"Egmont"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the play, "Egmont," written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The paper specifically focuses on Goethe's views on friendship and relationships and the ways that he portrays this in his play. The paper shows how, through the many relationships that Count Egmont has, Goethe portrays his pessimism towards the possibility of the ideal friendship.

From the Paper:

"The citizens of Brussels are the first people that appear in the play, and from the beginning they praise Count Egmont, suggesting the positive relationship between the two. Although the citizens do not interact with Egmont until the end of the first scene in Act II, they show that they have amity for Count Egmont, whom they cherish as a friend and respect as a leader. People feel like he is a leader who is like them and understands them, creating a comradeship between Egmont and the citizens. However, Act IV scene I conveys that even friends whom once may have praised you can leave once something may seem a little uncertain for them. In Act IV scene I, the citizens express their concern for Count Egmont's death, but no one seems to have the courage to take action for Egmont. Rather, when Vansen challenges the loyalty and courage of the civilians, all are hesitant to speak up. When Vansen asks, "Who would? Who would stop them? You? Will you start a revolt when they arrest him?" one of the civilians, Soest, stutters and could not answer (Goethe 155). The cowardliness of Egmont's followers results in his death at the scaffold."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Egmont. Germany, 1787.

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