| Author |
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1729-1781 |
| Editor |
Morley, Henry, 1822-1894 |
| Translator |
Taylor, W. (William), 1765-1836 |
| Title |
Nathan the Wise; a dramatic poem in five acts
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| Credits |
Transcribed from the 1893 Cassell & Company edition by David Price
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| Summary |
"Nathan the Wise" by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is a dramatic poem consisting of five acts, written in the late 18th century. The work explores themes of tolerance, religious diversity, and the nature of humanity through the interactions of its characters, particularly Nathan, a wise Jewish merchant, and Recha, his adopted daughter. The narrative is set against the backdrop of Jerusalem during the Crusades, illustrating the complexities of Jewish-Muslim-Christian relations. The opening of the play introduces Nathan returning to Jerusalem after a journey to Babylon. He is relieved to learn from Daya, his servant, that his house and Recha, who was almost caught in a fire, are safe. As Daya shares the dramatic rescue of Recha by a young Templar, Nathan expresses his deep concern for her well-being and begins to contemplate the implications of Recha's savior being a Christian knight. He seeks to meet the Templar, aiming to understand the moral and emotional ramifications of his daughter's rescue. This initial part of the play sets the stage for exploring the friendships that will develop across religious divides, highlighting Nathan's wisdom and benevolence in the face of prejudices that exist among the different faiths. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures
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| Subject |
German drama -- Translations into English
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
3820 |
| Release Date |
Mar 1, 2003 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jul 26, 2017 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
1122 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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