"Michael Kohlhaas"

Paper Summary:

"Michael Kohlhaas" by Heinrich von Kleist is a tragic novel of revenge and ultimate salvation. The paper investigates the functions of the characters in the novel, specifically Luther and the Gypsy and whether they are somehow related. The paper shows that the message of the novel is that revenge, no matter how sweet, always results in failure and unhappiness.

From the Paper:

"While Luther does not agree with Kohlhaas' methods, he does intercede for him, and pleads for amnesty from the Saxon Elector, who is deaf to Luther's pleas. Kohlhaas had gone too far by burning Wittenberg and other towns as he seeks out the Junker for revenge, and the people have turned against him. Initially, Luther's intervention seems to work, and he serves another purpose, he seems to be Kohlhaas' redeemer. In the broader sense, Luther appears in the novel to represent the importance of anarchy and revolt. Luther himself was considered an anarchist at times, and was excommunicated from the Catholic Church for his "radical" religious views. His appearance in the novel is ironic, for at first he does not support the very same action in Kohlhaas, because Kohlhaas uses violence as his means of revenge."

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