He was born in Marbach to a devoutly Protestant family. Initially intended for the priesthood, in 1773 he entered a military academy in Stuttgart and ended up studying medicine. His first play,The Robbers, was written at this time and proved very successful. After a brief stint as a regimental doctor, he left Stuttgart and eventually wound up in Weimar. In 1789, he became professor of History and Philosophy at Jena, where he wrote historical works.
During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendship with the already famous and influentialJohann Wolfgang von Goethe. They frequently discussed issues concerningaesthetics, and Schiller encouraged Goethe to finish works that he had left as sketches. This relationship and these discussions led to a period now referred to asWeimar Classicism. Together they founded the Weimar Theater.
They also worked together onXenien, a collection of shortsatirical poems in which both Schiller and Goethe challenge opponents of their philosophical vision.
Friedrich Schiller was born on 10 November 1759, inMarbach,Württemberg, as the only son of military doctorJohann Kaspar Schiller (1723–1796) andElisabetha Dorothea Schiller (1732–1802). They also had five daughters, includingChristophine, the eldest. Schiller grew up in a very religious Protestant[1] family and spent much of his youth studying theBible, which would later influence his writing for the theatre.[2] His father was away in theSeven Years' War when Friedrich was born. He was named after kingFrederick the Great, but he was called Fritz by nearly everyone.[3] Kaspar Schiller was rarely home during the war, but he did manage to visit the family once in a while. His wife and children also visited him occasionally wherever he happened to be stationed.[4] When the war ended in 1763, Schiller's father became a recruiting officer and was stationed inSchwäbisch Gmünd. The family moved with him. Due to the high cost of living—especially the rent—the family moved to the nearby town ofLorch.[5]
Although the family was happy in Lorch, Schiller's father found his work unsatisfying. He sometimes took his son with him.[6] In Lorch, Schiller received his primary education. The quality of the lessons was fairly bad, and Friedrich regularly cut class with his older sister.[7] Because his parents wanted Schiller to become apriest, they had the priest of the village instruct the boy inLatin andGreek. Father Moser was a good teacher, and later Schiller named the cleric in his first playDie Räuber (The Robbers) after him. As a boy, Schiller was excited by the idea of becoming a cleric and often put on black robes and pretended to preach.[8]
In 1766, the family left Lorch for theDuke of Württemberg's principal residence,Ludwigsburg. Schiller's father had not been paid for three years, and the family had been living on their savings but could no longer afford to do so. So Kaspar Schiller took an assignment to the garrison in Ludwigsburg.[9]
There the boy Schiller came to the attention ofKarl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg. He entered theKarlsschule Stuttgart (an elite military academy founded by the Duke), in 1773, where he eventually studied medicine. During most of his short life, he suffered from illnesses that he tried to cure himself.
While at the Karlsschule, Schiller readRousseau and Goethe and discussedClassical ideals with his classmates. At school, he wrote his first play,The Robbers, which dramatizes the conflict between two aristocratic brothers: the elder, Karl Moor, leads a group of rebellious students into the Bohemian forest where they become Robin Hood-like bandits, while Franz Moor, the younger brother, schemes to inherit his father's considerable estate. The play's critique of social corruption and its affirmation of proto-revolutionary republican ideals astounded its original audience. Schiller became an overnight sensation. Later, Schiller would be made an honorary member of the French Republic because of this play. The play was inspired byLeisewitz' earlier playJulius of Taranto, a favourite of the young Schiller.[10]
In 1780, he obtained a post as regimental doctor inStuttgart, a job he disliked. In order to attend the first performance ofThe Robbers inMannheim, Schiller left his regiment without permission. As a result, he was arrested, sentenced to 14 days of imprisonment, and forbidden by Karl Eugen from publishing any further works.[11]
He fled Stuttgart in 1782, going viaFrankfurt, Mannheim,Leipzig, andDresden toWeimar. During the journey, he had an affair withCharlotte von Kalb, an army officer's wife. At the centre of an intellectual circle, she was known for her cleverness and instability. To extricate himself from a dire financial situation and attachment to a married woman, Schiller eventually sought help from family and friends.[12] In 1787, he settled in Weimar and in 1789, was appointed professor ofHistory and Philosophy inJena, where he wrote only historical works.
Schiller returned with his family to Weimar from Jena in 1799. Goethe convinced him to return to playwriting. He and Goethe founded theWeimar Theater, which became the leading theater in Germany. Their collaboration helped lead to a renaissance of drama in Germany.
For his achievements, Schiller wasennobled in 1802 by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, adding the nobiliary particle "von" to his name.[12] He remained in Weimar,Saxe-Weimar until his death at 45 fromtuberculosis in 1805.
Lithograph portrait from 1905, captioned "Friedrich von Schiller" in recognition of his 1802 ennoblement
The first authoritative biography of Schiller was by his sister-in-lawCaroline von Wolzogen in 1830,Schillers Leben (Schiller's Life).[14]
The coffin containing what was purportedly Schiller's skeleton was brought in 1827 into theWeimarer Fürstengruft (Weimar's Ducal Vault), the burial place of the house ofSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach in theHistorical Cemetery of Weimar and later also Goethe's resting place. On 3 May 2008, scientists announced that DNA tests have shown that theskull of this skeleton is not Schiller's, and his tomb is now vacant.[15] The physical resemblance between this skull and the extantdeath mask[16] as well as to portraits of Schiller, had led many experts to believe that the skull was Schiller's.
Germany's oldest Schiller memorial (1839) on Schillerplatz, Stuttgart
Schiller Park in Columbus, Ohio is named for Schiller, and has been centered on a statue of his likeness since it was donated in 1891. During the First World War, the name of the park was changed to Washington Park in response to anti-German sentiment, but was changed back several years later. It is the primary park for the South Side neighborhood of German Village.[18]
There is a Friedrich Schiller statue onBelle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. This statue of the German playwright was commissioned by Detroit's German-American community in 1908 at a cost of $12,000; the designer was Herman Matzen.
An Ignatium Taschner bronze of Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller stands in Como Park - Saint Paul, MN. It was dedicated in 1907. The sculpture was donated by U.S. German Societies of Saint Paul and private citizens of German descent to commemorate the renowned Johann von Schiller.
His image has appeared on several coins and banknotes in Germany, including the 1964German Democratic Republic 10 Mark banknotes,[19] 1972 German Democratic Republic 20 Mark commemorative coins,[20] and 1934German Reich 5 Reichsmark commemorative coins.[21]
In September 2008, the German-French TV channelArte conducted a poll among its viewers to determine the greatest European playwright ("King of Drama"). Schiller was voted in second place afterWilliam Shakespeare.[22]
Schiller wrote many philosophical papers on ethics andaesthetics. He synthesized the thought ofImmanuel Kant with the thought of theGerman idealist philosopher,Karl Leonhard Reinhold. He elaborated uponChristoph Martin Wieland's concept ofdie schöne Seele (the beautiful soul), a human being whose emotions have been educated by reason, so thatPflicht und Neigung (duty and inclination) are no longer in conflict with one another; thus beauty, for Schiller, is not merely an aesthetic experience, but a moral one as well: the Good is the Beautiful. The link between morality and aesthetics also occurs in Schiller's controversial poem, "Die Götter Griechenlandes" (The Gods of Greece). The "gods" in Schiller's poem are thought by modern scholars to represent moral and aesthetic values, which Schiller tied toPaganism and an idea ofenchanted nature.[24] In this respect, Schiller's aesthetic doctrine shows the influence ofChristian theosophy.[25]
There is general consensus among scholars that it makes sense to think of Schiller as aliberal,[26][27][28] and he is frequently cited as acosmopolitan thinker.[29][30][31] Schiller's philosophical work was particularly concerned with the question of human freedom, a preoccupation which also guided his historical research, such as on theThirty Years' War and theDutch Revolt, and then found its way as well into his dramas: theWallenstein trilogy concerns the Thirty Years' War, whileDon Carlos addresses the revolt of the Netherlands against Spain. Schiller wrote two important essays on the question of thesublime (das Erhabene), entitled "Vom Erhabenen" and "Über das Erhabene"; these essays address one aspect of human freedom—the ability to defy one's animal instincts, such as the drive for self-preservation, when, for example, someone willingly sacrifices themselves for conceptual ideals.
Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. Critics like F. J. Lamport andErich Auerbach have noted his innovative use of dramatic structure and his creation of new forms, such as the melodrama and the bourgeois tragedy.[citation needed] What follows is a brief chronological description of the plays.
The Robbers (Die Räuber): The language ofThe Robbers is highly emotional, and the depiction of physical violence in the play marks it as a quintessential work of Germany'sRomanticSturm und Drang movement.The Robbers is considered by critics likePeter Brooks to be the first Europeanmelodrama. The play pits two brothers against each other in alternating scenes, as one quests for money and power, while the other attempts to create revolutionary anarchy in theBohemian Forest. The play strongly criticises the hypocrisies of class and religion, and the economic inequities of German society; it also conducts a complicated inquiry into the nature of evil. Schiller was inspired by the playJulius of Taranto byJohann Anton Leisewitz.[10]
Intrigue and Love (Kabale und Liebe): The aristocratic Ferdinand von Walter wishes to marry Luise Miller, the bourgeois daughter of the city's music instructor. Court politics involving the duke's beautiful but conniving mistress Lady Milford and Ferdinand's ruthless father create a disastrous situation reminiscent of Shakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet. Schiller develops his criticisms of absolutism and bourgeois hypocrisy in thisbourgeois tragedy. Act 2, scene 2 is an anti-Britishparody that depicts a firing-squad massacre. Young Germans who refused to join theHessians and British to quash theAmerican Revolutionary War are fired upon.[32]
Don Carlos: This play marks Schiller's entrée into historical drama. Very loosely based on the events surrounding the realDon Carlos of Spain, Schiller's Don Carlos is another republican figure—he attempts to free Flanders from the despotic grip of his father, KingPhillip. The Marquis Posa's famous speech to the king proclaims Schiller's belief in personal freedom and democracy.
Mary Stuart (Maria Stuart): This history of the Scottish queen, who was Elizabeth I's rival, portrays Mary Stuart as a tragic heroine, misunderstood and used by ruthless politicians, including and especially, Elizabeth.Monument inKaliningrad (formerlyKönigsberg), Russia
A pivotal work by Schiller wasOn the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters[33] (Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen in einer Reihe von Briefen), first published 1794, which was inspired by the great disenchantment Schiller felt about theFrench Revolution, its degeneration into violence and the failure of successive governments to put its ideals into practice.[34] Schiller wrote that "a great moment has found a little people"; he wrote theLetters as a philosophical inquiry into what had gone wrong, and how to prevent such tragedies in the future. In theLetters he asserts that it is possible to elevate the moral character of a people, by first touching their souls with beauty, an idea that is also found in his poemDie Künstler (The Artists): "Only through Beauty's morning-gate, dost thou penetrate the land of knowledge."
On the philosophical side,Letters put forth the notion ofder sinnliche Trieb / Sinnestrieb ("the sensuous drive") andFormtrieb ("the formal drive"). In a comment toImmanuel Kant's philosophy, Schiller transcends the dualism betweenFormtrieb andSinnestrieb with the notion ofSpieltrieb ("theplay drive"), derived from, as are a number of other terms, Kant'sCritique of the Faculty of Judgment. The conflict between man's material, sensuous nature and his capacity for reason (Formtrieb being the drive to impose conceptual and moral order on the world), Schiller resolves with the happy union ofFormtrieb andSinnestrieb, the "play drive", which for him is synonymous with artistic beauty, or "living form". Modern interpretations consider Schiller to be one of the earliest knownpansexual figures due to these ideals.[35] On the basis ofSpieltrieb, Schiller sketches inLetters a futureideal state (aeutopia), where everyone will be content, and everything will be beautiful, thanks to the free play ofSpieltrieb. Schiller's focus on the dialectical interplay betweenFormtrieb andSinnestrieb has inspired a wide range of succeeding aesthetic philosophical theory, including notablyJacques Rancière's conception of the "aesthetic regime of art", as well as social philosophy inHerbert Marcuse. In the second part of his important workEros and Civilization, Marcuse finds Schiller's notion ofSpieltrieb useful in thinking a social situation without the condition of modernsocial alienation. He writes, "Schiller'sLetters ... aim at remaking of civilization by virtue of the liberating force of the aesthetic function: it is envisaged as containing the possibility of a new reality principle."[36]
Some Freemasons speculate that Schiller was aFreemason, but this has not been proven.[37] In 1787, in his tenth letter aboutDon Carlos, Schiller wrote: "I am neitherIlluminatus nor Mason, but if the fraternization has a moral purpose in common with one another, and if this purpose for human society is the most important, ..."[38] In a letter from 1829, two Freemasons fromRudolstadt complain about the dissolving of their LodgeGünther zum stehenden Löwen that was honoured by the initiation of Schiller. According to Schiller's great-grandsonAlexander von Gleichen-Rußwurm, Schiller was brought to the lodge by Wilhelm Heinrich Karl von Gleichen-Rußwurm. No membership document has been found.[38]
Ludwig van Beethoven said that a great poem is more difficult to set to music than a merely good one because the composer must rise higher than the poet – "who can do that in the case of Schiller? In this respect Goethe is much easier," wrote Beethoven.[39]
Two dim and paltry torches that the raging storm And rain at any moment threaten to put out. A waving pall. A vulgar coffin made of pine With not a wreath, not e'en the poorest, and no train – As if a crime were swiftly carried to the grave! The bearers hastened onward. One unknown alone, Round whom a mantle waved of wide and noble fold, Followed this coffin. 'Twas the Spirit of Mankind.
French-occupied German stamp depicting SchillerMonument on Schillerplatz in ViennaBronze-Plaque-Medal of Schiller's laureate head by the Austrian artistOtto Hofner
^Simons, John D (1990)."Frederich Schiller".Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 94: German Writers in the Age of Goethe: Sturm und Drang to Classicism.ISBN978-0-8103-4574-4.
^Sharpe, Lesley (April 1999). "Female Illness and Male Heroism: The Works of Caroline von Wolzogen".German Life and Letters.52 (2):184–196.doi:10.1111/1468-0483.00129.PMID20677404.
^Cavallar, Georg (2011).Imperfect Cosmopolis: Studies in the history of international legal theory and cosmopolitan ideas. University of Wales Press. p. 41.
^Sharpe, Lesley (1995).Schiller's Aesthetic Essays: Two Centuries of Criticism. Camden House. p. 58.
^abcdThe Autobiography of Col. John Trumbull, Sizer 1953 ed., p. 184, n. 13
^Cohen, Aaron I. (1987).International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York: Books & Music.ISBN0-9617485-2-4.OCLC16714846.
Carlyle, Thomas (1825).The Life of Friedrich Schiller, Comprehending an Examination of His Works. The Works of Thomas Carlyle in Thirty Volumes. Vol. XXV. New York:Charles Scribner's Sons (published 1904).
Schiller, Friedrich (2016).On the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters. Translated by Alexander Schmidt, Keith Tribe. Pengui Classics.ISBN978-0-14-139696-5.
