Hebbel, Christian Friedrich (1813–1863)

German poet and dramatist. His chief works are the plays Maria Magdalena 1844, Julia 1851, Agnes Bernauer 1855, Gyges und sein Ring 1856, and Die Nibelungen 1862. His lyric poems are included in Gedichte 1841–48 and Mutter und Kind 1859.

Hebbel's childhood of poverty left a lasting impression, and most of his works are gloomy and depressingly realistic. His tragedies are very powerful and show a fine sense of dramatic situation; they deal mostly with the struggles of passionate personalities.

He was born in Wesselburen in Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein. After travelling on the Continent, he settled in Vienna 1846. His first tragedy, Judith, was performed in Hamburg 1841, and made his reputation. Maria Magdalena is a realistic domestic tragedy; Agnes Bernauer probes the conflict between the rights of the state and the individual; Gyges und sein Ring reveals Hebbel's power as a psychological dramatist; and the poems contained in Mutter und Kind deal with the social problems of the poor.