In the Dust with All the Enemies of Brandenburg: Kleist’s The Prince of Homburg
19 Pages Posted: 19 May 2021
Date Written: May 17, 2021
Abstract
This paper analyzes Kleist’s rather complex play of a somnambulant war hero, an Elector who initiates a court-martial honoring the hero’s victory by a death sentence, and a princess who commands her regiment to put pressure on her Uncle, the Elector, to revise the death sentence. The result is that the hero gets back his sword and “all” shout “In the dust with all the enemies of Brandenburg.” These events are discussed with respect to the thesis of breaking-in the hero, the Elector’s inconsistent command of the law, and Princess Natalie’s reactions as commander of a regiment and lover of a hero with failing discipline. A review of the history of Kleist’s play and the historical Landgraf Friedrich II of Hessen-Homburg and a final observation conclude the paper.
Keywords: Prince of Homburg, Great Elector, Landgraf Friedrich II von Hessen-Homburg, Carl Gustav von Wrangel, Napoleon, Battle of Fehrbellin, Battle of Jena and Auerstedt.
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