Egmont
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · Egmont
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1788
- Form
- Tragedy
- Language
- German
- Length
- Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendEgmont, translated by Michael HamburgerHarper and Row, 1968Hamburger's is the most readable modern English version; older translations by Anna Swanwick are free online.
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A prose tragedy set in the Netherlands in the 1560s, at the start of the revolt against Spanish rule. Count Egmont, a popular soldier and nobleman, trusts in his own honour and the goodwill of the king, ignores the warnings of William of Orange, and stays in Brussels when the Duke of Alba arrives. Alba arrests him. His lover Klärchen tries to rouse the citizens, fails, and takes poison; Egmont, on the night before his execution, dreams of Freedom in her form and goes to his death as a call to rebellion. Beethoven wrote incidental music for it.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Egmont are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
