Smrt Smail-age Čengića

Mažuranić literary shaped his view of the death of the Turkish tyrant Smail-aga into an epic poem consisting of five cantos: Agovanje, Noćnik, Četa, Harač and Kob. Through a real historical event, the writer depicted the Turkish tyrant Smail-aga, his heartless tyranny over the Montenegrins, and their revenge and Aga's deserved death. The poem summarizes the entire past of the Croats and South Slavs through four centuries of struggle with the Turks and emphasizes the necessity of fighting for the highest human ideals – love for humanity, freedom and homeland.