Early Modern German Drama, 1400–1700

Summary

During the Transition from the Medieval Feudal State to the age of monocentric absolutism, thinking continued to be dominated by a Christian theology whose validity, in spite of doctrinal differences during the Reformation, was to remain largely unquestioned until after the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). As justification for a society with extremely rigid class and gender distinctions, this theology provided a metaphysical framework that is either explicitly present, as in the religious plays, or implied, as in the carnival plays (Fastnachtspiele) and Meistersinger plays; this condition also holds true for other works where the playwright is focused more on secular issues or a non-Christian setting, and includes not only German-language drama but also the Latin corpus, which was intended for a smaller, elite audience. No matter the audience, however, the plays were regarded as an effective means of complementing and reinforcing the conservative teachings of the church and the state on religion, social roles, and politics, the ultimate goal being a reaffirmation of the status quo. This message continued to be conveyed by medieval dramatic forms (biblical, allegorical, carnival) and figures (fool, martyr, tyrant), which are found throughout the period. Their authors ranged from humanists, who reintroduced the external structures of classical drama (such as the division into acts and scenes) late in the fifteenth century, to Catholic and Protestant school dramatists.

It was not until Martin Opitz (1597–1639) published his pioneering theoretical Buch von der Deutschen Poeterey (Book of German Poetics) in 1624 that plays in the vernacular, written for the most part within a strongly Lutheran environment in Silesia, became part of the European mainstream by drawing on the theoretical and practical expertise of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jesuits, the English Players, the Dutch, and the Italians. The addition of music to dramatic texts led to the creation of opera in Italy in 1594 and provided a model for Opitz and other German librettists and composers throughout the seventeenth century.