Theatre
The Robbers
Die Räuber
Friedrich von Schiller · 1781
Opening lines
Franz
Aber ist euch auch wohl, Vater? Ihr seht so blaß.
But are you quite well, father? You look so pale.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
The old Count von Moor has two sons. Karl, the elder and the favourite, an indebted student in Leipzig, writes to his father to ask forgiveness; Franz, the jealous younger son, replaces his letter with another that paints him as a debauchee and a murderer, and gets him disinherited. In despair, Karl takes the lead of a band of brigands formed by his friends, whom he wants to act as avengers of justice, while Franz sets about taking the father's place and winning Amalia, his brother's fiancée.
Context
Printed in 1781, the play was first performed on 13 January 1782 in Mannheim, where it caused a scandal. To attend the performances, the young regimental doctor left Württemberg without permission, which earned him arrest. Written near the end of the movement to which it belongs, it carries to its highest pitch the passionate language and physical violence of that movement, and sets personal freedom against the law.
Who it is for
Five acts, with a violence embraced on stage; several French translations of it exist today.
Prizes and reception
A succès de scandale at its premiere, which made its young author a celebrity overnight, and the source of an opera by Verdi.
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