I finished reading The Robbers (translated by F. J. Lamport), a play by Friedrich Schiller originally published in 1781. It is Schiller’s first published play and part of the romantic Sturm und Drang literary movement. Everything is pretty much turned up to an 11! The dialogue is vivid, dramatic, and often philosophical. The plot follows the conflict between two brothers, while exploring questions of morality, liberty, duty, and fate.

It was very dramatic, even melodramatic, but not in a way that felt absurd. In contrast to the quietness of a play by Chekhov or the tight compactness of a Greek tragedy, The Robbers feels wild with bursts of stark violence amid a backdrop of forest, town, and castle.

“–I have lost myself since I went in there–”

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This is a book jot from February 2021 that I hadn’t yet posted here. I’m almost all caught up now!