Egmont (play)

Egmont (play)


Egmont is a play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which he completed in 1788. Its dramaturgical structure, like that of his earlier 'Storm and Stress' play Götz von Berlichingen (1773), is heavily influenced by Shakespearean tragedy; in contrast, however, to the earlier work, the portrait in Egmont of the downfall of a man who trusts in the goodness of those around him appears to mark a shift away from 'Storm and Stress' values.[1]

Contents

Plot

In Egmont, Goethe relates the fight of Count Egmont (1522-1568) against the despotic Duke of Alba. Egmont is a famous Flemish warrior and the Duke of Alba represents the Spanish invader. Though under threat of arrest, Egmont refuses to run away and give up his ideal of liberty. Imprisoned and abandoned because of the cowardice of his people, and despite the desperate efforts of his mistress Klärchen, he is sentenced to death.

Thus, faced with her failure and despair, Klärchen puts an end to her life. The play ends on the hero's last call to fight for independence. His death as a martyr appears as a victory against oppression.

Egmont is a political manifesto in which Egmont's craving for justice and national liberty is opposed to the despotic authority of the Duke of Alba. It is also a drama of destiny in which the Flemish nobleman, with fatalism, accepts the dire consequences of his straightforwardness and honesty.

Quotation

The phrase "Himmelhoch jauchzend, zu(m) Tode betrübt" (heavenly joy, deadly sorrow) from Klärchen's song in the third act has become a proverb often quoted by European intellectuals as characteristic of the Romantic soul:

Freudvoll und leidvoll, gedankenvoll sein;
Langen und bangen in schwebender Pein;
Himmelhoch jauchzend, zum Tode betrübt;
Glücklich allein ist die Seele, die liebt.

Music

When in 1809 the Burgtheater asked Ludwig van Beethoven, a great admirer of Goethe, to compose incidental music for a revival of the play, he accepted with enthusiasm. It recalled themes close to his own political preoccupations, already expressed in his opera Leonore (renamed Fidelio in the definitive 1814 version) and in his Coriolan Overture (in 1807). Besides the Overture, he wrote nine pieces of incidental music, of great quality but a little disconnected, culminating with the beautiful Klärchen's Death. Beethoven's music, particularly his overture, has been used in various modern-day cultural output, a famous United Nations film being one of them. The overture was played at the memorial service commemorating the kidnapping and murders of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics.[2]

Notes

References

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Egmont — or Egmond may refer to the following:* Egmond family (often spelled Egmont ), an influential Dutch family, lords of the town of Egmond * Egmond, a town in North Holland, the Netherlands. First mentioned in the 10th century, the family may be… …   Wikipedia

  • Egmont (Beethoven) — Egmont, opus 84, by Ludwig van Beethoven, is a set of incidental music pieces for the 1787 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It consists of an overture and nine separate subsequent pieces for soprano and full orchestra.… …   Wikipedia

  • Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Goethe —    Premiered 1791. Egmont marks Goethe s distinct departure from the emotional excesses of the Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) movement, though the play remains a hagiographie treatment of a hero s struggle. The hero is the title character,… …   Historical dictionary of German Theatre

  • Egmont Foundation — Die Egmont Foundation ist die Muttergesellschaft der dänischen Verlagsgruppe Egmont, die 1878 von Egmont Harald Petersen unter dem Namen P. Peterson Druckerei gegründet wurde. Das Unternehmen hat seinen Sitz in Kopenhagen. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • EGMONT, LAMORAL, COUNT OF —    born in Hainault; became attached to the Court of Charles V., by whom, for distinguished military and diplomatic services, he was appointed governor of Flanders; fell into disfavour for espousing the cause of the Protestants of the Netherlands …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Lamoral, Count of Egmont — Count of Egmont redirects here. For other Counts of Egmont, see List of Lords and Counts of Egmont. Statue of Lamoral, Count of Egmont, before the castle of Egmont in Zottegem …   Wikipedia

  • Fushigi Yuugi – The Mysterious Play — Fushigi Yuugi (jap. ふしぎ遊戯, Fushigi Yūgi, dt. etwa „wundersames Spiel“) ist eine Manga Serie der japanischen Zeichnerin Yuu Watase, die auch in eine Animeserie, mehrere OVAs und Romane umgesetzt wurde. Die Fortsetzung hat den Titel Fushigi Yuugi… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Clavigo (play) — Clavigo is a five act tragedy written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1774. The lead role is taken by Beaumarchais. The play was written in just eight days in May 1774. It was published by July 1774 and is the first printed work to which Goethe… …   Wikipedia

  • Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von — born Aug. 28, 1749, Frankfurt am Main died March 22, 1832, Weimar, Saxe Weimar German poet, novelist, playwright, and natural philosopher. In 1773 Goethe provided the Sturm und Drang movement with its first major drama, Götz von Berlichingen, and …   Universalium

  • The Phantom — For other uses, see The Phantom (disambiguation). The Phantom Promotional art for DC Comics The Phantom #1 (May 1988), by Joe Orlando and Dave Gibbons Publication info …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”