The fanaticism of the Patriarch is, however, roused to the highest pitch on hearing that the Jew has not brought up the child either in his own religion or in fact in any definite creed, but only taught her as much of God als der Vernunft genügt. He is determined to invoke the aid of the State against the monstrous act of bringing up a child simply to believe in God, without instructing it in the principles of any distinct denomination.
The passage in question, where this fanatical outburst occurs, evidently contairis — as has been pointed out in the Commentary — an allusion to the formerly-mentioned proceed- ings of the Pastor Primarius Goeze against Lessing. He represented the rationalistic doctrines propagated, although C2 XXXVl INTRODUCTION.
not accepted by the latter, as dangerous to State and society: and although he would certainly never have gone so far as to exclaim, Tkut nichts f Der Lessing wird verbrannt/ we think that he would still have endorsed that saying, only using verbannt instead of verbrannt, The supposition, how- ever, that Lessing intended to portray Pastor Goeze in the Patriarch Heraclius is almost a greater insult to the memory of the author than to that of his intolerant antagonist The close of the interview between the Templar and the Patriarch reveals to us the character of the latter in a new light, which is, however, quite in accordance with history. It shows US the cringing cowardiee of that unworthy prelate, who at once assumes a different tone towards the Templar^ when he hears that the latter will proceed to the Sultan — ^to Saladin^ * in whose eyes he has found great favour.* This sudden change is wrought out with considerable humour, and it greatly relieves the stemness, not to say, grimness, of the scene. The final words of the Patriarch show us, however, that he is by no means inclined to relent in his fanatical persecution, for in order *to fathom the fact' which the Templar represented as a mere Problema, he is determined to again avail himself of the Services of the Laybrother Bonaßdes, The character of the Laybrother^ which is so admirably drawn, seems to be generally underrated. He represents Christianity in its primitive simplicity and purity, and we fully agree with David Strausz, who says of him: In ihm, dem geringen Knecht^ der nicht einmal lesen kann, hat der Dichter alles Beste und Liebenswürdigste des Christen- thumSy edle Demuthy Duldung, Milde ukd Herzenseinfalt zur Anschauung gebracht} There is also a fund of humour and shrewdness in his character; and although an illiterate man, he possesses a deep insight into the character and the ^ Strausz, Lessin^s Nathan der Weise, p. 44. Cp. also Anerbach's Genesis des Nathan, p. 9.
INTRODUCTION. XXXvii doings of men; and, in fact, that penetrating instinct which is very often to be found in unsophisticated natures. With him, the vow of obedience takes precedence of everything. He obeys without much scrutinizing, for War's sonst gehorchen^ Heber Herr? He candidly informs the Templar — ^as a friendly waming — that he had been sent in order to sif^hinL Bei dem Klosterbruder^ as Kuno Fischer justly remarks, ist die grösste Ehrlichkeit zugleich die gr'öszte Klugheit} When he subse- quently delivers his treacherous mission in piain terms, he constantly interpolates the famous words. Sagt der Patriarch — meint der Patriarch^ in order to throw off all responsibility. He fiilfils his mission, because he must obey; but seeing the baseness of it he exclaims with a light heart, on seeing that he was unsuccessful: Ich g}iH^ und geh^ vergnügter als ich kam.
When we next meet with the Laybrother we cannot help sympathizing with his complaint, ' that he is charged with Orders which are loathsome to him, and that he cannot carry out his cherished desire to lead a secluded life, far from the entanglements of the world.' He is distressed at the thought, that the Templar is after all ready to act the part of a traitor. He is set at ease on this point, but is greatly astonished to hear that the Templar— ^t Knight — wants to consult tlie Priest, and his remark, — Gleichwohl fragt der Pfaffe Den Ritter nie^ die Sache sei auch noch So ritterlich^ shows that he has a füll knowledge, perhaps derived from his experience as a trooper during the Crusades, of the self- willed character of hierarchical despots. Most loveable, however, the Laybrother appears to us in his meeting with Nathan (Act iv. Sc 7). Nearly every word of his breathes the spirit of humanity and goodness of heart He will not betrayiVa/^a/i,and he would not even bear him any grudge, XXXVlil INTRODÜCTION.
if he has »^/brought up the child confided to him as a Chris- tian, provided he only brought it up with love and affection, for Kinder brauchen Liebe^ Wäf^s eines wilden Thieres Liel^ auch nur, In solchen Jahren mehr, als Christenthum, The Laybrother forms a striking contrast to the Patriarch — it is the contrast between light and darkness, — and his char- acter also contrasts with that of Nathan in the same way as simple-minded and childlike goodness forms a contrast to the goodness of a man who has attained a high degree of per- fection by dint of trials and mature reflection. In his meek- ness and himiility the Laybrother {orva^, however, also a very striking contrast to the Templar, with his impetuous and passionate temper. The character of the Templar is one of the most original drawn in the realm of fiction. Proud, gener- ous, with a touch of misanthropy in consequence of his dis- satisfaction with himself, his creed, his Station, and the whole World — he is ready to risk and even sacrifice his life for his fellow-creatures, but will never humble himself to ask for help, however much he may be in need of it, and he looks with suspicion upon every one who approaches him. In his im- pulsiveness he is always prone to err — according to his own confession — either at the one extreme or the other, and with- out consideration he gives expression to his hastily conceived, prejudiced thoughts. To the Templar might fittingly be applied the words which Wallenstein addresses to Max: — Schnell fertig ist die Jugend mit dem Wort, Das schwer sich handhabt wie des Messers Schneide; Aus ihrem heiszen Kopfe nimmt sie keck Der Dinge Masz, die nur sich selber richten.
He misjudges the Laybrother, and although Daya is but a commonplace character, he treats her with too much scom, merely apologizing for his extreme rudeness by the avowal, Ich bin ein plumper Schwab*, The greatest contumely, however, Nathan has to experience INTRODUCTION. XXXIX from him. The Templar looks down with sovereign con- tempt upon the Jew, not only in consequence of the vulgär prejudice in which he grew up, but also because the latter belongs to a people which considered itself superior to the rest of mankind ' by the grace of God'; to a people Das diese Menschenmäkelei zuerst Getrieben, The events of the Crusades and the fanatical conduct of their participators have made of him a Freethinker — which Aä/ää« was not. Still, by dint of his matured intellect, his convincing arguments, and above all his manly dignity and profound good-nature, the latter contrives to gain the esteem of the Templar both as a man and a believer in God. If he is again mistaken for a moment by the hotheaded youth, this must be attributed to his partial Oriental descent, which en-. dowed him with a fiery tempen We thus see in the Templar an interesting combination of the £ast and the West, not to say of the North. His passionate character he owes to the fonner, but his tendency to abstruse reflection, his candour and honesty, and above all his innate good-nature, are truly German. His pride, however, is the natural outcome of his rank: he is a Knight with a deep sense of honour, and although he went about unwatched and even unobserved, and might thus easily have gained his füll freedom, he still considered himself as the Sultan's prisoner of war, and awaited his further commands regarding his future destiny. He had also some vague notion of his relationship to Sala- din, which notion must have assumed a more definite form on leaming the reason of his pardon — still, his chivalrous pride forbade him to avail himself of this circumstance.
In Satadin (properly Saläh-ed-din) we have before us, as in the Patriarch, a historical personage; but, unlike that un- worthy Prelate, he excelled in almost every virtue. Born in 1137 at Tekrit, a town on the Tigris, he raised him- self by degrees to high military distinctions in the service of the famous Moslem herp Nüreddin. In 1 171 he became xl INTRODÜCTION, Sultan of Egypt, and on the death of Nüreddin, in 1174, also of Asia. He inflicted severe defeats on the Christians, and after his victory in the battle of Hittin, near the town of Ti- berias, he took, in 11 87, the city of Jerusalem; which event brought about the third Crusade. Saladin bore an implacable hatred to the Crusaders on account of their invasions, and their object of extenüinating the Mahommedan religion; but he respected them as foes. He invariably kept faith with them, but it is historically well known that they did not follow his example. He was a most brave and intrepid warrior; still he was by nature a peace-loving man. In this capacity, and not as a martial hero, Lessing represents him in the Drama. Before he appears on the scene of action, we are already dis- posed in his favour. We leam that he spared the life of a prisoner of war — belonging to a body of Templars who had treacherously broken a truce — merely because he bore a striking resemblance to a younger brother of his own, whom he had lost This fact shows at once the warm love he bore to his family, which trait actually formed a prominent feature of his character. In a subsequent scene we indirectly make his acquaintance as a generous man whose liberality knows no bounds. This fact is also in strict accordance with his- tory. Saladin lavishly gave away everything he possessed to his officers and soldiers, and to the needy of all creeds and nationalities. As Lessing's object was to bring before us the Sultan, not as a warrior, but as a man of peace and enlighten- ment, he represents him to us in the homely surroundings of his palace, engaged with his favourite sister Siitah in a game of diess, playing with characteristic, good-humoured care- lessness. We obtain at the same time an additional proof of his filial love and of his admiration for the valorous Richard I. This admiration is again historical, as is likewise the fact that the lion-hearted king fully reciprocated that admiration. It is, however, in the scene with Nathan that the füll greatness of Saladin as a man comes out. It is true he consents to have recourse to a stratagem, devised by his sister, but he does so in a half-hearted way, and merely in order to free his INTRODUCTION. xll father from his pressing embarrassments. Still, Lessing feit the awkwardness of this Step, which was not quite in coii- sonance with the historical Saladin — ^with his Saladin; and he employed all his dramatic skill to steer safely past this dangerous rock.^ This done, the true SalcuUn is shown to us in all his grandeur. We see that he is fully converted to Natharis way of thinking, and that Lessing was quite right in selecting him as the Mahommedan representative of re- ligious tolerance, who declared: — Ich hohe nie verlangt^ Dass allen Bäumen Eine Rinde wachse.
It is also highly characteristic that the Parable made such a powerful impression upon him that in the end he has no other request to address to Nathan^ but the touching one — Sei mein Freund/ In the subsequent scenes the noble character of Saladin comes out more and more strikingly with nearly every word; so much so, that we must grant him in our estimation a place next to Nathan^ and that we must fully endorse the verdict of the latter, Der Mann Steht seinen Ruhm, Sein Ruhm ist bloss Sein Schatten, The character of Sittah is sketched with sufficiently strik- ing features for the part she has to play in the Drama. She, too, is an historical personage, and seems to have resembled her brother in charitable benevolence.' She is, however, represented as entertaining more advanced views.in point of religion than the latter, and it is supposed that Lessing por- trayed in her, partly at least, his above-mentioned friend, Elise Reimarus, who was distinguished both for her high cul- ^ Schiller inserted a longer speech- by Sittah in order to make Saladin's condnct appear more plausible. Cp. p. liii, etc.
xlii INTRODUCTION.
ture and rationalistic views.^ Still, the author endowed the character of the Mahonunedan princess with such female attributes as to make it appear womaüly, and not in the light of a pedantic doctrinaire. Sittah could by no means be dis- pensed with in the economy of the Drama. The Suggestion of laying a snare for the wealthy Jew could only come in the play from the inventive head of a woman^; but her true mission appears when Recha is brought to her brother's palace. At first there was a little female curiosity mingled with her desire to see the latter. The Tempiar had excited her interest in an eminent degree, and she therefore advised Saladin to cause Recha to be brought to the palace, Denn von gewissen Männern mag ich gar Zu gern, so bald wie möglich^ wissen^ was Sie für ein Mädchen lieben können.
In her interview with Recha she appears in the most amiable light, treating her as she does with true womanly kindness. She deprecates being called 'Princess' by the timid maiden, Nenn Mich Sittah^ — Deine Freundin^ Deine Schwester, Nenn mich Dein Mütterchen/ With all her warm afFection for her brother and the störe of kindly feeling which Sittah possesses, she is still no sen* timental character, but cool-headed, sensible, and practicaL If she had been as extravagant in bestowing bounties as her brother, she could not have maintained his whole household until the time came * when the tribute expected from Egypt arrived'; which fact was first known only to Saladitis eccen- tric Deflerdar, The character of the Dervish AI-Haß is one of the most original in the drama, and fumishes an additional proof of the inventive genius of Lessing. Al-Hafi forms, in some INTRODUCTION. xUil respects, a counterpart to the Laybrother. Both are tired of the World and wish to lead a contemplative life; but their resignation Springs from a different source, and tberefore takes a different tum. The Layörother, who seems to have ^ known and loved the world/ wishes perhaps to expiate his past life as a trooper, and at any rate he will have nothing to do any more with worldly affairs, but will give himself entirely up to religious devotions. He is simple-minded, and obeys because his vow commands it. Al-Hafi^ however, was an impulsive, generous character, who gave up his in- dependent position and his contemplative life in order to be- come useful to his fellow-creatiures.^ ScUadin made him his *• treasurer/ not to administer his treasure, but because Ein Bettler wisse nur, wie Bettlern , Zu Mutke sei; ein Bettler habe nur Gelernt^ mit guter Weise Bettlern geben, Al'Hafi was, therefore, rather the grand-almoner than the treasurer of Saladin, He is angry with the latter on account of his thoughtless liberality, and is dissatisfied with himself because he was foolish enough to find out the ' good side ' in that foUy and participate in it.
From a passage in a letter written by the famous com- poser Zelter,' we leam that an eminent and an eccentric arithmetician, named Abram, who lived at the house of Mendelssohn, and in whom Lessing feit an interest on ac- count of his piety and his cynicism, served as the model for Al'Hafi; and in the second scene of Act ii. he made use of an incident which occurred to the well-known chess-player Michel on losing himself in the sight of a game of chess. A prominent passion for chess forms a very characteristic trait in the Dervish, and it is most skilfiilly interwoven in the drama. The conflict between his love of truth and his firiendship for Nathan^ in which the Dervish is placed by ^ Schiller inserted an additional speech on the part of Al-Hafi in Order to explain more fully the motive of his action. Cp. p. Uli. ' Briefufcchsel zwischen Zelter und Goethe^ Jan. 19, 1826.
xllV INTRODUCTION.
SiUaJCs Suggestion to borrow money from the former, is most amusing; but it is during bis second meeting with Nathan that bis loveable eccentricities reacb their climax. His beart is still sore at tbe tbougbt of tbe unpardonable way in wbicb Saladtn bad given up as lost a game of cbess wbicb was not lost at all, Heiszt das spielen f and now tbe Sultan bas sent for Nathan be is sure to drain bim to tbe dregs. Tbis tbougbt embitters bim so much against tbe world and its af&irs, tbat be abruptly deddes to retum to &is ' Gbebers on tbe Ganges,' wbo live in inde- pendent poverty; for Am Ganges^ Am Ganges nur gib fs Menschen* Here tbe contrast between tbe Dervish and Nathan comes out most strikingly. Tbe former is dissatisfied witb tbe World, and retires into a solitary wildemess in order not to become entangled in worldly afiairs and to lead tbe passive life of contemplation; wbilst tbe latter looks upon tbe world witb tbe eyes of a pbilosopber, and finds bis satisfaction in a life of activity. Still, Nathan is deeply penetrated witb tbe wortb of bis cbess-companion, and wben Al-Hafi rusbes off to repair straigbtway to tbe Ganges, to lead tbere a primitive life witbout needs and wants, be cannot belp exdaiming, — daiming, — Wilder y guter^ edler — Wie nenti ich ihnf Der wahre Bettler ist Doch einzig und allein der wahre König!
VI. The Language.
Lessing's Nathan der Weise derives additional literary importance from tbe &ct tbat it establisbed in German dramatic literature tbe use of blank verse. Tbe andent INTRODUCTION, xlv form of iambics was employed in Germany before Lessing, ; but the preference was generally given to rhymed or un- I rhymed Alexandrines. In England blank verse had taken ^rs root at an earlier sU^e, thanks to the works of Shakespeare, ^ I Milton, and other poets; for which reason it used to be r called in Germany * The British ' or * Miltonian form.' To ^ |h \^ Lessing, however, is due the merit of having first shown its ^ siiitability to the German Drama, and his example was sub- ^3 J i sequently followed by Goethe, Schiller, etc.* The reason ^ ^ why he chose the metrical form for NcUhan^ whilst his former i ^ plays were written in prose, is to be found in a letter of his V' ^ to Ramler (Dec. i8, 1798). * I have indeed,* he says, 'not O chosen the verse form for the sake of melody, but because /v\ I thought that the Oriental tone, which I have been obliged v\\ to adopt here and there, wonld be out of place in prose.
V I also believed that verses would rather permit a digression, such as I am now obliged to make for other purposes, at jKii every opportunity which ofTers itself to me.'
The metrical form certainly allows the poet greater liberty of making digressions, and besides, works of fiction treating 1 of the Orient gain by the adoption of a metrical form.
I Lessing was, however, anxious not to enhance the value of his production by mere formal beauty, and it is for this reason that he did not make use in Nathan of more elegant or polished verses. That he was capable of doing so, we may conclude from his Fabeln und Erzählungen^ given in rhythmical form, nearly all of which are distinguished by a melodious flow. But in his Drama he wished that the thought^ the idea in itself, should be paramount,. and therefore he wrote his verses for the understanding only as it were, and * Cp. on the above snhject Dr. Niemeyer'g Introduction to his Commentary on the present Drama (p. 48, etc.) and the Vorlesungen über Lessin^s Nathan der Weise (p. 124, etc.) by the late Prof. Pabst, edited from the anthor*s MS. by Fr. Edinger; cf. also Zamcke's Essay, referred to further on, and Prof. Ang. Sauer*s Ober den fünffüssigen Jambus vor Lessings ^Nathan,* xlvi INTRODUCTION.
xlvi INTRODUCTION.
not for the ear} In this light we must interpret his words addressed to his brother (Dec. i, 1778): * If I have not yet told you that the piece is written in verse, you will probably be surprised to find it so. But do not fear that I shall finish it later on that account; my prose has always taken me more time than my verses. Yes, you will say, than such verses. I beg your pardon — / think they would be much worsey ifthey were much better!^ The last sentence, which we have ventured to italicise, clearly shows that the verses would not have answered his purpose if they had been more polished, since he wished to concentrate the attention of the reader on the Contents only and not on the form. His verses therefore truly bear the stamp of dramatic dialogue, which they would certainly lack if they possessed more of the gloss of lyrical poetry. The strictures on the frequent ' hardness of language ' in Nathan are consequently totally unjustified. The language forms part and parcel of the Drama, and im> parts to it, in a great measure, the stamp of originality. For the same reason Lessing disdained to make use of rhymes, which would at once have deprived it of all naturalness. Ich musz nur machen^ he writes to his friend Elise Reimarus (Dec 16, 1 778), dasz ich mit meinem Nathan fertig werde. Um geschwind fertig zu werden^ mache ich ihn in Versen, Frei- lich nicht in gereimten— denn das wäre gar zu ungereimt, The verses or lines in Nathan are as a rule iambics of five feet, or ten syllables; but naturally the author occasionally allowed himself a poetical licence. Here and there we find lines of eight or nine syllables; some have a supemumerary syllable at the end; others consist of twelve syllables, and a very few even of thirteen. In the longer or more pathetic pas- sages the metre is generally most correct and exact, and the verses are distinguished by great harmony and melody. Thus the * Parable of the Rings ' is, as has been pointed out before, ^ The well-known commentator Heinrich Düntzer seems to hold a similar opinion. Cp. his Erläuterungen zu Lessing s Nathan der JVeise, p. 57, etc.
INTRODUCTION. xlvü a masterpiece of narrative poetry, entirely free from any rhythmical dissonance. Besides the merit of having set the example, as regards the form, to German dramatic literature, Lessing'siVaMa/^also enjoys the distinction of having enriched the German lang^age with a number of tums, idiomatic phrases and expressions. He frequently makes use of the vigorous language of Luther and the subtle mode of expres* sion employed by Logau, who was one of the wittiest epi- grammatists of Germany. Not unfrequently Lessing descended into the street, as it were, picked up most expressive phrases, and legalised their use by adopting them. The various persons in the Drama speak in a simple, natural way, quite adapted to their respective stations. Some critics are of opinion that Lessing invested the Speeches oi Nathan— ytho is fond of playing upon words — with that epigranmiatic pointed- ness, dialectic acuteness, and sarcastic humour, which are said to be peculiar to his race. If such be the case, it is certainly not done in such a manner as to offend against good taste, or to lower the hero of his Drama in our estimation. Daya is ratherfond of biblical allusions; the honest Laybrother sho^s his humility and Christianlike sentiments in his speech; whilst the partly unctuous and partly arrogant and pedantic language of the Patriarch is most suitable to his character. The words of the Templar reflect the vehemence of his temper, and Saladin speaks in a dignified but by no means stilted manner.
Goethe seems to have preferred the language used in Nathan to that employed by the author in his other works. Thus he says: Lessing wurde nach und nach ganz epigram- matisch in seinen Gedichten^ knapp in der Minna, lakonisch in Emilia Galotti; später kehrte er erst zu einer heiteren Naivetät zurück, die ihn so wohl kleidet im Nathan, Considerable attention was also paid by Lessing in his Nathan to the punctuation. Nobody knew the exigencies of the stage better than he did. He always had the actor before his mind's eye, and for this reason his plays are so eminently adapted for the stage — so bütinengerecht, A German schoolmaster once took the trouble of counting xlvill INTRODUCTION.
the signs of interrogation, exdamation, dashes, etc, occur- ring in Nathan^ in order to prove by their abundance the in- feriority of the drama as a work of art Another, almost equally ridiculous, objection to the verse in Lessing's Nathan is the frequent occurrence of enjambement; but it should be remembered that in that drama it scarcely ever jars on the ear. It rather imparts dramatic force to the language \ VII.
A Dramatic Poem and a Stage-piay.
It is generally admitted that, judged from an aesthetic point of view, Nathan der Weise is not a Drama in the usual ac- ceptance of the word. It lacks action, which is the life and soul of every true dramatic production. It was, besides, written with a philosophical purpose, for which reason it has also been designated as a didactic poem; moreover the prin- cipal * motive ' of the piece, the externa! resemblance of two persons namely, is a very undramatic expedient. We may assume that nobody was more aware of these shortcomings than the author of the Hamburger Dramaturgie himself, who knew his Aristotle as well as any critic, and he gave an actual proof of it by calling the plot he had invented an Episode^ and his production Ein Dramatisches Gedicht» This seif- avowal at once disarms all supercilious critidsm and indicates the Standpoint from which Lessing's masterwork must be judged. Granted Nathan der Weise is not a drama — although it is conveniently and conventionally so called — ^how is it that it still forms one of the favourite pieces of the German Reper- toire^ whilst other plays^ which produced in their day the * An admirabk treatise pn Ijts&in^sBiank Verse^ with an ennmeration of nearly all the cases of enjambement occnrring in his Nathan^ will be found in the late Prof. Zamcke's monograph, Über den fiinffüssigen Jambus bei Lessing^ Schiller und Goethe, See bis Kleine Schriften (edited by his son, Prof £d. Zamcke) I. 311 etc.
INTRODUCTION, xlix greätest dramatid effect, have long ago vanished from the stage? The reason must be found, in our opinion, in the fact that, besides bearing the indelible stamp of classical beauty, Nathan der Weise breathes throughout a spirit Df love and humanity, and that it appeals simultaneously both to the heait and the mind. ^ A kindliness and tendemess of feeling pervades the whole piece, although the author designated it — to use Miss Zimmern's happy rendering — ' as the son of his advancing age, whom polemics have helped to deliver.' A net of love is woven round all the persons, who are connected by a bond of mutual sympathy; and the Single discordant voice we hear from the relentless fanatic only serves to bring out more strikingly the sympathetic concord of the other dramatis persona. Even the Templar reveals a generous heart, and Nathan, with his penetrating glance, at once recognised that Die Schale kann nur bitter ^Hn: der Kern Jsfs ^sicher nichts The Templar soon proves that Nathan had judged him rightly, and even his passion for Recha is, after all, nothing but unconscious brotherly love. The theme of a possible tender affection between brother and sister who meet as ötrangers may have, in general, something painful in itself; but Lessing' avoided this rock with great dramatic skill. Recha feit a feverish passion for her deliverer as long as her nervous visionary delusion lasted. Whei) this has passed she only ^ Fr. Schlegel says: Nathan kam aus dem Gemüth und dringt wieder hinein; er ist vom schwebenden Geist Gottes durchglüht und überhaucht, Knebel, one of the most intimate friends.of Goethe; declaried of the latter in 1.780:. Vor ^Nathan dem Weisen"* sei er ordentlich prostemiert. Er werde nicht müde, ihn als das höchste Meisterstück menschlicher Kunst zu bewundern und zu preisen: Similar opinions were expressed by other eminent critics and admirers. Little-minded detractors of the great work were, of conrse, not wanting, and a divine, named J. G. Pfranger, wrote a kind of ' opposition-drama/ entitled Der Mönch vom Libanon, Cp. Nau- mann's Nathan- Literatur (p. 36), Nodnagel's Lessing s Dramen^ p. 287, etc., and W. Taylor*s Historie Survey of German Literat ttre, d 1 INTRODUCTION.
d 1 INTRODUCTION.
entertains an ardent longing to be brought into the presence qf her rescuer and to ej^press to him her deep-felt gratitude. She feels, hQwever, at once, that when this ^ wish of wishes ' is fulülled, the go^ of her Ignging will be attained. The latter will neither continue nor grow in intensity; which fact lia$ been happily in4icate4 by the author in her question: — Und wenn er nun Gekommen dieser Augenblick; wenn denn Nun meiner Wünsche wärmster^ innigster Erfüllet ist; was dann % — w(k dann t When the Templqr iß actually brouglit intp RechcCs presence her agit^tion is goi^e, and her heärt becpmes calm. With a Wpman's true instinct she seen^s at onc^ fo tinconsciously recognise a brother ip him. She herseif cannpt explain the sudden tr^nsi^ion in her heart from storm to calm; and she assures Day/i that she will always feel gratiiied at the sight of the Templar, although her pulse will not beat *the quicker for it; for a^ sjie sensibly a4ds: — Jch sehe wahrlich Nicht minder ^em^ jvas ich mit Ruhe sehe, The turn wliich RechcCs sentiments towajrds the Tempiar take is worked QUt with so mi^ch p3ychological truth, that it quite removes the painful feeling which threatened to be pro- duced by the ßpispde between brother and sister. It is true that the Templqr persistß to the last in \\\% illusory passion; but, when it is dispelled by inexorable fact, he recognises the true source of his feplings, ^4 ^e ^44rpsses to Nathan the reassuring words— r Jhr gebt Mir mehr^ als Ihr mir nehmte unendlich mehr/ It would certainly have been easy enough for Lessing to in- terweave a really romantic *love-story' in his Drama, but by doing so he would have diverted attention from the main object of his work. It would then have appealed more to the heart than to the mind, and the author was anxious to keep the balance between the two. That he has fully succeeded in INTRODUCTION. li this, need hardly be pointed out It may also be mentioned as a remärkable coincidence,that that character in the Drama whlch may bfe considered as the embodiment of wisdom shoüld> ät the same time, give the most pateiit proofs of tetidetness bf feeliilg. This is dohe in älmost bvety scene in • whi^ch Nathan äppears, büt mbre especiially in the scene with the Läybrother (Act iv. Sc. 7). This scene is regarded by many as the most impottaht of the piece, and Cettainly it is the most affecting. What cah there bä more pathetic than his accouht of the loss of his wife and his seven sons, of his despair aiid self-conqueStj and what möre touching than his exclamation, on obtaining a stränge ihfant child,-^ Gott! auf Sieben bock nuH schon Eines wieder l Lessing Was, therefore, quite right when he ässüred his bro- ther ' that his Nathan will be as affecting a piece as he ever wrote'; ahd cbiisiderihg that all the chäracters In the Drama are consisteht, lifelike, and sketched with great precision, it is not to be wondered at that it was, and still is, also highly successful äs ä theatrical piebe.
Lessing Wrote his Nathan^ like all his other dramatic pieces, for the stage, ahd for this reäsöh he used great caütion in com- posing it. Ich will ntetneni Stück den Weg nicht selbst ver- hauen, he Wrote to his brother (Nov. 7, 1778), endlich doch einmal auf die Bühnä tu konmen, wenn es auch erst nach hundert Jahren wärt. Six months later he wrote; Es kann wohl sein^ dasa mein Nathan im Gänsen wenig Wirkung thun würde ^ wenn er auf das Theater kante, welches wohl nie ge- schehen wird. Genug it/enn er sich mit Interesse wohl lieset, These utteranicles show that Lessiiig waiB ät times not quite confident aboüt the success of his work, and it is not unlikely that this difädence was caused by the feeling of despondency which had taken hold of him during the last period of hia life. On the whole, he seems to have believed in the suitable- ness of his Drama for the stage, and he only feared that no theatre in Germany would dare to give a Performance of it d2 Hi INTROPUCTION.