Nineteenth Century German Plays (German Library)

Contains three plays: King Ottocar's Rise and Fall (Grillparzer); The Talisman (Nestroy); Agnes Bernauer (Hebbel).

The tragedy 'King Ottocar' is about Ottocar II of Bohemia, a 13th-Century ruler. Arrogant and expansionist, he meets his match with the ascent of Rudolf of Hapsburg to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. The is ultimately less about the title character's fall than the founding of the Habsburg dynasty.

'The Talisman' is a comedy. In a place where redheads are considered abhorrent, we see a man's fortunes transformed when he dons a wig. This seems an unpromising premise, but it reads surprisingly well.

'Agnes Bernauer' is another historical tragedy. In the early 15th Century, Alberich III of Bavaria chooses to make a beautiful show more peasant his wife, even though his father Ernest, Duke of Bavaria, sees that it will lead the country to civil war. show less