Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von (1759–1805)

German dramatist, poet, and historian. He wrote Sturm und Drang (‘storm and stress’) verse and plays, including the dramatic trilogy Wallenstein (1798–99). He was an idealist, and much of his work concerns the aspiration for political freedom and the avoidance of mediocrity.

After the success of his play Die Räuber/The Robbers (1781), he completed the tragedies Die Verschwörung des Fiesko zu Genua/Fiesco, or, the Genoese Conspiracy (his first historical drama) and Kabale und Liebe/Intrigue and Love (1783). In 1787 he wrote his more mature blank-verse drama Don Carlos and the hymn ‘An die Freude/Ode to Joy’, later used by Beethoven in his ninth symphony. As professor of history at Jena from 1789 he completed a history of the Thirty Years' War and developed a close friendship with Goethe, after early antagonism. His essays on aesthetics include the piece of literary criticism Über naive und sentimentalische Dichtung/Naive and Sentimental Poetry (1795–96). Schiller became the foremost German dramatist with his classic dramas Wallenstein, Maria Stuart (1800), Die Jungfrau von Orleans/The Maid of Orleans (1801), and Wilhelm Tell/William Tell (1804).

He was born in Marbach on the River Neckar, qualified as a surgeon, and worked for a regiment in Stuttgart. A chance glimpse of Goethe, however, determined him to become a poet. After some early attempts at dramatic writing Schiller, completed Die Räuber, on the theme of authoritarianism and liberty. It was first performed in Mannheim 1782 and was very successful in France; at home, however, Schiller was imprisoned and forbidden to write any further comedies. He escaped to a village in Thuringia, where he completed his next two works in hiding.

In 1783 he returned to Mannheim, where the director of the Mannheim Theatre made him ‘theatre poet’. His position lasted only a year; he then maintained himself precariously by journalism and in 1785 went to Leipzig at the invitation of a friend, Christian Gottfried Körner. There, for the first time, he was happy. He was the centre of a circle of good friends and his ode ‘An die Freude’ expressed his feelings. He also wrote two novels, Der Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre/The Dishonoured Irreclaimable 1786 and the unfinished Der Geisterseher/The Ghost-seer, or Apparationist 1789. His tragedy Don Carlos was coldly received and he turned to writing a historical work 1788 about the Revolt of the Netherlands. This attracted the attention of Goethe, who used his influence to secure for Schiller the position of professor of history at the university of Jena, enabling him to marry Charlotte von Lengefeld 1790. Despite this gesture, Goethe remained hostile towards Schiller until 1794 when he collaborated in launching the literary magazine Die Horen and their lifelong friendship began.

In 1791 Schiller became ill and had to resign his position, but received a pension to continue his historical studies. He completed his Geschichte des dreissigjährigen Kreiges/History of the Thirty Years' War 1793, then turned to the study of philosophy, particularly the work of Kant. He acquired a vast philosophical knowledge, which is reflected in his prose works on art and aesthetics, including Über Anmut und Würde/On Grace and Dignity and Briefe über die Ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen/Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man both 1793, and several treatises on tragedy. He concluded this period with Über naive und sentimentalische Dichtung. Alongside his academic writing he produced some poetry, including ‘Die Götter Griechenlands/The Gods of Greece’ and ‘Die Künstler/The Artists’ and, encouraged by Goethe, transformed his philosophical thinking into poetry in such works as ‘Das Ideal und das Leben/The Ideal and Life’. ‘Das Lied von der Glocke/The Song of the Bell’ and his ballads were produced 1795–97.

Goethe and Schiller collaborated on Die Horen 1794–97 and the satirical Xenien 1796–97, attacking their critics, before Schiller began to write for the stage once again. In this last period he produced his great work Wallenstein, the sympathetic Maria Stuart, the idealized history Die Jungfrau von Orleans, Die Braut von Messina/The Bride of Messina 1803 (in ancient Greek style with chorus), and Wilhelm Tell 1804. Having suffered ill health since 1791, he died of exhaustion and tuberculosis.