Nathan the Wise (1779)

Abstract: (5pp) Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was one of the major German writers of the Enlightenment. Although the Enlightenment was generally considered a period in which intellectuals wrote for other intellectuals, Lessing's play of five acts is easy to follow, largely because of its universal themes of tolerance, brotherhood and reason. Although Lessing liked to write controversial material to prompt people's thoughts, he angered a cleric in Hamburg, who began a violent and personal anti-Semitic attack upon Lessing to make his literary point. This story is addressing the cleric's lack of tolerance.

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Catagory:

Subcatagory: Theater

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