Blind charged
A comedy by August von Kotzebue is blindly loaded in one act.
content
Wilhelmine has two admirers, Captain von Thal and Rittmeister von Blum, good friends of each other. When her father urges Wilhelmine to choose one, she comes up with the following plan: It should be given to the one who manages that the other voluntarily vacates the field, i.e. crosses the boundaries of the property.
Thal and Blume try different tricks to lure the other over the border or to drive them to flight. The first thing they do is bribe each other's servants so that they can spread bad news that will drive away the rival. In the further action, Thal challenges his rival to a duel with pistols due to the shame he has suffered . Thal misses, Blum hits, and Thal collapses. As he dies, he confides Wilhelmine to his friend and asks him to flee before he is caught - dueling is the death penalty.
As soon as Blum is gone, Thal reveals the ruse: the pistols were only loaded with powder. Thal is unharmed and has won Wilhelmine for herself.
environment
In a preliminary remark about the printed piece, Kotzebue states that the idea for it was given to him by a friend. He does this to protect himself from others later accusing him of plagiarism . According to his (also valid today) view, an idea cannot be protected in itself, only the processed idea, for example in the form of a play.
literature
- Kotzebue, August from: Theater. 33rd and 34th volume in one. Vienna: Lechner 1833/1830.