Egmont (Goethe)

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Egmont is a tragedy by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . The author began working on the drama in 1775 but didn't finish it until 1787. It was first published in 1788. The premiere took place on January 9, 1789 in Mainz . The tragedy requires incidental music . Ludwig van Beethoven's composition from 1810 ( Opus 84 ) was particularly well-known and influential, but it is performed more often in the concert hall than as incidental music.

The drama is set in Brussels from 1566 to 1568 against the backdrop of the beginning of the Eighty Years War , but in Goethe's realization the events are condensed into a shorter period of time. The figure of Egmont was modeled on the historical Lamoral by Egmond .

Origin and historical sources

According to Goethe's own statements in his autobiography Poetry and Truth , he began to write down Egmont in autumn 1775, that is, while he was still in Frankfurt, where he could also use his father's library. However, the work dragged on. From his letters to Charlotte von Stein and his diaries it can be seen that he worked on the drama in Weimar for years with interruptions. In December 1781 he wrote to von Stein for the first time: “My 'Egmont' will be ready soon”, but complained of difficulties with the fourth act, “which I hate and have to rewrite”. It bothered him that the work had been lying around for so long: “If I still had to write it, I would write it differently, and maybe not at all”, he was bothered by the “student-like manner”, which in his twenties he believed was undermined, although he still regarded the Egmont as a "wonderful piece". But even in June 1786 it was still a fragment. It was only during his Italian trip in 1787 that he finally managed to complete the drama; He reported on this success in the Italian trip . He sent the work to Weimar in September 1787 and received various feedback from friends. In June 1788 it was finally available in print, namely, together with Claudine von Villa Bella and Erwin and Elmire , as the fifth part of Goethe's Complete Writings in the GJ Göschen'schen Verlagbuchhandlung . Goethe had therefore spent twelve years writing the text, albeit with long breaks. The first performance followed in Mainz in 1789.

Goethe used two older works as historical sources, namely De bello Belgico (On the Belgian War), a work by the Jesuit Famianus Strada from 1632, which describes the events from a Catholic point of view, and an accurate and complete historical description of the Dutch War , written by the Antwerp Emanuel van Meteren , a Protestant account that had been in German since 1604. Strada's work in particular contained incidents that Goethe used for his play, such as a report on a conversation between Egmont and Orange, which formed the nucleus for the second scene of the second act. Strada also casually mentions a “Macchiavell” among the advisors of Margarete von Parma, certainly the role model for Machiavell in the drama, to which Goethe, however, probably bestowed traits of Niccolò Machiavelli , who lived a hundred years earlier and is much better known . In general, Goethe dealt with the sources relatively freely if it seemed necessary to him. For example, he made Egmont, who was married to Alba at the time of the confrontation and had several children, into a single, unbound man, omitted important historical figures (such as Philippe de Montmorency, Count von Hoorn , who was executed together with Egmont) and added them instead free inventions, according to Egmont's conversation with Ferdinand, Alba's son.

content

Egmont takes place in the city of Brussels during the uprising of the Dutch from 1566–1568 against Spanish rule ; the end of the tragedy historically corresponds to the beginning of the Eighty Years' War . At that time Brussels, like all of Belgium and Holland, was ruled by the Spanish crown. Sections of the Dutch nobility ( Geusen ) allied with the Protestants to end the religious and political oppression by the Spaniards. The drama thematizes the fall of the Dutch Count Egmont von Gavre, who, together with William of Orange, is at the head of the aristocratic opposition. Egmont is very popular with its citizens and is loyal to the Spanish crown, although in their opinion it does not act tough enough against the Calvinist iconoclasts . In his naivety he falls into the clutches of the Duke of Alba . Until shortly before his death he underestimated the danger that the Spaniards pose. In contrast to Orange, he therefore did not flee from Alba. When Alba arrived in Brussels, he set up the blood council to ensure order . Egmont's lover Clärchen makes a desperate attempt to free the imprisoned opposition member, but when she faces the failure of her plan, she commits suicide. Egmont himself is ultimately sentenced to death for high treason .

action

First elevator

First Scene

The first scene takes place in a square in Brussels. There are the citizens of Brussels Jetter and Soest as well as Buyck, a soldier under Egmont. The invalid Ruysum joins them later. The people of Brussels organize a shooting game with a crossbow, and in the course of the conversation they have with one another they express the admiration they feel for Count Egmont. He inspired the people with his brilliant shooting skills and excellent military achievements. However , they are not particularly fond of the Spanish King Philip II . Ruysum praises the competence of his father, Charles V , who was much more popular than his son. However, Philip II, who brought the Inquisition into the country and instituted ecclesiastical courts, is not completely rejected by the citizens. You primarily complain about the inadequate competence of his advisors.

Citizens are also divided on Margaret of Parma , who was installed as regent over the Netherlands by her half-brother Philip II. While Soest is defending it, Jetter criticizes that it is partly to blame for the fact that fourteen new dioceses were established in the country. The creation of these dioceses not only enriches the Church; it also makes religious matters much stricter. With the inquisition and the new ecclesiastical court, the bishops are supposed to ensure that fewer people turn to the new religion. Jetter also complains that the citizens are no longer allowed to sing the new psalms. Many church chants in Latin are also held and are therefore incomprehensible.

Wilhelm of Orange is also mentioned in the conversation with praise.

Second scene

The second scene takes place in the palace of the regent Margaret of Parma , who at the beginning of the scene sends Machiavell for her advisor and minister. Before Machiavell joins, she gives a monologue in which she reveals that "the thought of these terrible incidents" leaves her with no peace. Knowing that her position as regent is in jeopardy, she is forced to update the Spanish court of recent events. After she asked the tolerant Machiavell, who has since joined, for advice, he advises her, instead of suppressing the new teachings, to separate them from the "orthodox" in their own churches and to tolerate them publicly. That would have put the rioters to rest at once. Margarete replied that Philip II was by no means willing to tolerate the new doctrine, and she did not dare to oppose him, although Machiavell insisted.

Margarete then turns to Egmont. She mentions to Machiavell that Egmont "caused her a very deep inner annoyance today", namely "through indifference and carelessness". He would have said to her: “If only the Dutch were reassured about their constitution!” Egmont wanted to say that one had to comply with the constitution in order to avoid unrest. Margarete is annoyed that Egmont and Orange give their citizens so much freedom. Machiavell replied: “Perhaps he spoke truer than cleverly and piously. [...] All governorships are still occupied by Dutch; Can't the Spaniards notice too clearly that they have the greatest, most irresistible desire for these positions? ”Margarete notes that both Egmont and Orange have high hopes of receiving the office they now hold and she fears the close friendship that binds the two men. She says of Orange: "Orange thinks nothing good, his thoughts reach far away, he is secret, seems to accept everything, never contradicts, and in deep awe, with the greatest caution he does what he pleases." Both Machiavell and the regent consider Egmont to be arrogant and arrogant. Margaret of Parma also fears Egmont's ties to the nobility. She believes the aristocrats could support Egmont if he plans an uprising. She also fears that Egmont and Orange will unite and fight them, after all they are Dutch and against Spanish rule.

Machiavell asks the regent not to interpret Egmont's frivolity as too dangerous. He rates him as loyal to the king. She replies: “His Dutch nobility and his golden fleece in front of his chest strengthen his confidence and his daring. Both can protect him from a quick, arbitrary displeasure on the part of the king. ”Indeed, Egmont feels personally protected by the Spanish king because of the golden fleece. The scene ends with Margarete announcing that she would like to summon a council and that she has already sent to Orange.

Third scene

The third scene of the first act takes place in a town house that is occupied by Egmont's lover Clare (“Clärchen”) and her mother. The citizen's son Brackenburg is also present. Finally Brackenburg gets up, goes to the window and sees the regent's bodyguard. As he goes downstairs, Clare confesses to her mother that she cheated on Brackenburg. In reality she is in love with Egmont. Clare's mother is not particularly enthusiastic about her liaison with Egmont, but Clare points to Egmont's undeniable fame. The mother does not want the relationship with Egmont to be known. Brackenburg then returns and informs the two women about the tumult in Flanders. Then they say goodbye. In a subsequent monologue, Brackenburg reveals that he has heard rumors about the relationship between Clare and Egmont. He picks up a vial that apparently contains poison, but does not drink it.

second elevator

First Scene

A couple of hours have passed between the first and second lifts. In a square in Brussels, Jetter and a carpenter are talking; later Soest, Vansen, a soap boiler and other citizens join them. It turns out that some churches in Flanders have been looted and destroyed by iconoclasts. The situation for the citizens has come to a head and there are rumors that Margaret of Parma is trying to flee the city. Vansen, who is scorned by his fellow citizens because of his drunkenness and the resulting unsteady working life, tells of the old constitution of the Dutch and emphasizes that earlier the people would have had even more power. Finally an argument breaks out, but after a short time Egmont appears and immediately ensures calm. He scolds the citizens and asks those present about their trades. At the end Egmont closes with the words: "Stand firmly against foreign teachings and do not believe that rioting strengthens privileges."

Second scene

The second scene takes place in Egmont's apartment, where Egmont is expected by a secretary. When Egmont arrives, the secretary shows him a few letters in which various misdeeds are reported. Egmont imposes more or less mild sentences on all evildoers and tries to protect widows, abused women and old soldiers. Finally the secretary leaves and Wilhelm von Oranien appears in his place, who recently had a conversation with Egmont with Margaret of Parma. Egmont does not believe that Margarete will carry out her threat to give up her position and leave the city. He cannot imagine that she will give up her position and then have to take on an insignificant role at the court of her half-brother. He is also convinced that a possible successor to Margarete would immediately struggle with a lot of problems and would quickly despair. Orange, on the other hand, considers it quite possible that the king could appoint someone else as regent and that the latter would then establish a much stricter Spanish regiment. Orange also believes that Philip II wants to take action against the Dutch princes and, unlike Egmont, he has no doubts that the Spanish king could have the people he disliked executed without first ordering an investigation into the case. Egmont thinks this is impossible; he is convinced that no one will dare to act against him in this way. He also believes that the people stand by their princes and that injustice towards them will not go unpunished.

Orange informs Egmont that the Duke of Alba is on his way and he is convinced that Margaret of Parma will hand over her position to the Duke. He knows, presumably through spies, that Alba is bringing an army. Orange suggests that Egmont flee to his province and to prepare himself there, and advises him not to pay his respects to Alba. However, Egmont does not listen to his advice; he believes such an escape could spark a war. Finally, Orange takes leave of Egmont in tears. He is convinced that Egmont will be executed by Alba if he does not flee, and once again urges him to flee. But his words have only a very fleeting effect on Egmont; he does not allow Orange's hints that Philip II wanted to eliminate the Dutch nobility, not close.

third elevator

First Scene

The first scene takes place again in the palace of the regent, who is very reluctant to abdicate. Machiavell appears, and Margaret reveals the contents of a letter supposedly written by Philip II. The letter says that Philip II sent her the Duke of Alba with an army. Margarete detests Alba: "Everyone is a blasphemer with him, a molester: because from this chapter one can cycle, stake, quarter and burn them all at once." Margarete von Parma also believes that Alba suppress them secretly and subliminally through secret instructions wants to come to power. Finally she tells Machiavell that she will actually abdicate: “Let him come; I'll make room for him in the best possible way before he ousts me. "

Second scene

In Clärchen's apartment, Clärchen and her mother are discussing Brackenburg. The mother emphasizes the love that Brackenburg has for Clärchen and says that he suspects something of her daughter's liaison with Egmont. She also believes that Brackenburg wants to marry Clärchen. She tries to get her daughter to see reason: “Youth and beautiful love, everything has its end; And there comes a time when you thank God when you can crawl somewhere. ”With tears, Clärchen confesses that she cannot part with Egmont. Her lover appears shortly afterwards. After his mother has left, Egmont throws off his coat and stands there in Spanish clothes, which Clärchen admires very much. Egmont not only wants to impress Clare with these clothes, but also to emphasize his loyalty to Philip II. However, he also put on these clothes because he also wants to prove his loyalty to the king to Alba, whom he is about to visit. Egmont shows Clärchen the golden fleece, of which he says: “Yes, child! and chain and mark give the most noble freedom to those who wear them. I do not recognize any judge on earth for my actions as the grand master of the order with the assembled chapter of knights. "

The couple turned to Margaret of Parma. Egmont thinks she is an “excellent woman” who people know. However, he does not like the fact that she always looks for secrets behind his behavior, although he has none. In the end, Egmont Clärchen reveals that he combines two completely different halves of character. The Egmont, who is known from politics, “is a sullen, stiff, cold Egmont who has to hold on to himself, soon this face, soon that; is troubled, misunderstood, entangled when people consider him happy and cheerful; loved by a people who don't know what they want [...]. But this one, Clärchen, is calm, open, happy, loved and known [...]. This is your Egmont! ”He is not very open towards Clärchen, however, because he cannot discuss his problems with her.

Fourth elevator

First Scene

Alba has meanwhile arrived in Brussels. He came to get rid of the Dutch princes. Officially, he is supposed to check whether they can create order on site. Jetter and the master carpenter meet on the street. The latter reveals to Jetter that as soon as he arrived, the Duke of Alba ordered that two or three people who talk to each other on the street should be found guilty of high treason without investigation. Under the death penalty no one should disapprove of government actions. Only obedient people are spared. Soest steps up and says that Margarete is gone. People are scared and therefore only meet in secret; At the same time, however, they are grateful that at least Egmont is still there. Vansen, who has also joined the comrades, is confident that they will not suffer too much under Alba's rule. He sticks to his convictions, wants to stimulate the Reformation and is the only one who believes that Egmont could be lured into an ambush or even laid a hand on him. Vansen also suspects that one day Alba will adopt an easy lifestyle. The citizens of Brussels implicitly indicate to each other that they will not necessarily help Egmont if it gets into trouble.

Second scene

The second scene takes place in the apartment of the Duke of Alba in the Culenburg Palace. Silva and Gomez, two of the Duke's servants, are talking. You have received some orders from Alba, but you do not know exactly what Alba is up to. All they know is that Alba has invited all the princes to greet them and assign them their duties. Ferdinand, an illegitimate son of Alba, enters and announces that the Princes of Orange and Egmont will soon be there. The Duke of Alba also appears and asks if Gomez had distributed and ordered the guards. Then he sends Gomez to the gallery. Silva would tell him the moment when Gomez should have the entrances to the palace manned with guards. Alba orders Silva to take Egmont's secret secretary prisoner as soon as the princes have entered him.

In the conversation that followed between Ferdinand and his father, it becomes clear that Ferdinand admires Egmont very much. Alba orders his son to have any entrance to the palace occupied as soon as the princes have entered. Ferdinand is supposed to keep watch at the gate and in the courtyards. The young man admits that he has a heavy heart to obey, but he has to pass his father to the test. Ferdinand does not yet know that Egmont will die. Silva enters again and reports that Orange will not come now.

After Alba has been left alone, Egmont appears and greets the Duke with the words: “I come to hear the king's orders; to hear what service he demands of our loyalty, which will remain forever devoted to him. "Alba replies that the king would like to hear Egmont's advice:" Your advice, the king wants your opinion on how to satisfy these states again. Yes, he hopes you will do your best to calm this unrest and to establish the order of the provinces completely and permanently. ”Finally, a dispute breaks out between the men in which it becomes clear, among other things, that they have completely different ideas about freedom. Alba believes that those who are subject to the king are free and stresses that a people given too much freedom will ally themselves with the enemy. Egmont notes that the people have quite good will, while Alba regards the people as childish. In addition, Alba wants to cruelly punish the rebels, while Egmont wants to forgive them. Incidentally, Alba is against the old constitution, while Egmont is in favor of maintaining the same constitution.

At the end of the conversation, Alba has Egmont captured. After a short pause, the latter exclaims: “The king? - Orange! Orange! ”He now understood that Orange had warned him against this measure.

Fifth elevator

First Scene

Brackenburg, Clärchen and some citizens meet on the street. Clärchen wants to do everything possible to free Egmont from captivity. She is convinced that the citizens of Egmont will thank Egmont for his exploits by freeing him; after all, he once won two battles for her. Clärchen suspects, however, that her lover is doomed to die: "The cheeky tyranny, who dares to tie him up, shrugs the dagger to murder him." However, the citizens of Brussels make no move to support Clärchen, and even Brackenburg tries to to make them repent. Clärchen desperately tries to win over the citizens of Brussels: "With his breath the last breath of freedom flees." The citizens finally leave, and Brackenburg tries again to persuade Clärchen to turn back, especially since he has also discovered Alba's watch. Ultimately, Clärchen accompanies Brackenburg home.

Second scene

Egmont has now been incarcerated and cannot sleep. He hates the dungeon and longs for freedom. Egmont already suspects that he will be sentenced to death: “I feel it, it's the sound of the murder ax nibbling at my roots. [...] crashes and shatters your crown. "His hope has not yet completely vanished:" Oh yes, they are moving by the thousands! they are coming! stand by my side! Your pious wish rushes urgently to heaven, he asks for a miracle. ”He relies on the justice of Philip II, the friendship of Margaret of Parma, Orange, the people and Clärchen. Above all, Egmont hopes for the support of the people. But then he doubts whether the people will really help him. Egmont also hopes that his death will give the provinces their freedom. Finally he thinks he sees an angel in front of him, in whom he recognizes Clärchen.

Third scene

Clärchen is waiting for Brackenburg to tell her whether Egmont has actually been convicted. She is utterly desperate because she couldn't help her lover. Brackenburg reports to Clärchen that the city's major streets are full. He confirms that Egmont has been convicted. At the same time, he admits that he always envied Egmont: "He was the rich man and lured the poor only sheep over to the better pasture." Brackenburg adds that the guards have already set up the scaffold on the market square. Desperate, Clärchen commits suicide because she wants to be reunited with Egmont in heaven.

Fourth scene

Egmont is just asleep on the couch when Ferdinand and Silva come in to give him his verdict. Egmont grows angry at the fact that he will not only be sentenced during the night but also executed. Silva replies: “You are wrong! What righteous judges decide they will not hide from the face of the day. "He reads the judgment:" [...] that you are led out of the dungeon to the market at the dawn of the morning, and there in front of the face of the people should be brought from life to death with the sword in order to warn all traitors. ”Egmont has been convicted of high treason against the king without a proper trial. Silva then leaves, while Ferdinand stays behind. Egmont believes that Ferdinand lured him into the net, but his counterpart replies to his tirade: “Your allegations weigh like a slap on a helmet; I feel the shock, but I am armed. ”Later, Egmont's anger evaporates and it becomes clear that the two men share a deep emotional friendship. In the course of the conversation it becomes clear that Alba has gone his own way and not necessarily followed the will of the king.

After all, Egmont no longer assumes that Ferdinand could save him; Incidentally, he would rather have died a glorious death. Ferdinand says goodbye, and Egmont sits down on the couch again when music can be heard. He falls asleep and dreams of the last political success his death will bring. In his dream there is an allegory of victory and freedom: “Behind his camp, the wall seems to be opening up, a shiny appearance appears. The freedom in heavenly garb, surrounded by a clarity, rests on a cloud. She has the features of Clärchen and leans towards the sleeping hero. She expresses a feeling of regret, she seems to complain about him. Soon she composed herself and with an encouraging gesture she showed him the bundle of arrows, then the staff with the hat. She tells him to be happy, and by suggesting that his death will give the provinces freedom, she recognizes him as the victor and hands him a laurel wreath. ”When Egmont wakes up, he has a positive assessment of his death, and now he has Feeling that he is dying for the freedom of his people. This feeling had given him the meeting with Ferdinand.

While military music is getting louder in the background, a number of Spanish soldiers appear. Egmont is not afraid of them, however. The piece ends with the instruction "As he goes to the guard and walks towards the back door, the curtain falls: the music falls and closes the piece with a victory symphony."

Historical connections

Once there was war, and Spain under the Habsburgs had occupied the Netherlands. The Catholic Habsburgs try to counteract the Reformation ideas of Christianity - Calvinism , Lutheranism . New church laws come into force, and the Inquisition begins with the fact that some psalms are no longer allowed to be sung.

The Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries

The 16th century was marked by numerous social and economic changes for the European countries. Among other things, the Netherlands gained independence from Spain.

The Habsburg Maximilian of Austria married Mary of Burgundy in 1477 , so that from now on the Netherlands was under the rule of the House of Habsburg. Maximilian, who was crowned King of Rome in 1486 and who in 1493 after the death of Frederick III. came to power, his marriage policy, among other things, was able to tie Spain to his house. His grandson Charles V , who succeeded him to the throne, became king of Spain and the Netherlands at the same time. At the end of the 16th century, however, a crisis loomed. New religious currents gained in importance and the Dutch people began to rebel against Catholicism. In addition, the Dutch were dissatisfied with the absolutist Spanish government. Another problem was the great distance between King Philip II and his country, which offered a lot of space for the opposing forces in the Netherlands. In this crisis situation, some aristocrats turned to the governor Margaret of Parma and pleaded for the sparing of "heretics" of other faiths.

The situation escalated and the so-called iconoclasm began in the churches. Philip II sent an army, which arrived in the Netherlands almost a year later, when the situation had calmed down again. With the Spanish army came the Duke of Alba, who set up the so-called "Blood Council". With William of Orange's attempt to occupy Brabant, the Eighty Years War began in 1568.

Historical people who appear in Egmont

Several characters appear in Egmont who actually lived, namely:

Philip II

King Philip II of Spain (1527–1598) does not appear personally in the drama, but is mentioned in many places. Just like his historical role model, he is the oldest and only surviving legitimate son of Charles V and his wife Isabella of Portugal . In 1555/56, after his father's abdication, he inherited the Kingdom of Spain and the Netherlands, among other things. After his father transferred power in the Netherlands, Philip II lived there until August 1559. In 1581 the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands declared itself independent from the Spanish king.

Lamoral from Egmond

Lamoral Graf von Egmond (1522–1568) came from an old Dutch noble family and carried the title of Prince of Gaure. He spent his childhood and youth at the court of Charles V, with whom he had a close relationship. Since Egmond was made knight of the golden fleece, he belonged to the elite circle of the high nobility, with which Karl maintained good relations. Under Charles V and Philip II, he fought for Spain in 1557 at Saint Quentin and in 1558 at Gravelingen , earning much fame. Since 1545 Egmond was with Sabine von Bayern, a sister of the Elector Friedrich III. , married. The couple had eleven children. Both Egmond and Orange hoped that Philip II would give them reign over the Netherlands. But then Margarethe von Parma got this post. Egmond administered the provinces of Flanders and Artois, where he campaigned to restore order when the iconoclasm broke out in 1566. In the meantime Philip II was preparing a secret military invasion in which he sent the Duke of Alba ahead with high powers and pre-signed death sentences. Alba arrived in Brussels in August 1567. In contrast to William of Orange, Egmond trusted the wicked Alba, believing in the right disposition of the king. In September 1567, Alba had Egmond arrested after an interview. In January 1568 Egmond was accused of high treason and beheaded on June 5 of the same year in Brussels.

Egmond initially had a good relationship with Alba, he was his advisor.

William of Orange

William of Orange (1533–1584) was a Dutch prince who, along with Egmond, belonged to the opposition. He was considered his counterpart in character, which was reflected, among other things, in the fact that he behaved politically more deliberate and was more cautious in his criticism of the Spaniards and the Inquisition. Egmont, who was popular with the people, remained unconcerned. Thanks to its spies at the Spanish court, Orange saw through the plans of Philip II and the intrigues of the Duke of Alba. However, Egmont did not believe his warnings that Spain was determined to have the leading heads of the aristocratic opposition liquidated. Orange distrusted Alba and fled from him to his possessions in Germany.

Margaret of Parma

Margarethe of Parma (1522–1586) was the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1559 to 1567. She was an illegitimate daughter of Charles V and the Flemish Johanna van der Gheynst and, in contrast to many other illegitimate children, was recognized by her father as a "natural" daughter. Charles V put Margarethe on an equal footing with his legitimate children, which was unusual at the time. Margarethe was also a half-sister of Philip II of Spain. In 1559 she became his successor by taking over the position of governor - Philip II stayed almost always in Spain. Margarethe had been brought up as a Flemish anyway and was therefore well suited for this post. Margarethe tried to enforce the Inquisition in the Netherlands. In 1567 the Duke of Alba appeared with extensive powers, so that Margaret of Parma only led her office as a mere title. She soon gave up this too and returned to her husband in Italy in December 1567.

Duke of Alba

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba (1507–1582) came from a high Spanish aristocratic family and was appointed governor of the Netherlands by Philip II in 1567 because of the revolt of the Dutch. Alba was supposed to crush the uprising of the Dutch with extreme severity. He had Count Egmond executed by beheading in Brussels. Alba, who always acted in a harsh and tyrannical manner against his subjects, was compelled to give up his post in 1572. After his release he left the Netherlands in 1573.

Quote

  • For winged word , the "sky high shouting to (m) death saddened" was made Clärchens song in the Third Elevator :

Be joyful and sorrowful, thoughtful;
Long and anxious in pending agony;
Exulting heavily, sad to death;
Happy alone is the soul that loves.

... to which her mother replies: Leave the Heiopopeio.

  • Prison 5th act 2nd elevator (He sits down on the couch. Music.):

Sweet sleep! Like pure happiness, you come most willingly, uninvited, unrequested. You untie the knots of strict thoughts,
mix up all the images of joy and pain; The circle of inner harmonies flows unhindered, and enveloped in pleasing madness, we sink and cease to be.

Egmont and Clärchen, drawing by Angelika Kauffmann for the copper engraving used for the title of the first edition

music

The text contains several stage directions that call for music. This does not only apply to the two songs that Klärchen has to sing. In the 5th act, the music plays an important role closely related to the progress of the plot. At the end of the third scene, Klärchen and Brackenburg leave the stage, the set remains "unchanged" and is lit by a lamp that is still on. The death of Klärchen is neither reported nor shown, but is represented by a “music that characterizes Klärchen's death”. In the fourth scene music is played after Ferdinand has left and Egmont has started his monologue; it then also accompanies “his slumber” and above all the appearance of Klärchen, which is realized not through words but through pantomime . And immediately after Egmont's last words, when the curtain falls, a “victory symphony” is planned to conclude the drama. Wolfgang Kayser comments: "The drama Egmont is thus an attempt to create a connection between dramatic words and music", enhanced by the silent "language of expressive movements and symbolic or allegorical objects" and the "fully played pantomime".

Even before the drama went to print, Goethe asked his friend, the composer Philipp Christoph Kayser , in a letter from Rome on August 14, 1787, to write a piece of music for Egmont . He would have liked to have “displayed” it at the same time as the print edition; he would have preferred to “have it with the fifth volume [of the Complete Writings, i. H. the first edition of the drama] to the audience ”. Kayser probably complied with the composition, but the first edition lacks a reference to his music. This is believed to have been lost and there is no evidence that it was ever performed. Another composition commission went to Johann Friedrich Reichardt , whose incidental music was actually used in 1801 for a Berlin performance of Egmont ; Of course, this was an adaptation of the drama that Friedrich Schiller had undertaken. Only fragments of this incidental music have survived.

In 1809 Ludwig van Beethoven was asked by the Vienna Burgtheater to set the piece to music. Beethoven, a great admirer of Goethe, accepted with pleasure and is even said to have waived the fee of the theater management. The overture to his theatrical music is world-famous.

Reception and performance history

Schiller's review

On September 20, 1788, the Jenaer Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung published a review of the drama published in June. Like all reviews of the periodical, this one was not signed by name, but the author is known: Friedrich Schiller. The tenor is pretty mixed. Schiller counted Goethe's tragedy among those works that derive their unifying moment and interest for the reader from the character of the hero. He remarked that Goethe managed to arouse “fear and pity” for Egmont's character, as is necessary for a tragedy , not through Egmont's extraordinary deeds, but through his “beautiful humanity”. But Schiller added a clear criticism of Goethe's treatment of character: Egmont simply had too little “size and seriousness” to arouse real interest in his human “weaknesses”. He does not accomplish a “brilliant deed”, one only learns of his heroic deeds from hearsay; in a politically tense situation he can think of nothing better than to visit his lover to "bathe away the pensive wrinkles". Schiller considered this to be a serious defect in Goethe's construction: "We are not used to giving away our pity."

Goethe, so Schiller further, would have had a much better means at his disposal to arouse participation for his hero if he had not violated the "historical truth". Had he drawn Egmont as a husband and family man, as he actually was, his behavior would have been much easier to motivate. Instead of the “touching picture of a father, a loving husband”, Goethe gave the readers “a lover of a very ordinary kind” who “destroys the calm of a lovable girl”. Schiller's criticism of the historical inaccuracies of the Egmont was certainly also due to the fact that he himself was active as a historian and was about to complete his story of the descent of the United Netherlands by the Spanish government , which dealt exactly with the historical material of the drama; more significant, however, is that he lacked any serious and credible tragic motivation for the hero.

The reviewer, on the other hand, was enthusiastic about Goethe's ability to dramatically characterize and reproduce the political situation. Schiller particularly praised the folk scenes, which “seemed to be the result of a deep study of those times and that people”, and also admired the depiction of those involved in politics, from Margarethe to Orange to Alba. Figures like Ferdinand, Brackenburg and Klärchen are excellently drawn and very suitable to arouse emotion in the readers. However, the end of the drama spoils a lot, namely Klärchen's appearance. “In the middle of the truest and most touching situation, we are transported through a somersault into an opera world to see a dream .” Goethe succumbed to the temptation to come up with a “ funny idea” and thus “willfully” made it so successful and destroys skillfully evoked dramatic illusion.

Goethe's reaction can be found in a letter dated October 1, 1788 to his sovereign and employer, Duke Karl August . He said that the review had "broken down the moral part of the play well", that is, it fully captured the political and moral side of the drama, but did not sufficiently appreciate the poetic dimension.

First performances

The first performance of the Egmont took place on January 9, 1789 in Mainz, under the direction of the director of the Mainz-Frankfurt National Theater, Siegfried Gotthelf Eckardt , who carried the stage name Koch . Koch himself also played the title role of Egmont. David G. John has shown that, contrary to earlier assumptions, the tragedy was by no means given in the version that Goethe had printed. In Oscar Fambach's Bonn collection of historical theater materials, there are two theater reviews of the premiere that John evaluated. One of them states: “The Clärchen apparition scene had to stay away, of course.” This was noticed by the audience and acknowledged with displeasure, since the play, “reprinted cheaply by us, ... was in the hands of all viewers”. As John notes, it was customary at the time for the auditorium to remain lit; it could therefore be meant that the audience even read along during the performance. A second criticism even complained about an “extraordinary mutilation” of the tragedy. Many political passages, especially those dealing with “compulsion to conscience” and the “new doctrine”, have been deleted - possibly out of consideration for censorship , as John suspects. But aesthetic points of view were also cited: Klärchen was not allowed to “die beautifully, like the poet, behind the curtain”, but had to “rush into prison because Egmont is being led to the scaffold”, which has weakened the impression of Egmont's last words. As a result, the director had built in a completely new scene that is not found in Goethe. When it was performed in Frankfurt on May 15, 1789, it was essentially the same production with the same participants, and there should have been only insignificant changes.

In March 1791 there were two performances at the Weimar Theater by the theater company Joseph Bellomo , shortly before Goethe himself took over the management of the house, now known as the Weimar Court Theater . But Bellomo's staging and play were not a success either. The annals of the theater brought a devastating criticism of the acting performance: “It was terrible to see the eruptions of the dramatic art in this play. Woe to the author whose masterpiece falls into the hands of such dramatic day-winners! and woe to him who has to watch the misery! ”Goethe, who had placed some hopes on the Egmont not only as a reading drama but also as a play, was disappointed.

Schiller's adaptation

Since 1791, Goethe himself had a theater, the Weimar Court Theater. Since, after the previous disappointments, he was interested in receiving a performable version of his Egmont and bringing it to the stage, in 1794 he asked Schiller, with whom he had established friendly relations, to edit the tragedy for the theater. This did not happen until 1796, when August Wilhelm Iffland , then one of the most famous German actors, accepted an invitation from Goethe to Weimar. Goethe would have liked to win Iffland for his theater as early as 1791, but he had preferred an offer from Berlin.

In a short time, Schiller created an abbreviated and dramatically effective version of the Egmont . To do this, he shortened the play from five to three acts and deleted a number of passages that went beyond the immediate stage plot, but in particular the figure of Margaret of Parma and the appearance of Klärchen, which he had already criticized as operatic in his review. For this he had Alba appear as a masked man in the background of the final scene; He was supposed to be a wordless witness of the dialogue between Ferdinand and Egmont, and Egmont was supposed to tear the mask off his face. Egmont was performed in Schiller's adaptation on April 25, 1796 with Iffland in the title role.

Film adaptations

Radio plays

literature

  • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Egmont. A tragedy in five acts. Leipzig 1788. Edited by Joseph Kiermeier-Debre. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-423-02669-3 .
  • Ekkehart Mittelberg : Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Egmont. Text and materials. Cornelsen, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-464-60109-9 .
  • Ekkehart Mittelberg: Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Egmont. Teacher's booklet. Cornelsen, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-464-60108-0 .
  • Volkmar Braunbehrens : Egmont, the long wasted piece. In: Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Hrsg.): Text + criticism. Special volume Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Edition Text and Criticism, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-88377-108-2 , pp. 84-100.
  • Werner Schwan : Egmont's happiness fantasies and delusion. A study on Goethe's drama "Egmont". In: Yearbook of the Free German Hochstift 1986. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1986, OCLC 39264774 , pp. 61-90.
  • Jürgen Schröder : Individuality and History in the Young Goethe's Drama. In: Walter Hinck (Ed.): Sturm und Drang. A literary study book (= Athenäums study books. Literary studies ). Through New edition Athenaeum, Frankfurt am Main 1989, ISBN 3-610-02191-8 , pp. 192-212.
  • Franz-Josef Deiters : "You are only a picture". The removal of the world from history I: Johann Wolfgang Goethe's “Egmont”. In: Ders .: The de-worldization of the stage. On the mediology of the theater of the classical episteme (= Philological Studies and Sources. Vol. 252). Erich Schmidt Verlag, Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-503-16517-9 , pp. 85-106.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Kayser : Commentary on Egmont. In: Goethe's works. 14-volume special edition. Volume IV: Dramati Dichtungen II. Beck, Munich 1998 (identical to the 13th edition 1994), pp. 614–649, here: pp. 614–621. The quotations come from two letters to Charlotte von Stein dated December 12, 1781 and March 20, 1782, here quoted from Kayser, p. 615.
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Kayser: Commentary on Egmont. In: Goethe's works. 14-volume special edition. Volume IV: Dramatic Poems II. Beck, Munich 1998 (identical to the 13th edition 1994), pp. 614–649, here: pp. 633–635. The comment on Machiavell can be found in ibid., P. 647 f.
  3. ↑ Goethe, Egmont. Act 1, scene 2, p. 20.
  4. ↑ a b Goethe: Egmont. Act 1, scene 2, p. 24.
  5. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 1, scene 2, p. 25.
  6. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 1, scene 2, p. 26.
  7. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 1, scene 2, p. 28.
  8. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 2, scene 1, p. 53.
  9. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 1, p. 80.
  10. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 1, p. 81.
  11. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 2, p. 83.
  12. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 2, p. 87.
  13. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 2, p. 89.
  14. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 3, scene 2, p. 91 f.
  15. ^ Goethe: Egmont. 4th act, 1st scene, p. 98.
  16. ^ Goethe: Egmont. 4th act, 2nd scene, p. 115.
  17. ^ Goethe: Egmont. 4th act, 2nd scene, p. 127.
  18. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 1, p. 129.
  19. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 1, p. 131.
  20. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 2, p. 134 f.
  21. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 2, p. 136.
  22. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 3, p. 138 f.
  23. ↑ a b Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 4, p. 146.
  24. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 4, p. 148.
  25. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 4, p. 158.
  26. ^ Goethe: Egmont. Act 5, scene 4, p. 160.
  27. ^ Goethe: Egmont. 3rd act, 2nd scene; quoted in Georg Büchmann: Winged words. The treasure trove of quotations of the German people. 19th, increased and improved edition. Haude & Spener'sche Buchhandlung (F. Weidling), Berlin 1898, p. 163.
  28. ↑ Wolfgang Kayser: Commentary on Egmont. In: Goethe's works. 14-volume special edition. Volume IV: Dramatik Dichtungen II. Beck, Munich 1998 (identical to the 13th edition 1994), p. 614–649, here: p. 640 and p. 641.
  29. ↑ Goethe's letter is quoted from Wolfgang Kayser: Commentary on Egmont. In: Goethe's works. 14-volume special edition. Volume IV: Dramatic Seals II. Beck, Munich 1998 (identical to the 13th edition 1994), pp. 614–649, here: pp. 617 f.
  30. ^ David G. John: Images of Goethe Through Schiller's Egmont. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1998, p. 114; Annemarie Stauss: Acting and the National Question. Costume style and performance practice in the Burgtheater of the Schreyvogel and Laube era. Narr, Tübingen 2011, p. 111.
  31. ↑ See the reprint of the announcement on the occasion of the centenary of the performance in the New Theater Almanach . 13, 1902, p. 123 (online) ; Helga Lühning: Egmont op. 84. In: Heinz von Loesch, Claus Raab (ed.): The Beethoven Lexicon. Laaber Verlag, Laaber 2008, pp. 208-211.
  32. ↑ M. Struck-Schloen: Program booklet. (PDF; 638 kB) Cologne Cycle of the Vienna Philharmonic 1. (No longer available online.) KölnMusik GmbH, November 18, 2009, archived from the original on March 3, 2018 ; Retrieved on March 6, 2011 (confirms the statement that Beethoven did not ask for a fee; at the same time, the claim in Reklam's music guide that the order was placed by the publisher Härtel appears to be a mistake: the kuk Hoftheaterdirektor Joseph Hartl is explicitly the client called.).
  33. ↑ Steffan Davies: Goethe's "Egmont" in Schiller's adaptation - a joint work on the threshold of the Weimar Classic. In: Goethe yearbook. Vol. 123, 2006, pp. 13-24, here: pp. 14 f.
  34. ↑ Quoted from: Wolfgang Kayser: Commentary on Egmont. In: Goethe's works. 14-volume special edition. Volume IV: Dramatic poems II. Beck, Munich 1998 (identical to the 13th edition 1994), pp. 614–649, here: p. 621.
  35. ↑ David G. John: Images of Goethe through Schiller's Egmont. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1998, p. 128 f.
  36. ↑ David G. John: Images of Goethe through Schiller's Egmont. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1998, p. 140.
  37. ↑ Playbill. 2-GB-75_Nr-4_036 | Sheet 32a. (No longer available online.) In: Digital Archive of the Thuringian State Archives. Thuringian State Archives and Thuringian University and State Library Jena (ThULB), archived from the original on February 20, 2015 ; accessed on February 14, 2019 . .
  38. ^ Sigrid Siedhoff: The dramaturge Schiller. “Egmont”: Goethe's text, Schiller's adaptation. Bouvier, Bonn 1983, pp. 40, 236; David G. John: Images of Goethe through Schiller's Egmont. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1998, p. 92.
  39. ↑ Stefan Davies: Goethe's "Egmont" in Schiller's adaptation - a joint work on the threshold of the Weimar Classic. In: Goethe yearbook. Vol. 123. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2006, p. 22.
  40. ↑ Stefan Davies: Goethe's "Egmont" in Schiller's adaptation - a joint work on the threshold of the Weimar Classic. In: Goethe yearbook. 123. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2006, pp. 13-24.