Friedrich Schiller

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (10 November 1759 – 9 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher, and historian. He is considered one of Germany’s most important classical playwrights. Born in Marbach to a devoutly Protestant family, Schiller was first intended for the priesthood. In 1773, he entered a military academy in Stuttgart, where he studied medicine. It was during this time that he wrote his first play, The Robbers, which became very successful.

After working briefly as a regimental doctor, Schiller left Stuttgart and eventually moved to Weimar. In 1789, he became a professor of History and Philosophy at the University of Jena, where he wrote many historical works. During the last seventeen years of his life, Schiller formed a close and productive friendship with the famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They often talked about aesthetics, and Schiller helped Goethe finish some of his unfinished works. Their friendship led to a period known as Weimar Classicism. Together, they founded the Weimar Theater and worked on Xenien, a collection of short satirical poems where they challenged those who opposed their philosophical ideas.

Early life and career

Friedrich Schiller was born on 10 November 1759 in Marbach, in the Duchy of Württemberg. He was the only son of military doctor Johann Kaspar Schiller and Elisabetha Dorothea Schiller. Schiller grew up in a very religious Protestant family and spent much of his youth studying the Bible.

When Schiller was young, his father was away fighting in the Seven Years' War. Later, the family moved to Ludwigsburg where Schiller attended the Karlsschule Stuttgart, an elite military academy. There, he studied law and later medicine, graduating with a doctor of medicine in 1780. While at school, Schiller wrote his first play, The Robbers, which became very popular. He also read writers like Rousseau and discussed ideas with his classmates.

Marriage and family

On 22 February 1790, Schiller married Charlotte von Lengefeld, who was the sister of writer Caroline von Wolzogen. Charlotte was the daughter of Carl Christoph von Lengefeld and his wife Louise von Lengefeld.

Schiller and Charlotte had four children between 1793 and 1804: Karl Friedrich Ludwig, Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm, Karoline Luise Henriette, and Luise Henriette Emilie. The last living descendant of Schiller was a grandchild of Emilie, Baron Alexander von Gleichen-Rußwurm, who died in Baden-Baden in 1947.

Weimar and later career

Schiller went back to Weimar with his family in 1799. Goethe, a famous writer, asked him to start writing plays again. Together, they created the Weimar Theater, which became the best theater in Germany. Their work together helped bring new, exciting plays to the world.

Because of his great work, Schiller was honored in 1802 by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and his name changed to include "von". He stayed in Weimar, Saxe-Weimar, until he passed away in 1805.

Legacy and honors

The first detailed story about Schiller's life was written by his sister-in-law Caroline von Wolzogen in 1830, titled Schillers Leben (Schiller's Life).

In 1827, Schiller's remains were moved to the Weimarer Fürstengruft, a special resting place in Weimar, Germany, where many important people are buried. In 2008, scientists discovered that the skull thought to be Schiller's did not match his DNA, so his tomb is now empty.

Many cities have honored Schiller with statues and parks. Stuttgart created a square named Schillerplatz in 1839. Berlin unveiled a Schiller monument in 1871. New York City's Central Park received its first sculpture, a bronze image of Schiller, in 1859. Chicago also dedicated a statue to Schiller in its Lincoln Park.

Schiller Park in Columbus, Ohio, was named after him and features a statue donated in 1891. During World War I, the park's name was changed due to anti-German feelings but later restored. Detroit, Michigan, has a Schiller statue on Belle Isle, created by the local German-American community in 1908.

Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota, displays a bronze statue of Schiller, dedicated in 1907 by German societies and citizens. Schiller is also a symbol for Carleton College in Minnesota, where a plaster bust appears at events.

Schiller's face has been featured on German coins and banknotes. In 2008, a TV channel poll named him one of Europe's greatest playwrights, second only to William Shakespeare.

Siblings

Friedrich Schiller had five sisters. Two of them passed away when they were young, and three lived to grow up.

The sisters who lived to adulthood were:

• Elizabeth Christophine Friederike Schiller (1757–1847), who was a painter and married Wilhelm Friedrich Hermann Reinwald.
• Louisa Dorothea Catharina Schiller (1766–1836), who married pastor Johann Gottlieb Franckh.
• Caroline Christiane Schiller (1777–1796).

Writing

Schiller wrote many papers about ideas and beauty. He thought about how good and beautiful things are linked together. He also wrote about big questions like freedom and what makes a person truly free.

Schiller is known as one of Germany’s most important playwriters. He wrote many famous plays, including The Robbers, where two brothers fight over money and power. Another play, Intrigue and Love, tells a story like Romeo and Juliet, with a young woman wanting to marry someone her family does not approve of. He also wrote historical plays like Don Carlos and the Wallenstein trilogy, which tells about a big war in history.

One of his important works is called On the Aesthetic Education of Man. He wrote this after feeling sad about problems in a big change in a country. In this work, he talked about how beauty can help make people better.

Musical settings

Ludwig van Beethoven once said that setting a great poem to music is harder than setting a just good one, because the composer has to match the poet’s greatness. He thought Schiller’s poems were especially challenging, unlike those of Goethe, which he found easier to work with.

Some famous musicians have used Schiller’s poems and plays in their work. Beethoven used Schiller’s poem “An die Freude” (Ode to Joy) in his Ninth Symphony. Johannes Brahms turned one of Schiller’s poems into a choral piece called “Nänie”. Franz Schubert wrote many songs called Lieder based on Schiller’s poems, including “Des Mädchens Klage” and “Die Bürgschaft”.

The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi loved Schiller and used his plays in several operas. For example, Verdi’s I masnadieri is based on Schiller’s The Robbers, and Giovanna d'Arco is based on The Maid of Orleans. Other composers like Donizetti, Rossini, and Tchaikovsky also used Schiller’s stories in their music.

Schiller's burial

A poem was written about the poet's burial. It describes a simple and humble scene with dim torches, a basic coffin, and few people present. One unknown person, described as the Spirit of Mankind, followed the coffin. The poem was written by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer.

Works

Friedrich Schiller wrote many famous plays, including The Robbers and Don Carlos. He also wrote histories about important events, such as the revolt of the Netherlands and the Thirty Years' War.

He translated works by famous writers like Euripides and William Shakespeare. Schiller also wrote prose and poems, such as Ode to Joy, which became part of Beethoven's famous ninth symphony.