KLEIST, BERND HEINRICH WILHELM VON

(1777-1811)

Playwright. Kleist was a master of German verse, in both comedy and tragedy. During his own lifetime, however, his work found little favor among managers due to the French occupation of most German territories. Kleist's most important plays were the tragedyDie Familie Schroffenstein(The Schroffenstein Family, 1803), the comedyDer zerbrochene Krug(The Broken Jug, 1806), a tragedy about Amazons titledPenthesilea(1808), the romantic dramaKäthchen von Heilbronn(Kathy of Heilbronn, 1810), and the psychological study with patriotic Prussian overtonesPrinz Friedrich von Homburg(The Prince of Homburg, 1811).A production ofThe Schroffenstein Familytook place in Graz, Austria, during the 1803-1804 season without his knowledge, but it soon folded. In Weimar, an 1808 production ofThe Broken Jugattracted little attention, as was the case for an 1811 staged reading ofPenthesileainBerlin.Kathy of Heilbronn, however, proved to be somewhat popular after its premiere at Vienna'sBurgtheaterin 1810. Productions ofKathyfollowed in Graz, Karlsruhe, Bamberg, and Würzburg. By that time, unfortunately, Kleist had committed suicide in Berlin, despairing ever of having success as a playwright. He had persistently tried to convinceAugust Wilhelm Ifflandto produce his plays, but Iffland rebuffed him with equal persistence.

Only when Count Brühl assumed directorship of the Royal Theater did Kleist's work begin to gain popularity in Berlin.August Ernst Klingemannhad staged Kleist's plays in Braunschweig in the early 1820s, but only after Brühl stagedKathy of Heilbronnin 1824 with Luise von Holtei (1800-1825) in the title role did critics begin to take serious notice of Kleist. By that time,Ludwig Tieckhad published Kleist's plays and thereafter began a recognition of Kleist's eminence as a playwright. Not only was Kleist a master of verse, as Tieck had insisted but he was also gifted in the creation of characters whose inner conflicts are compelling. Kleist's mastery in a wide range of dramatic achievement is similarly remarkable:Kathy of Heilbronnremains one of the best of German dramas about "romantic knighthood";The Broken Jug, among the very best German comedies ever written, features a leading character with distinct Falstaffian dimensions; andThe Prince of Homburgdeserves the esteemed position it shares alongside the works ofJohann Wolfgang GoetheandFriedrich Schilleras a classic of the German stage.

See alsoKleist Prize.