Herod and Mariamne: A Tragedy in Five Acts

Christian Friedrich HebbelProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.0

Word count: 166K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Herodes und Mariamne: Eine Tragödie in fünf Akten by Friedrich HebbelAuthor: Hebbel, Friedrich, 1813-1863,Language: German, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Oct 1, 2001

Editor's review

This is a five-act tragedy by German playwright Friedrich Hebbel, drawn from the marriage and suspicion between King Herod and Mariamne in ancient Jewish history. Hebbel does not merely retell historical facts but concentrates the conflict on the rift between power and trust: Herod, driven by suspicion, issues a fatal command, while Mariamne, out of pride and innocence, refuses to submit; the two consume each other between love and jealousy. The play is tightly structured, its dialogue concise, and its psychological portrayal advances layer by layer; it is a representative nineteenth-century German tragedy on the theme of "trust that cannot be verified." This public domain ebook is in the German original, suitable as German literature reading material and for readers interested in classical tragedy and the motifs of power and marriage. Readers should focus on the progression of character motives rather than expect frequent plot twists.

Who it's for

A good fit for

German majors or literary readers with intermediate to advanced German reading ability
Readers interested in nineteenth-century German tragedy and classical historical subjects
Literature enthusiasts studying themes of power, jealousy, and marriage
Teachers and students needing the German original script for drama analysis or classroom discussion

Not a good fit for

Beginners with weak German who need bilingual comparison to read
General fiction readers who prefer light plots and brisk pacing
Readers completely unfamiliar with ancient historical background and five-act drama form

Reading tips

Before reading, learn the basic historical facts about Herod and Mariamne to grasp the play's choices in adaptation.
Proceed act by act; after each act, review changes in character relationships and the chain of suspicion.
Focus on the scenes between Herod and Mariamne, sensing the double meanings in the dialogue.
German readers may read key monologues aloud to feel Hebbel's rhythm and psychological tension.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in German, and what language level is needed?

This is the German original, released by Project Gutenberg. The dramatic text is concise with rather formal syntax; intermediate to advanced German reading ability is recommended, or use bilingual annotations and a dictionary. Beginners will find it difficult to read straight through.

Can I understand this tragedy without knowing the historical background?

You can follow the main line, but knowing the basic facts about Herod and Mariamne will clearly improve understanding. The play's core is not historical retelling but the psychological conflict of power and trust; background knowledge mainly helps readers see Hebbel's transformation of the material.

Is this play suitable for staging or classroom analysis?

Yes. The five-act structure is clear, character relationships are concentrated, conflict escalates layer by layer, and key scenes have tense dialogue; it can be used for dramatic text analysis, character study, or scene staging, and is convenient for act-by-act classroom discussion.

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About the author

Christian Friedrich Hebbel Author · German · 1813–1863

Christian Friedrich Hebbel (1813–1863) was a German poet and playwright born in Wesselburen. He first won recognition with Judith and Maria Magdalena, and in his writing he often drew on Hegelian philosophy of history to dramatize historical tragedy, exploring the conflict between individual will and the necessity of an era within historical subjects. His representative works include Herodes und Mariamne, Agnes Bernauer, Gyges und sein Ring, and the Nibelungen trilogy; the collection also contains six works, among them Herodes und Mariamne, Gyges und sein Ring, Judith, Agnes Bernauer, Mutter und Kind, and Schnock: ein niederländisches Gemälde. He placed emphasis on the deep portrayal of characters' psychology, bringing a new psychological dimension to German drama. Public information on the specific circumstances of his life is limited, and no speculation is offered here.