Lessing is considered by many to be a major representative of the Enlightenment Era. He was well known as a dramatist, critic, and philosopher during this time frame in Germany, and his works remain popular and influential even in contemporary times. In terms of religious tolerance, Lessing’s philosophies are perhaps best represented by two of his dramatic pieces, Nathan der Weise, or Nathan the Wise, and Die Juden, or The Jews. According to one scholar, these two plays by Lessing ‘are instructive examples that demonstrate, when read in light of the historical specificity of their context, the force of critical thinking that drove Lessing’ (Goetschel 2003: 63). Lessing’s impact is still felt today. According to Garland, The Jews ‘had shown [Lessing’s] deep antipathy to the unreasonable hatred directed against that people’ (1962: 191). In the eighteenth century, the ideas introduced by the Enlightenment had far-reaching effects on Western society. In fact, many of those ideas remain influential to this day. Formerly, much of Europe had been plagued by archaic prejudices towards those whose religious faith was considered to be a minority. This theme is nowhere more evident than in Lessing’s plays, Nathan the Wise and The Jews According to Goetschel, both of these works are evidence of ‘Lessing’s critical concern to rethink both the claims of Christianity and the groundwork of modern national identity’ (2003: 63). Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was born in the quiet country town of Kamenz. His father, Johann Gottfried Lessing, was an educated man, but he was not wealthy. He worked as an assistant pastor in Kamenz It was from him that the younger Lessing got his love of books, something that would last throughout his life. Lessing attended the University of Leipzig. Leipzig was a new world for the young man. It was far different from Kamenz. In fact, it was sometimes known as ‘Little Paris’ because of the level of sophistication that existed there (Garland 1962: 7). Lessing’s early literary works included Damon and The Young Scholar Neither of these works gave any indication that Lessing would eventually come to be known as the father of German literature, although The Young Scholar enjoyed a brief spate of popularity on the stage. During his youth, Lessing exhibited a tendency to rebel against the status quo. This became particularly clear during his college days. Correspondence between him and his parents shows evidence of a young man of great curiosity, and one for whom a tried and true path would not suffice. His parents wished the best for him, naturally: a steady career that would bring him stability and a modest amount of comfort. It was also hoped that Lessing, as the eldest, would establish himself in order to contribute to the education of his younger siblings. However, this was not the path that Lessing chose to follow. His adventurous spirit, combined with his youth, and the atmosphere of Leipzig, all combined to determine a path that would veer from his parents’ wishes. These experiences led him to become a thinker and writer who was ahead of his time, as well as one of the finest minds of the German Enlightenment. Lessing’s Plays: Nathan the Wise and The Jews. In many ways, Nathan the Wise can be considered a play that was ahead of its time. According to Wilms, this play is ‘canonized not just in German literature, but also in the liberal Enlightenment reception of that literature and its tradition’ (2002: 306). The central theme is the concept of brotherhood among mankind. Through the vehicle of drama, Lessing puts forth the message that people should be able to exist in harmony despite their religious denomination or group affiliation. For example, it should not matter whether one is a Jew, a Christian, or a Muslim; people should respect each other and coexist peacefully no matter what religious affiliations they have. Lessing’s primary message in Nathan the Wise is that the main consideration should be the value of individuals as human beings, and that group membership is secondary to this. This is the concept that the character of Nathan proposes. The role of money in this play merits some attention. Lessing uses money as a prop and as a theme. It is an integral part of the discourse of the play. According to Graham, ‘from the first moiment of the pla we are never allowed to forget Nathan’s association with money>

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ere, as in Nathan the Wise, Lessing effectively uses the tactic of the ‘hidden identity’ to elucidate his point. Once again, the message is that humanity is far more important than religious affiliation. In The Jews, Lessing asserts again that the worth of people should not be based on what religion individuals are born into This is quite apparent when it turns out that the Baron’s attackers are in fact the very servants on whom he relies. The person who saves him, The Stranger, turns out to be a Jew himself, which adds to the irony. Lessing’s attitude to orthodoxy is rather complex. Much of his beliefs in his early life were strongly influenced by his friend, the freethinker Mylius. Mylius befriended him in Leipzig. Several years older, Mylius had a great deal of influence on his young protégé In a letter to his father, written when he was twenty years old, we can see the evolution of the young Lessing’s thoughts about religion: ‘Time will prove whether he is the better Christian, who has the principles of Christian doctrine in his memory, and on his lips, often without understanding them, who goes to church and observes all the practices (of religion) just because they are customary; or he who has once prudently doubted and has reached conviction by the path of investigation, or at an rate strives to reach it. The Christian religion is not a thing which one should accept on trust from one’s parents’ (quoted in Garland 1962: 151). Seeds of unrest and a pull towards independent thinking are apparent even at this early stage in Lessing’s development. We can already see this tendency to be skeptical of church-goers whose actions are at odds with their stated beliefs. As stated earlier, anti-Semitism was somewhat less pronounced during this period, although it still clearly existed. The idea that people should not be judged by their religious affiliations seems to have already taken hold in Lessing’s young mind. According to Garland, Lessing was ‘struck by the obvious divergence between the doctrine of Christ and the mode of life of many of those who passed as Christians’ (1962: 152). He was very much aware of the hypocrisy inherent in many who claimed to be Christians. Even as a young man, he was easily incensed by intolerance towards religious practices. He seemed to have little respect for orthodox theologies that had little room for the beliefs of others. In the eighteenth century, as discussed earlier, the ideas introduced by the Enlightenment had far-reaching effects on Western society. In fact, many of those ideas remain influential to this day. Formerly, much of Europe had been plagued by archaic prejudices towards those whose religious faith was considered to be a minority. Conclusion The period of the Enlightenment in Europe signaled a change in thinking. As representative pieces, these two plays by Lessing are examples of these new attitudes towards religion. Because of the impact of the intellectual revolution, the eighteenth century is frequently referred to as the ‘Age of Reason’. More specifically, the term ‘Enlightenment’ is used because a major feature of this era was the mind’s emphasis on using rationality as a framework within which to view major philosophical issues. During this epoch, superstition came to be replaced with logical thought and analysis. These influences can be seen in the works of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. A recurring theme in the works of Lessing is the concept of brotherhood among mankind. Through the vehicle of drama, Lessing puts forth the idea that people should be able to exist in harmony despite their religious denomination or group affiliation. Whether one is Christian, Muslim, or Jew, is irrelevant One’s connection to a particular religious group should not affect the basic respect that people should feel for one another. People of different faiths and beliefs should respect each other and coexist peacefully no matter what religious affiliations they have. Lessing’s primary message in Nathan the Wise is that the main consideration should be the value of individuals as human beings, and that group membership is secondary to this. This is the concept that the character of Nathan proposes. This message is also present in The Jews Here, as in Nathan the Wise, Lessing once again makes it clear that humanity is far more important than religious affiliation. In The Jews, L>

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Das folgende Kapitel hat einen Handlungsverlust, der auch im Stil merkbar ist, zunächst kommentiert der Erzähler wie zuvor und Mann greift auf die Odyssee Homers zurück um die Natur zu beschreiben und eine falsche Idylle zu kreieren. Die Liebe zu dem Jüngling wird wiederholt dramatisch dargestellt, die Gesamtsituation Aschenbachs wird mit Partizipien, Alliterationen und Antonomasien auf eine überdurchschnittliche Ebene gehoben. Doch hier ist eine Ironie durch den Erzähler bemerkbar, die diese Dramatik beinahe falsch erscheinen lässt, der Leser wird zwar aufgefordert ein Bild vor Augen zu kreieren, mit Hilfe von Synästhesie und Vergleichen, doch man merkt deutlich, wie das Ende der Novelle und des Helds naht. Die rhetorischen Fragen fordern den Leser zum Nachdenken auf, denn hier geht es nicht nur um Aschenbach, der Liebesverrückt ist, sondern jeden Einzelnen, der versucht, sich selbst zu entkommen, man befindet sich hier auf eine Metaebene, die zuvor nicht vorhanden war. Das letzte Kapitel beinhaltet viele Imaginationen des Hauptcharakters und weiterhin zitiert der Erzähler, allerdings um Dramatik zu kreieren. Der Monolog Aschenbach unterstreicht dessen Verrücktheit, er ist getrieben von der Liebe und sein Fall wird letzten Endes vollendet. Von dem einst bekannten und beliebten Schriftsteller ist nichts mehr übrig, stattdessen hilft das Oxymeron Liebe und Tod ironisch sinnvoll zu vereinigen. Die erlebte Rede, die Ausrufezeichen, all dies sind dramatische Effekte, der Leser wird eingespannt in die Spannung. Die komplexen Sätze beinhalten grauenvolle und ekelhafte Beschreibungen, als Unterstreichung des Falls von Aschenbach. 2. Romeo und Julia inhaltlich & stilistisch Inhalt: Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe In dieser Novelle sind keine Kapitel, aber dennoch lineare Abschnitte auffindbar. Sie beginnt zunächst mit der Exposition, darauf folgt der Aufbau des Konflikts, dann der Gewissenskonflikt der Liebenden, daraufhin wird die Handlung verzögert und darauf folgt die romantische Katastrophe. Die Exposition beläuft sich auf wenige Seiten, in denen die Charaktere gezeigt werden wie sie im idyllischen Seldwyla leben und arbeiten. Die Ortschaft wird beschrieben und zwei Bauernfamilien stehen im Mittelpunkt, die Kinder sind befreundet und teilen viele Geheimnisse. Der Schein trügt jedoch, denn die jungen Kinder weisen schon ein grausames Verhalten auf, als sie „ihn [den Kopf] sorgfältig los von dem ausgequetschten Leichnam” (S. 9) trennten. Außerdem liegt zwischen den Anwesen der Familien ein unzuordbares Acker. Dann folgt der Aufbau der Streithandlung zwischen den Bauern, Manz erwirbt nun rechtlich für viel Geld den Acker, behauptet aber, dass Marti ihm Land geklaut habe. Die ganze Konzentration ist auf den eskalierenden Streit gerichtet, anstelle auf ihre äcker, „[..]und ruhten nicht, ehe sie beide zugrunde gerichtet waren.” (S.17) so leiden sie bald unter Geldmangel und die Kinder unter Kontaktlosigkeit. Vrenches Mutter stirbt daraufhin an Kummer, während Vrenchen versucht aus der miserablen Lage das Beste zu machen. Salis Mutter aber verwöhnt ihren Sohn, wann immer sie kann, damit er zumindest ansehnlich scheint. Bald darauf erreicht die Armut einen Höhepunkt, denn Manz’ Familie muss den Acker aufgeben und in die Stadt migrieren, um ihrer Not zu entkommen und erwerben eine schäbige Gastronomie. Sie werden von den Stadtbürgern nicht ernst genommen und leiden weiterhin an Geldnot und Hunger. Auch Marti orientiert sich nun neu: am Fischen. So kommt es zu einem Treffen mit den Kindern, Manz und Marti, als beide im selben Fluss fischen. Der Streit eskaliert und es kommt zum Kampf zwischen den Bauern, währenddessen die beiden Kinder das Verhalten ihrer Väter unwürdig >

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