological interactions and its association with the social trend of the period, the article will highlight several key historical movements throughout the „60"s Britain, such as feminism, gay liberation, the rising importance of youth subculture and sexual liberation. The article will argue that by depicting the characters" personal anxieties, sexual frustrations and longing, Tippett hints the side effects of the optimistic social revolutions, which swiped across the western society during the 1960"s.