The guilt (Müllner)

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Data
Title: The blame
Genus: Tragedy
Original language: German
Author: Adolph Muellner
Publishing year: 1816
Premiere: April 27, 1813
Place of premiere: Burgtheater , Vienna
Place and time of the action: a count's castle on the North Sea coast of the Scandinavian peninsula, time indefinite
people
  • Hugo , Count of Oerindur
  • Elvire , his wife
  • Jerta , Countess of Oerindur, unmarried
  • Don Valeros , Grand of Castile, Knight of the Golden Fleece
  • Otto , Elviren's son by first marriage, Valero's grandson
  • Kolbert , valet of Count Hugo
  • Holm , groom of Count Hugo

Guilt is a tragedy in four acts by Adolph Müllner . It was premiered on April 27, 1813 at the Burgtheater in Vienna and printed in 1816 by Göschen in Leipzig, after which it saw several new editions. The tragedy is a prototype of the fateful drama , which was very popular as a genre between 1810 and 1830.

content

The action is limited in time to one day and locally to the castle of Count Hugo Oerindur in Scandinavia.

first act

Elvire (a Spaniard by marriage) is anxiously waiting for her husband Hugo to return from the hunt. Her harp falls from her hand and a string breaks, which she interprets as a bad omen. Jerta, Hugo's sister, tries to calm Elvire down. Elvire has already lost a husband, Karlos, the father of her son Otto. Elvire grudgingly admits that she already knew and loved Hugo when Karlos was still alive. Spaniards arrive at the castle and the groom Holm reports that Hugo brilliantly killed a wild boar despite a precarious fight.

Second act

Hugo was raised in Scandinavia but was born in Spain. He attributes it to the fact that his mind fluctuates between northern cold and southern heat. Hugo reveals to Jerta that he is not her biological brother. The real son of her parents Edwin and Hanna died in Spain. In his place, Jerta's mother has adopted Hugo, a Spanish boy who has been given away by his mother. This fact was initially kept secret from Jerta's father, who then declared him the legal heir of the Oerindur house on his death. As an adult, Hugo was drawn to his Spanish homeland, where he met Elvire, who was initially still married, and with whom he eventually returned to the north. Hugo and Elvire shudder to remember that today is the death of their first husband, Karlos, who allegedly committed suicide. The Spanish visitor Don Valero, who arrived, then surprisingly turns out to be Karlos' father, who was governor in the West Indies for a few years, but has since returned to Europe. He does not believe in the suicide of his son Karlos and is looking for the real culprit.

Third act

Little Otto tells his grandfather Valeros that his father Karlos and Hugo were best friends and that Hugo even saved his life once, but that both of them were angry with each other. Valeros already suspects Hugo, but after talking to him he is convinced of his true friendship with his son. While all the main characters are present, Valeros tells the story of a Spaniard named Laura who refused a gift to a begging gypsy, whereupon she was prophesied bad things for her children. Fearing that her second-born son might actually harm her first, she gives him (who was originally called Otto) to a German countess and tells her husband (who is Valeros himself, it turns out) that the son has died. Now it turns out that Hugo is really Valeros' biological son. Then Hugo is suddenly taken aback and describes himself as Cain . He admits to murdering Karlos, which, according to Valeros' report, makes him a fratricide.

Fourth act

Elvire confesses to Jerta that she is also partly to blame, because she irritated Hugo and got involved with him and also put him indirectly on Karlos. The desperate Hugo considers spending his life fighting the enemy army that is attacking the kingdom. Just as he is halfway cool again, Valeros appears and wants to avenge his son Karlos by challenging Hugo to a duel. Elvire intervenes. The three confess their share of the guilt for the tragic event and reconcile, Valeros and Hugo embrace as father and son. They collectively decide to return to Spain to find peace. When Valeros leaves them alone, Elvire and Hugo commit suicide.

literature

  • Herbert Kraft : The fate drama. Interpretation and criticism of a literary series. Tübingen: Niemeyer 1974. pp. 35-83.
  • Adolph Müllner: The caliber. From the papers of a detective. Leipzig 1829. (This detective novella - digitized on Wikisource - contains mottos with quotations from Müllner's dramas (in addition to the guilt also from the Albanian woman ), without naming the author (whose knowledge the readers could assume). About the drama Guilt is even spoken of by two characters - see p. 132 in the first edition .)

expenditure

Individual evidence