Grotowski's relationship to the dramatic text is complicated; although he disregards the playwright's intentions, he also considers the text a framework of already-established, cultural signposts on which the director is to build his own version of the show. In Towards a Poor Theatre, Grotowski elaborates on his relationship to the classic text:

Ludwik Flaszen points out that “Grotowski took Wyspiański's drama and fashioned a montage, with fragments, scenes, and with the concentration camp. So, there was a script of sorts, although this script made no sense as a drama, because the whole structure was destroyed in it.” Thus, the outline of Wyspiański's drama serves as a departure point for skewed transpositions of themes, symbols and metaphors.