William Tell (play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Tell (German: Wilhelm Tell) is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804. The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century.
[edit] Composition
The William Tell play was composed by Friedrich Schiller between 1803 and 1804.[1] Since its publication, Schiller’s William Tell has been translated into many languages, including Slovene, Croatian, Turkish, Romansh and Hebrew.[2] However, it was not until Johann Wolfgang Goethe returned from his second journey to the Lake of Lucerne in 1779 with the intention to write a William Tell epic that Schiller became interested in the legend of William Tell.[3]
[edit] Performance history
The debut performance of Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell was held in Weimar under the direction of Johann Wolfgang Goethe on March 17, 1804.[4] Adolf Hitler, who had only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by the young Swiss Maurice Bavaud (who was later dubbed the “New William Tell” by Rolf Hochhuth), is reported to have publicly announced his regret that Friedrich Schiller had immortalized the Swiss sniper William Tell (“Ausgerechnet Schiller musste diesen Schweizer Heckenschützen verherrlichen”).[5]
