William Tell (play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Tell (German: Wilhelm Tell) is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804. The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century.
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[edit] Composition
The William Tell play was composed by Friedrich Schiller between 1803 and 1804.[1] In 1804, the play was published in a first edition of 7000 copies.[1] Since its publication, Schiller’s William Tell has been translated into many languages, including Slovene, Croatian, Turkish, Romansh, and Hebrew.[1]
Friedrich Schiller (who had never been to Switzerland, but was well informed, being a historian) was inspired to write a play about the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell by his wife Lotte, who knew the country from her personal experience.[1] After his friend, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, had returned from his second journey to the Lake of Lucerne in 1779, Schiller started collecting sources.[1]
Most of Schiller’s information about the history of the Swiss confederation is drawn from Aedgidus Tschudi’s Chronicon Helveticum (Latin: ‘Swiss Chronicle’), Johannes von Müller’s History of the Swiss Confederation (German: Geschichten Schweizerischer Eidgenossenschaft), as well as two chronicles of Petermann Etterlin and Johannes Stumpf.[1]
[edit] Performance history and influence
The debut performance of Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell was held in Weimar under the direction of Johann Wolfgang Goethe on March 17, 1804.[1] In the summers of 1912 to 1914 and again between 1931 and 1939, Schiller's play was staged in Interlaken. Since 1947, the play has been performed annually at the Tellspiele in Interlaken. In 2004, Schiller’s play was staged for the first time on the Rütli Meadow (German: Rütliwiese) on occasion of its 200th anniversary. Since 1937, it has furthermore been performed every Labor Day weekend in New Glarus, Wisconsin, in both English and German.
Jose Rizal, the famous Philippine revolutionary nationalist and author, translated the drama into his native Tagalog in 1886, having drawn much of his literary and political inspiration from Schiller and his works. During the 19th century, “William Tell” inspired many freedom fighters, e.g. in Italy or the Russian Empire.
Although Schiller’s play was frequently staged during the Nazi regime, it was banned from public performance in 1941.[1] Adolf Hitler, who had only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by the young Swiss Maurice Bavaud (who was later dubbed the “New William Tell” by Rolf Hochhuth), is reported to have publicly announced his regret that Friedrich Schiller had immortalized the Swiss sniper William Tell (“Ausgerechnet Schiller musste diesen Schweizer Heckenschützen verherrlichen” - "Of all people Schiller had to glorify this Swiss sniper").[1]
[edit] References
- TELL-Freilichtspiele Interlaken.
