„Eine Würgescene fieng an…“: Weltgeschichte als Bühne des Schreckens. Theatralisierung von Gewalt in Schillers Geschichtsdarstellungen
“Eine Würgescene fieng an...”: World History as a Stage for Horror: The Dramatization of Violence in Schiller’s Presentations of History

Summary/Abstract: This essay reflects on the aesthetic and rhetorical strategies used by Schiller to dramatise and represent Violence. In doing so, it becomes clear that the mechanisms used by Schiller to dramatise scenes of violence and horror serve the overall aim of visualising history. With specific reference to his representations of violence in the Revolt of the Netherlands and the massacre in Magdeburg in his History of the Thirty Years War, it will be shown how Schiller sought to present the reader events of real world-historical significance. The chosen forms of violence – which align perfectly with the aspirations of Schiller the history writer – follow largely a dramaturgy of escalation. With the help of metanarrative reflections, Schiller leads the reader from one horror to another, with the overall attempt of propelling violence to the forefront of the narrative. The fact that Schiller persistently reflects and comments upon what is represented is reflected not only in his obvious recourse to metaphors but also in the theatrical dimension of his violence and, consequently, his representation of history, too. In the final analysis, therefore, all of this proves that Schiller the history writer is closely related to Schiller the dramatist.

• Details
• Contents