''Wallenstein'' is the popular designation of a trilogy of dramas by German author
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...
. It consists of the plays ''Wallenstein's Camp'' (''Wallensteins Lager''), a lengthy prologue, ''The Piccolomini'' (''Die Piccolomini''), and ''Wallenstein's Death'' (''Wallensteins Tod''). Schiller himself also structured the trilogy into two parts, with Wallenstein I including ''Wallenstein's Camp'' and ''The Piccolomini'', and Wallenstein II consisting of ''Wallenstein's Death''. He completed the trilogy in 1799.
In this drama Schiller addresses the decline of the famous general
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the T ...
, basing it loosely on actual historical events during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
. Wallenstein fails at the height of his power as successful commander-in-chief of the imperial army when he begins to rebel against his emperor,
Ferdinand II. The action is set some 16 years after the start of the war, in the winter of 1633/1634, and begins in the
Bohemian city of
Pilsen, where Wallenstein is based with his troops. In the second and third acts of the third play the action moves to
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bu ...
, where Wallenstein has fled and where he was assassinated on 26 February 1634.
Content summary
''Wallenstein's Camp''
Serving as an introduction to the second and third parts, ''Wallenstein's Camp'' is by far the shortest of the three. Whilst the main action takes place among the higher ranks of the troops and nobility, ''Wallenstein's Camp'' reflects popular opinion, particularly that of the soldiers in Wallenstein's camp. They are enthusiastic about their commander, who to all appearances has managed to bring together mercenaries from a wide variety of locations. They praise the great freedom he allows them—to plunder, for instance—whenever they are not engaged in fighting, and his efforts on their behalf in negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor, of whom some of the troops are critical. They also praise the war for improving their own lives despite its toll on the civilian population. Still, we hear a peasant complain that the troops steal from him, and a monk criticize their wicked life. At the end of this part, the soldiers find out that the emperor intends to place a section of the army under the command of Spanish Habsburgs. Unhappy, they agree to ask Max Piccolomini, one of their commanders, to urge Wallenstein not to fulfill the emperor's wishes.
The
Capuchin's sermon in ''Wallenstein's Camp'' is based on the
Discalced Augustinian Abraham a Sancta Clara
Abraham a Sancta Clara (July 2, 1644December 1, 1709) was an Augustinian monk.
Early life
He was born Johann Ulrich Megerle, in Kreenheinstetten, Germany. He was described as "a very eccentric but popular Augustinian monk".Chambers Biographic ...
's 1683 book, ''Auf, auf, ihr Christen''. Schiller, who like Abraham was from
Swabia, wrote to
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...
, "This Father Abraham is a man of wonderful originality, whom we must respect, and it would be an interesting, though not at all an easy, task to approach or surpass him in mad wit and cleverness."
Some scenes in
Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''
La forza del destino
' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, ...
'' are based on the play.
''The Piccolomini''
The main action of the trilogy begins with the second play. The viewpoint changes from that of the ordinary soldiers to that of the commanders who, awaiting orders, meet in an encampment near Pilsen. Most of them prefer Prince Wallenstein to the emperor. The former has repeatedly ignored the latter's orders, which is why he has ordered the prince to cede part of his huge army. Unwilling, Wallenstein considers resignation and, to pressure the emperor into making peace, is secretly negotiating with the Swedish enemy. Spurring him on are his closest comrades, his brother-in-law Terzky and Illo, who scheme to get all the commanders to sign a document pledging their loyalty to Wallenstein. This document purports to have a proviso making the signatories' loyalty to Wallenstein subsidiary to their loyalty to the emperor, but Terzky and Illo secretly remove that proviso from the copy the signatories actually sign.
Wallenstein lets his comrades in on his plans but – unknown to him – one of them, Octavio Piccolomini, remains loyal to the emperor, for whom he is spying. The emperor has authorised Piccolomini to replace Wallenstein as commander-in-chief, but Piccolomini decides to do so only if Wallenstein takes an open stand against the emperor. Imperial informers having managed to capture one of Wallenstein's negotiators en route to the Swedes, his removal becomes imminent. The situation comes to a head because Octavio's son Max Piccolomini (a fictional creation by Schiller) and Wallenstein's daughter Thekla (an historical character) are in love. A devotee of Wallenstein, who treats him well, Max can't believe his father's claim that Wallenstein intends to betray the emperor. "Piccolomini" ends with Max's decision to challenge Wallenstein directly about his plans.
''Wallenstein's Death''
In the last part of the Wallenstein trilogy the conflict anticipated in the second play erupts and leads to a tragic conclusion. Having learned that the negotiators he has sent to bargain with the Swedes have been intercepted by imperial troops, Wallenstein supposes that the emperor now has damning evidence of his treason. After some hesitation and intense pressure exerted by Illo, Terzky and especially the latter's spouse, Countess Terzky, Wallenstein decides to burn his bridges: he will enter into official alliance with the Swedes.
But there is opposition. Octavio Piccolomini, the emperor's spy, manages to persuade almost all the important leaders in Wallenstein's army—especially Butler—to abandon him. Convinced that Wallenstein has thwarted his ambitions, Butler hangs on for the sake of revenge. Max Piccolomini, for his part, is torn between his loyalty to the emperor, his admiration for Wallenstein, and his love for Thekla. He finally decides to leave Wallenstein, hoping there will be no hard feelings, but for the prince it's the final straw. He then flees with his remaining supporters to Eger; Max Piccolomini throws himself into a doomed battle with the Swedes, which costs him his life. When Thekla learns of this, she secretly sets out for his grave, there to die. Wallenstein also grieves about the loss of Max Piccolomini, but believes that the fates have taken him away in compensation for future good fortune.
In the night, Butler's henchmen, Macdonald and Deveroux, murder Illo and Terzky during a banquet, then kill Wallenstein himself in his bedroom. The drama ends with a final dialogue between Octavio and his chief antagonist, Countess Terzky, who dies of the poison she has taken. Finally, Octavio hears that the emperor, in gratitude, has promoted him to the rank of prince.
Productions
The plays' premieres occurred at the Weimarer Hoftheater (now the
Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar) from 1798 to 1799, in productions directed by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
:
*''Wallensteins Lager'', 12 October 1798 (under the title ''Das Lager'', for the re-opening of the rebuilt Weimarer Hoftheater)
*''Die Piccolomini'', 30 January 1799
*''Wallensteins Tod'', 20 April 1799 (under the title ''Wallenstein'')
Often reduced into a single play that could be played in one evening, the trilogy entered the German classical theatrical repertoire. Among its recent nationally acclaimed productions have been:
*1959: Deutsches Theater Berlin, Director:
Karl Paryla
*1959:
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...
, Director:
Leopold Lindtberg
Leopold Lindtberg (born in Vienna on 1 June 1902; died in Sils im Engadin/Segl on 18 April 1984) was an Austrian Swiss film and theatre director. He fled Austria due to the Machtergreifung in Germany and ultimately settled in Switzerland.
H ...
. – Recorded for radio in 1960 by NDR and ORF for broadcast over 7 hours on two evenings and released by Verlag Mnemosyne, in an abbreviated version on 4 CDs in 2004 (''Wallenstein. Ein dramatisches Gedicht.'' – ). The CDs include ''Die Piccolomini'' (100 minutes) and ''Wallensteins Tod'' (around 130 minutes)
*1961 Ruhr Festival, Recklinghausen. – 1961 recording by WDR, released on 20 CDs as part of a comprehensive Schiller-Edition in 2005: Friedrich Schiller, Werke. A selection on 20 CDs. Random House Audio,
*from 1973: Since 1864 a Wallenstein Festival has been held in
Altdorf bei Nürnberg in the summer. It was originally put on as a 'spectacle drama' by students and local amateur actors directed by Franz Dittmar. Since 1973 it has only consisted of the Wallenstein trilogy.
*2005: ''Wallenstein. Eine dokumentarische Inszenierung'' by Helgard Haug and Daniel Wetzel (
Rimini Protokoll). Production:
Nationaltheater Mannheim
The Mannheim National Theatre (german: Nationaltheater Mannheim) is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany, with a variety of performance spaces. It was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest theatres in Germany.
History
In the 18 ...
/
Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar. Toured to (for example)
Theatertreffen Berlin,
Schauspielhaus Zürich
The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three st ...
and the Hamburger Autorentheater-Tagen at
Thalia-Theater.
*In 2007
Peter Stein staged almost the complete text, with all 11 acts of the trilogy, at the
Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble () is a German theatre company established by actress Helene Weigel and her husband, playwright Bertolt Brecht, in January 1949 in East Berlin. In the time after Brecht's exile, the company first worked at Wolfgang Langho ...
with
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar.
Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in '' The Russia House'' (1990), ''Mephisto ...
in the title role, staged in the Kindlhalle, a former brewery in Berlin-Neukölln. Other nationally acclaimed productions that year were that directed by
Wolfgang Engel
Wolfgang Engel is a videogame designer. He is the founder and CEO of Confetti. Previously he also worked as the Lead Graphics Programmer for Rockstar Games. He is also the founder and editor of ShaderX and GPU books series.
Career
As a developer, ...
at the
Schauspiel Leipzig and
Thomas Langhoff
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
's production at the
Wiener Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...
(with
Gert Voss as Wallenstein).
English-language productions
*A single-play condensed translation by
Mike Poulton, directed by
Angus Jackson
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* Ang ...
and with
Iain Glen in the title role, was staged at the
Minerva Theatre in
Chichester
Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ...
from 22 May to 13 June 2009.
*A single-play condensed translation by
Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most o ...
, directed by
Michael Kahn and with Steve Pickering in the title role, was staged at the
Shakespeare Theatre Company in
Washington, D.C. from 28 March to 2 June 2013.
References
Sources
* Barthold Pelzer, ''Tragische Nemesis und historischer Sinn in Schillers Wallenstein-Trilogie. Eine rekonstruierende Lektüre''; (=Forschungen zur Literatur- und Kulturgeschichte 60); Diss. (TU Berlin), Frankfurt am Main u.a. (Peter Lang) 1997
()
*
Bernhardt, Rüdiger: ''Friedrich Schiller: Wallenstein.'' Königs Erläuterungen und Materialien (vol. 440). Hollfeld: C. Bange Verlag 2005.
* Fritz Heuer und Werner Keller (ed.): Schillers Wallenstein (''
Wege der Forschung'', volume 420), Darmstadt, 1977
* Elfriede Neubuhr (ed.): Geschichtsdrama. (=Wege der Forschung, volume 485) Darmstadt, 1980
External links
''The Camp of Wallenstein''English from Librivox
*
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
text of
''Wallensteins Lager''''Die Piccolomini''''Wallensteins Tod''Audio-feature on the content and history of ''Wallenstein'' on Bayern2 Radiowissen Mediathek(Director: Peter Stein)
Productions of 'Wallenstein' in German-speaking theatres1630: Wallenstein-Festpiele in MemmingenWallenstein-Festspiele Altdorf in Nürnberg* Freely accessible a
*
{{Authority control
1799 plays
Plays by Friedrich Schiller
Plays set in Germany
Plays set in the 17th century
Thirty Years' War in popular culture
Literary trilogies
Cultural depictions of Albrecht von Wallenstein