Goethe - Goetz Von Berlichingen

Johann Wolfgang von
GOETHE
Early Verse Dram a

and Prose Plays
Edited by Cyrus Hamlin and Frank Ryder
Translated by Robert M. Browning,
Michael Hamburger, Cyrus Hamlin, and Frank Ryder
Suhrkamp Publishers
New York, Inc.
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
GOETZ VON BERLICHINGEN
WITH THE IRON HAND
A P lay
Translated by Cyrus Hamlin
Characters
E mperor M aximilian L ords and L adies at the Bamberg

G oetz von B erlichingen court
E lisabeth , his wife I mperial C ouncillors
M aria , his sister A ldermen of H eilbronn
K arl , his young son J udges of the Secret Tribunal
G eorg , his page Two M erchants from Nuremberg
B ishop opN B amberg M ax Stumpf , servant of the Count
W eislingen Palatine
A Stranger
A delheid von ^at the Bishops
F ather of the B ride I
W alldorf court > peasants
B ridegroom J ^
L iebetraut
H orsemen in the service of Ber
A bbot of F ulda
lichingen, Weislingen, Bamberg
O learius , Doctor of Laws C aptains, O fficers, Soldiers of
B rother M artin THE I mperial A rmy
H ans von Selbttz I nnkeeper
F ranz von Sickingen C ourt S ummoner
L erse C itizens of H eilbronn
F ranz , Weislingens page C ity W atchman
L adies-in -W aiting to Adelheid J ailor
M etzler , Sievers, L ink , K ohl , P easants
W ild , leaders of the rebellious C aptain of the G ypsies
peasants G ypsy M en and W omen
2 Goetz von Berlichingen with the Iron Hand
A ct I
Schwarzenberg in Franconia
A n Inn
M etzler, Sievers at a table. Two Troopers at the fire. Innkeeper.
SiEVERS. Hansel, another glass of brandy, and give us a good Christian

measure.
I nnkeeper . With you its never enough.
M etzler (quietly to Sievers). Tell me again about Berlichingen! The
Bambergers over there are so angry, theyre black in the face.
Silvers. Bambergers? What are they doing here?
M etzler . For two days Weislingen has been up at the castle with the
Count; those are his guards. I dont know where hes come from;
theyre waiting for him; hes going back to Bamberg.
Silvers . Who is Weislingen?
M etzler . The Bishops right hand, a powerful lord, who is lying in wait
to cause trouble for Goetz.
Silvers. H ed better be careful.
M etzler (softly). Keep it up. (A lo u d :) Since when has Goetz been hav
ing difficulty with the Bishop of Bamberg again? The report was that
everything had been worked out and smoothed over.
Silvers . Aye! You try working something out with priests! When the
Bishop saw he was getting nowhere and always coming up short, he
started to crawl and bargain for a truce. And unbelievably, honest
Berlichingen gave in, as he always does when hes got the advantage.
M etzler . God preserve him! An upright Lord!
Silvers. Now think, is that not an outrage? They cut down one of his
pages, when he least expects it. But for that hell give them another
delousing!
M etzler . H ow stupid,that his last foray misfired; he m ust have been fit
to be tied.
Silvers . I cant remember when anything vexed him so. Just think,
everything had been reconnoitered precisely, when the Bishop would
leave his bath, how many horsemen hed have, which road; and if
news hadnt been leaked by some traitor, hed have blessed him his
bath and rubbed him dry.
F irst T rooper. Whats that talk about our Bishop? I think youre itching
for a fight.
Silvers. Tend to your own affairs. Theres nothing at our table concerns
you.
Second T rooper. Who said you could speak of our Bishop without re
spect?
Act I 3
SiEVERS. D o I owe you questions and answers? What a fool!
First Trooper boxes his ears.
M etzler . Knock the dog dead!

They start to fight.
Second T rooper. Come on, if youve got the guts!

I nnkeeper (pulling them apart). Cant you keep peace! Damn it all! If
you have a score to settle, do it outside. In my tavern I keep things
orderly and decent. (Pushes the troopers out the d o o r.) And just what
are you asses trying to do?
M etzler . Watch what you call us. Hansel, or w ell use your bald head
for bowling. Come on, comrade, w ell thrash em out o doors.
Enter two o f Berlichingens Troopers.
F irst T rooper. Whats going on?

SiEVERS. A h, good day, Peter! Veit, good day! Where are you coming
from?
S econd T rooper. Take care you dont let on who we serve.
SiEVERS (whispering). Then your Lord Goetz wont be far off either?
FiRSt T rooper. Hold your tongue! Are you in trouble?
SiEVERS. You met the fellows outside. Theyre Bambergers.
F irst T rooper. What are they doing here?
M etzler . Weislingen is up at the castle, with his noble lord; theyre his
guard.
F irst T rooper. Weislingen?
Second T rooper (whispering). Peter! What a stroke of good luck!
(A lou d:) How long has he been there?
M etzler . T wo days already. But he plans to leave today, so I heard one
of those fellows say.
F irst T rooper (whispering). Didnt I tell you that he came this way! We
could have wasted a lot of time over there. Come on, Veit.
SiEVERS. First help us beat up those Bambergers.
Second T rooper. Therere also two of you. W eve got to leave. Adieu!
(They leave.)
SiEVERS. Mangy dogs, those troopers! If you dont offer them pay, they
wont do you a single favor.
M etzler . I could swear theyre up to something. Who do they serve?
SiEVERS. Im not supposed to say. Theyre in G oetzs service.
M etzler . Well! Now lets get on to those two Outside. Come on, as long
as Ive got a cudgel, their roasting spits dont scare me.
SiEVERS. If only just once we could go after the princes that way; they
skin us alive.
A Shelter in the Forest
G oetz (^outside the d o o r beneath a linden tree). Whats keeping my men?

I mustnt stop irioving or Ill fall asleep. Five days and nights on the
prowl. They make you pay for it, this bit of life and freedom. For that,
when Ive caught you, Weislingen, Ill have satisfaction. (Pours a
d rin k.) Empty again! Georg! As long as I dont lack for a drink and a
bold spirit. Ill laugh at the powerplays and the intrigues of princes.
Georg! Just send your loyal Weislingen out to visit your uncles and
cousins, and let him slander me. Go ahead. Im wide awake. You
slipped away from me. Bishop! So your dear Weislingen will have to
even the score. Georg! Is the lad deaf? Georg! Georg!
P age (in the breastplate o f an adult). My Lord!
G oetz . Where were you hiding? Did you fall asleep? What the devil
kind of costume is that? Come here, you look good in it. D ont be
ashamed, boy. Youre a bold one! Indeed, if you could only fill mout!
Is that Hanss cuirass?
G eorg . He wanted to sleep for a bit and unbuckled it.
G oetz . He has more comfort than his lord.
G eorg . D on t be angry! I took it quietly and put it on, and fetched my
fathers old sword from the wall, ran out on the field and drew it out.
G oetz . And swung it about? That will have done a lot of good to the
brambles and thorns. Is Hans asleep?
G eorg . When you called he jumped up and shouted to me that you
called. I tried to unbuckle the harness, then I heard you a second
time, a third.
G oetz . G o , give him back his breastplate and tell him, he should get
ready and look after the horses.
G eorg . I fed the horses already and put on their bridles. You can mount
whenever you want.
G oetz . Bring me a jug of wine, give Hans a glass too, tell him to be
alert, things are going to happen. Any minute I hope my scouts will be
coming back.
G eorg . Ah, mighty Lord!
G oetz . Whats the matter?
G eorg . Cant I go along?
G oetz . Some other time, Georg, when were catching merchants and
plundering wagons.
G eorg . Some other time! How often youve said that to me. Why not
this time? This time! Ill just run along behind, only keep an eye out
to the side. Ill fetch back your arrows after theyre shot.
G oetz . Next time, Georg. First you have to have a doublet, a helmet
and a lance.
G eorg . Take me along. If Id been there the last time, you would not
have lost your crossbow.
Act I 5
G oetz . Y ou know about that?

G eorg. Y ou threw it at your opponents head, and one of his squires ran
off with it; so it was lost! Right? Have I got it?
G oetz . D o my fellows tell you that?
G eorg. Yes! And for that, when w ere grooming the horses, I pipe them
all kinds of tunes and teach them all kinds of songs.
G oetz . Y oure a good lad.
G eorg . Take me along, so I can prove it to you.
G oetz . Next time, on my word. Unarmed, as you are, you mustnt go
into battle. The future will call for good men, too. I tell you, boy, it
will be a fine time. Princes will offer their treasures for a man they
now hate. Go, Georg, give Hans back his cuirass and bring me wine.
{G eorg leaves.) Where have my fellows got to! Its incredible. A
monk! Where has he come from?
Brother Martin enters.
G oetz . Good evening, worthy Father! Where do you come from so
late? For a holy man of peace, you put many knights to shame.
M artin . Thank you, noble Lord! I stand before you only as a humble
brother, if its a question of title. My cloister name is Augustin, but I
prefer to be called Martin, my Christian name.
G oetz . Youre tired. Brother Martin, and no doubt thirsty! {The page
com es.) Here comes the wine, at just the right time.
M artin . For me, a drink of water. I am not allowed to drink wine.
G oetz . I s th at your vow?
M artin . N o , noble lord, it is not against my vows to drink wine; but
because wine is contrary to my vows, I do not drink wine.
G oetz . H ow do you mean that?
M artin . Lucky for you that you dont understand. Food and drink, so I
believe, are the life of man.
G oetz . True!
M artin . When you have eaten and drunk, you are as if newborn; youre
stronger, bolder, more capable of action. Wine rejoices the human
heart, and joyfulness is the mother of all virtues. When you have
drunk wine, you are in every respect double what you ought to be,
twice as ingenious, twice as enterprising, twice as effective.
G oetz . The way I drink, thats true.
M artin . That is what I am talking about. We, however
Enter Georg with water.
G oetz {secretly to G eorg). Go out to the road toward Dachsbach and lie
down with your ear to the ground, listen whether you can hear the
horses coming and get back here quickly.
M artin . But we, when we eat and drink, are just the reverse of what we
ought to be. Our sleepy digestion attunes our heads to our bellies, and
in the weakness of a gluttonous repose desires are conceived which

quickly overwhelm their progenitor.
G oetz . One glass, Brother Martin, will not disturb your sleep. You
have walked far today. (D rinks his health.) Heres to warriors!
M artin . In G ods name! (They touch glasses.) I cannot tolerate idle
people; and yet I cannot-say that all monks are idle; they do whatever
they can. I have just come from the Priory of St. Veit, where I slept
last night. The Prior took me into his garden; thats a real beehive of
activity! What splendid salad greens! Cabbages to your hearts desire!
and especially cauliflower and artichokes, like no others in Europe!
G oetz . That does not sound like your business. (H e gets up, looks fo r
his p a g e and then returns . )
M artin . Would that God had made me a gardener, or some other labor
er! I could truly be happy! My Abbot loves me; my convent is Erfurt
in Saxony; he knows that I cannot be idle, so he sends me forth
whenever something needs to be done. I am on my way to the Bishop
of Constance.
G oetz . Another glass! To a happy expedition!
M artin . The same to you.
G oetz . Why do you look at me so. Brother?
M artin . I am fascinated by your armor.
G oetz . D o you fancy it? Its heavy and tiring to wear it.
M artin . What is not tiring in this world? And nothing seems more tiring
to me than not to be allowed to be a man. Poverty, chastity and
obedience three vows, each of which, taken singly, seems to be the
most intolerable to nature, so unbearable are all of them. And to
crawl timidly along for a lifetime under such a burden, or else the
far more oppressive burden of conscience! Oh, Lord! what are the
difficulties of your life compared to the wretchedness of a state that
condemns the best impulses through which we are made, grow, and
mature, all out of a misguided desire to be nearer to God.
G oetz . If your vows were less sacred, I would persuade you to put on
armor. Id give you a horse, and we would take the field together.
M artin . Would to God my shoulders could feel the power to bear the
armor and my arm the strength to strike my enemy from his horse!
Poor, weak hands, accustomed only to bearing crosses and the ban
ners of peace and swinging censers, how could you control a lance and
a sword! My voice, only used to performing Aves and Hallelujas,
would serve your enemy as herald of my weakness while hed be over
powered by yours. No vow shall prevent me from returning to the
orders which were founded by my Creator himself!
G oetz . T o a happy return!
M artin . That Ill drink only to you. A return to my cell is always un
happy. When you return. Sir, within your walls, with the knowledge of
Act I 7
your bravery and strength, immune to all fatigue, secure for the first
time in a long while from enemy raids, you stretch out unarmed upon
your bed and reach for sleep, which tastes sweeter to you than a drink
does to me after long thirsting; then you can speak of happiness.
G oetz . For all that it comes but seldom.
M artin {m ore heated). And when it comes, its a taste of heaven.
When you come back loaded with spoils from your enemies, and you
remember: I knocked that one from his horse before he could shoot,
and that one I rode down, horse and all, and then you ride up to your
castle, and
G oetz . What do you mean?
M artin . And your women! {H e fills his glass.) To the health of your
good wife! {H e wipes his eyes.) You do have a wife?
G oetz . A noble, virtuous woman!
M artin . Blessed be he who has a virtuous woman! for so is his life
doubled in length. I know nothing of women, and yet a woman was
the crown of creation.
G oetz {to h im self). Im sorry for him! His sense of his station in life
consumes his heart.
G eorg {rushes in). My Lord! I hear horses galloping! Two of them! Its
sure to be them.
G oetz . Lead my horse out and get Hans to mount up. Farewell, dear
Brother, may God be with you. Be bold and patient. God will find a
place for you.
M artin . May I ask your name?
G oetz . Excuse me. Farewell. {H e extends his left hand.)
M artin . Why do you offer me your left? Am I not worthy of the right
hand of knighthood?
G oetz . Even if you were the Emperor, you would have to make do with
this. My right, although not unusable in war, is insensitive to the clasp
of affection, its one with its glove, you see, it is iron.
M artin . So you are Goetz von Berlichingen! Thanks be to God, that He
has allowed me to see him, this man hated by princes, and the hope of
the oppressed. {H e takes G o e tzs right hand.) Allow me this hand,
allow me to kiss it.
G oetz . Y ou should not.
M artin . Allow me. Thou, more valuable than a reliquary hand, through
which the most sacred blood has flowed, dead instrument, enlivened
through the noblest spirits trust in God.
Goetz puts on his helmet and takes his lance.
M artin . There was a monk among us years ago who visited you when it
was shot away at Landshut, he told us what you suffered and how
much it pained you to be crippled in your profession and how it came
to you that you had heard of someone who also had only one hand
and yet served for a long time as a courageous cavalryman. I will
never forget that.
The two soldiers enter. Goetz goes over to them. They talk in secret:
M artin {continues to speak). I will never forget that, how with noblest,
simplest trust he spoke to God: and if I had twelve hands and your
Grace were not with me, what would they benefit me, so with one I
can
G oetz . Into the Haslach Forest then. (Turns to M artin.) Farewell,
worthy Brother Martin. (H e kisses him .)
M a rtin . D o not forget me, as I shall not forget you. (G oetz leaves.)
M artin . I felt so breathless when I saw him. He hardly spoke a word,
and yet my spirit could still discern his spirit. It is a delight to behold
so great a man.
G eorg. Reverend Sir, will you be sleeping with us?
M artin . May I have a bed?
G eorg . N o , Sir. I only know of beds from hearsay, in our shelter there is
nothing but straw.
M artin . Thats fine as well. What is your name?
G eorg . Georg, reverend Sir.
M artin . Georg! There you have a bold patron saint.
G eorg . They say he was a knight, I want to be one, too.
M artin . Wait. (H e takes out a breviary and gives him a saints card.)
Here you have him. Follow his example, be brave and fear God.
(M artin leaves.)
G eorg . Oh, a beautiful white horse, if I ever had such a one! and
golden armor! Thats a nasty dragon Now Ill go shoot starlings.
Saint Georg! make me grow tall and strong, give me a lance,
arms and a horse, then let the dragons come after me.
Jaxthausen
G o e tzs Castle
Elisabeth, his wife. Maria, his sister. Carl, his young son.
C arl . Please, dear Aunt, tell me again the story about the good child,
its really nice.
M aria . Y ou tell it to me, little rogue, then Ill know if you pay attention.
C arl . Wait a bit, let me think. Once upon a time yes there was
once a child, and its mother was sick, so the child went away.
Maria. Not so. Then the mother said, My dear child
C arl . Im sick.
M aria . And cant go out.
Act I 9
C arl . And gave him money, and said, Go away, and fetch some
breakfast. Then along came a poor man.
M aria . The child set out, and then he met an old man, who was Now,
Carl!
C arl . Who was old.
M aria . Of course. Who could hardly walk any more, and he said, Dear
child
C arl . Give me something, I have had no food yesterday or today,
then the child gave him the money.
M aria . Which was supposed to be for his breakfast.
C arl . Then the old man said
M aria. Then the old man took the child
C arl . By the hand, and said, and was changed to a beautiful shining
saint, and said, Dear child
M aria . For your good deed the Mother of God rewards you through
me, if you touch anyone who is sick
C arl . With your hand it was the right hand, I think.
M aria . Yes.
C arl . H ell be well instantly.
M aria . So the child ran hom e and couldnt say anything for joy.
C arl . And he hugged his mother around the neck and wept for joy
M aria . Then the mother cried out, Whats happening to me? and she
was now, Carl.
C arl . She was she was
M aria . Youre not paying attention anymore she was well again. And
then the child cured the King and the Emperor, and became so rich
that he built a great cloister.
E lisabeth . I cannot understand why my Lord is not back yet. Five days
and nights he has been away, and he hoped to be done with this
expedition so quickly.
M aria . Fve long been worried. If I had a husband who always exposed
himself to dangers, I would die in the first year.
E lisabeth . I thank God that he made me of sturdier stuff.
C arl . But does Papa have to ride off, if its so dangerous?
M aria . Thats the way he wants it.
E lisabeth . He has to do it, dear Carl.
C arl . Why?
E lisabeth . D o you rem em ber, how he rode out last tim e, when he
brought you back sweet-rolls?
C arl . Will he bring me something again?
E lisabeth . I think so. You see, there was a tailor from Stuttgart, he was
a splendid archer, and had won first prize at a shooting match in
Cologne.
C arl . Was it much?

E lisabeth . A hundred thalers. And afterward they wouldnt give it to
him.
M aria . Yes, isnt that awful, Carl?
C arl . Awful people!
E lisabeth . Then the tailor came to your father and begged him to help
him get his money. So he rode out and took a couple of people from
Cologne captive and plagued them for so long that they paid up.
Wouldnt you have ridden out, too?
C arl . Oh, no, theres a dark, dark wood to ride through, with gypsies
and witches in it.
E lisabeth . What a fine fellow! Afraid of witches!
M aria . Y oull do a better job, Carl, if you live in your castle as a pious
Christian knight. On your own estates there will be chances enough
for doing good deeds. The most righteous knights do more injustice
than justice on their campaigns.
E lisabeth . Sister, you dont know what youre saying. God grant that
our boy will be braver in time and not follow the example of Weislin-
gen, who behaves so disloyally towards my husband.
M aria . Let us not pass judgment, Elisabeth. My brother is very bitter,
as you are also. I am more an outside observer in the whole matter
and can be fairer.
E lisabeth . He is not to be forgiven.
M aria . What I have heard about him interests me. Even your husband
used to tell so much that was loving and good about him! How happy
their youth was, when they were together as honor pages for the Mar
grave.
E lisabeth . That may be. Just tell me what can ever have been good
about a man who lays ambush for his best, most loyal friend, who sells
his services to the enemies of my Lord, and who tries to deceive our
noble Emperor, who is so well disposed toward us, with false and foul
reports.
C arl . Its Papa! Its Papa! The watchman sounds the signal. Hurrah!
open the gates!
E lisabeth . Then he comes with spoils.
A rider enters.
R ider . We went hunting! And we caught our game! God greet you,
noble ladies.
E lisabeth . Youve got Weislingen?
R ider . Himself and three horsemen.
E lisabeth . H ow did it happen that you were away so long?
R ider . We lay in wait for him between Nuremberg and Bamberg, but he
didnt appear, and we knew he was on the way. Finally we got news of
Act I 11
him, he had travelled a side road and was sitting at his ease with the
Count at Schwarzenberg.
E lisabeth . Thats another one they also hope will be hostile to my hus
band.
R ider . I said that right away to my Lord. Off! and we ride into Haslach
Forest. And it was strange, as we were riding in the night, we met up
with a shepherd there, and five wolves were attacking his flock and
going at it full force. Then our Lord laughed out loud and said:
Good luck, dear comrades, good luck all round and to us, too. And
such a good sign made us all happy. Right then, Weislingen comes
riding by with four soldiers.
M aria . My heart trem bles within me.
R ider . I and my comrade, as our Lord had commanded, sneaked up on
him as if we had grown together, so that he couldnt stir or budge, the
Lord and Hans fell upon the soldiers and took them captive. One of
them escaped.
E lisabeth . I am anxious to see him. Will they be here soon?
R ider . Theyre riding up the valley, in a quarter hour theyll be here.
M aria . He will be dejected.
R ider . He looks gloomy enough.
M aria . The sight of him will be painful to my heart.
E lisabeth . Oh! I must go get food ready. You will all be hungry.
R ider . Right you are!
E lisabeth . Take the keys to the cellar and fetch some of our best wine,
they have earned it. {Elisabeth leaves.)
C arl . I want to go along. Aunt.
M aria . Come, child. {They leave.)
R ider . H ell never be his father, otherwise hed come along to the
stables.
Goetz. Weislingen. Squires.
G oetz {placing his helm et and sw o rd on the table). Unbuckle my har

ness and give me my doublet. It will be good to feel comfortable
again. Brother Martin, you spoke the truth. Youve got us out of
breath, Weislingen.
Weislingen answers nothing, pacing back and forth.
G oetz . Be of good cheer. Come, unarm yourself. Where are your
clothes? I hope nothing of yours has been lost. {To an attendant:) Go,
ask his men and open his bags, see that nothing is missing. I could also
lend you something of mine.
W eislingen . Leave me as I am, its no matter.
G oetz . I could give you a nice, clean coat, though only of linen. Its
become too tight for me. I wore it at the marriage of my noble lord
Count Palatine, that time when your Bishop turned so poisonous to

ward me. Two weeks before then I had sunk two of his ships on the
River Main. And with Franz von Sickingen I climbed up the stairs m
the Inn of the Stag at Heidelberg. Before you get to the top there is a
landing and a little iron railing, there stood the Bishop and he shook
hands with Franz as he walked past, and shook mine too as I came
after. I laughed to myself and went to the Landgrave of Hanau who
was well disposed toward me, and I said, The Bishop shook my
hand, I bet he did not know m e. The Bishop heard this, for I spo e
loudly on purpose, and he approached us angrily and said. Indeed,
because I did not know you, I gave you my hand. Then I said. My
Lord I saw clearly that you did not know me, and therefore I give you
your hand back again. Then in his rage the little man turned as red
L ound the neck as a crab and ran into the chamber to the Count
Palatine Ludwig and to the Prince of Nassau and complained to them.
Afterwards we often had a good laugh about it.
W eislingen. I wish you would leave me alone.
G oetz . Why that? I beg you to be cheerful. You are in my power, and 1
will not misuse it. . j * o
W eislingen. On that point I had no worries. That is your duty as a
knight.
G oetz . And you know that it is sacred to me.
W eislingen. I am a captive and nothing else matters.
G oetz . Y ou should not speak so. What if you had to deal with princes
and they hung you up by chains in a deep dungeon, and the guard
were to rob you of sleep with his calls.
The squires enter with clothes. Weislingen undresses and puts on fresh clothing.
C arl . G ood m orning. Papa.

G oetz (kisses him ). Good morning, boy. How have you been keeping.
C arl . Ive been doing very well. Papa. My aunt says I do very w e l .
G oetz . So .
C arl . D id you bring som ething for me?
G oetz . N ot this time.
C arl . I have learned a lot.
G oetz . Aha!
C arl . Shall I tell you the story about the good child.
G oetz . After dinner.
C arl . I know som ething else.
G oetz . What might that be? . u a a
C arl . Jaxthausen is a village and a castle on the Jaxt for two hundred
years it has belonged to the Lords of Berlichingen by right of inheri
tance and possession.
G oetz . D o you know the Lord of Berlichingen?
Act I 13
Carl stares at him.

G oetz (to h im self). H es so erudite he doesnt know his own father.
To whom does Jaxthausen belong?
C arl . Jaxthausen is a village and a castle on the Jaxt.
G oetz . Im not asking that. I knew every path and road and ford be
fore I knew what river, village and castle were called. Your mother
is in the kitchen?
C arl . Yes, Papa! Shes cooking white turnips and a roast of lamb.
G oetz . Y ou know that, too. Sir Kitchenmaster?
C arl . And as dessert for me Aunt is baking an apple.
G oetz . Cant you eat it raw?
C arl . It tastes better this way.
G oetz . Y ou always have to have something special. Weislingen! I will
be with you again shortly. I must see my wife. Come along, Carl.
C arl . Who is that man?
G oetz . Bid him welcome. Ask him to be cheerful.
C arl . There, man! You have my hand, be cheerful, dinner will be ready
soon.
W eislingen (lifts him up and kisses him ). Happy child! Knowing no evil
greater than the delay of supper. May God grant you great joy in the
boy, Berlichingen!
G oetz . Where there is bright light, there is also deep shadow yet I
would welcome it. Lets see whats happening. (They leave.)
W eislingen . Oh, if only I might wake up! and all this were only a
dream! In Berlichingens power, from whom I barely had worked my
self free, whose remembrance I shunned like fire, whom I hoped to
overpower! And he the old, true-hearted Goetz! Dear God, what
will be the outcome of all this? Led back, Adelbert, into the halls
where we as boys would race about like hunters. When you loved
him, doted on him, as on your own soul. Who can be near him and
still hate him? Alas! I am nothing at all here. Blissful days, you are
gone, when old Berlichingen still sat here by the chimney, when we
played all about him and loved one another like the angels. How
worried the Bishop and my friends will be about me. I know the
whole country will share in my misfortune. What does that matter?
Can they give me what Im striving for?
Enter Goetz with a bottle o f wine and glasses.

G oetz . Till dinners ready, well have a drink. Come, sit yourself down,
act as if you were at home. Just think, youre once again the guest of
Goetz. Its been a long while since we sat together, a long while since
we emptied a bottle together. (Raises his glass in a toast.) A cheerful
heart!
W eislingen . Those times are past.
G oetz . God forbid! I admit, w ell not find such pleasant days again as
those at the Margraves court when we still slept and wandered about
together. I recall my youth with joy. D o you still remember how I got
into a fight with the Polack, the one whose curled and pomaded hair
do I accidently ruffled with my sleeve?
W eislingen. It was at table, and he struck at you with a dagger.
G oetz . W ell, I beat him soundly that time, and because of it you had a
quarrel with one of his fellows. We always stuck together as good,
sturdy fellows, and for that we were known to everyone. {F ilb a glass
and raises it.) Castor and Pollux! It always warmed my heart when the
Margrave called us that.
W eislingen. The Bishop of Wuerzburg started it.
G oetz . There was a learned lord, and yet so congenial. Ill remember
him as long as I live, how he coddled us, praised our oneness of spirit,
and called any man fortunate who could pass as twin brother for his
friend.
W eislingen. No more of that.
G o e tz . Why not? When work is done, I know nothing more pleasant
than to remember whats past. True, now that I think about it, how
we bore everything together, both love and loss, were everything to
each other, and how I supposed then it would be so our whole life
long. Was that not my only comfort when this hand was shot away at
Landshut and you attended me, showed more care than a brother. I
hoped Adelbert would be my right hand in the future. And now
W eislingen. Alas!
G oetz . If only you had followed me that time, when I asked you to
march with me to Brabant, everything would have stayed the same.
But you were held captive by the miserable attractions of court life
and by the flirting and fawning of women. I always said to you, when
you took up with those vain and vicious sluts and told them about
unhappy marriages, maidens led astray, the rough complexion of
some other woman, or whatever they wanted to hear, you would end
up as a scoundrel, I said so, Adelbert.
W eislingen. Where is all this leading?
G oetz . Would to God I could forget it, or that it were otherwise. Are
you not just as free, just as nobly born, as anyone in Germany, inde
pendent, owing allegiance only to the Emperor, and yet you cringe
among vassals? What does the Bishop do for you? Is it because he is
your neighbor? could be a nuisance for you? D o you not possess arms
and friends enough to be an equal nuisance to him? You forget the
worth of a free knight, dependent only on God, the Emperor and
oneself. You go crawling, just to be the chief court toady for a selfish,
jealous priest!
W eislingen. Let me speak.
G oetz . W hat do you have to say?
W eislingen. Y ou look upon the princes as a wolf upon the shepherd.
And yet can you blame them for securing what is best for their people
and lands? Are they safe for even a moment from the unruly knights,
who attack their vassals on any highway and sack their castles and
towns? Now if, on the other side, the lands of our dear Emperor are
exposed to the violence of our archenemy, if he requires the aid of his
estates, and if they are scarce able to defend their own lives; is it not a
wise spirit that counsels them to think of the means for bringing peace
to Germany, for deciding more fully the affairs of state, in order that
everyone, great and small, might enjoy the blessings of peace? And
you blame us, Berlichingen, that we place ourselves under their pro
tection, when their help is close by, instead of his distant majesty,
who cant even defend himself?
G oetz . Yes! yes! I understand you! Weislingen, if the princes were truly
as you describe them, we would all have what we desire. Peace and
quiet! I believe that, oh yes! Thats the wish of every bird of prey, to
devour its plunder undisturbed. The general welfare of all! If that
were the only cause for their grey hair. And they are playing with our
Emperor in a disreputable way. He means well and wants to improve
things. Then every day along comes a new tinker who tells him this
or that. And because our Lord grasps things quickly and has only to
speak and a thousand hands are set to work, he assumes that every
thing can be accomplished as quickly and easily. So decrees follow
upon decrees, and one is forgotten for another, and whatever suits the
needs of the princes, thats what theyre after, and they prate about
the peace and security of the state, until they get the lesser folk under
foot. Ill swear an oath on it, that many give thanks to God in their
hearts that the Turk holds the balance against the Emperor.
W eislingen. Y ou see it only from your side.
G oetz . So does everyone. The question is which side has the right and
the light, and the least one can say is that your moves shun the day.
W eislingen. Youre free to talk, since Im your prisoner.
G oetz . If your conscience is clear, then youre free. But what happened
to the Permanent Peace? I still recall how as a boy of sixteen I went
with the Margrave to the Imperial Diet. How the princes opened their
yaps then, the ecclesiastics most of all! Your Bishop filled the Em
perors ear with his noise about justice, as if it had grown miracu
lously dear to his heart! and now he strikes down one of my pages, at
a time when our affairs are orderly and Im not thinking of doing
anything bad. Isnt everything straight between us? Whats he doing
with my page?
W eislingen. It happened without his knowledge.
G oetz . Then why does he not release him?
W eislingen. The page has not behaved as he should.

G oetz. Not as he should! By my oath, he has behaved as he should, as
sure as he was captured with your knowledge and the Bishops. Do
you two think I was only born yesterday, so I cant see where all this is
leading?
W eislingen. Youre too suspicious and unfair to both of us.
G oetz. Weislingen, shall I speak the truth, eye to eye? I am a thorn in
your flesh, and Sickingen and Selbitz no less, because we are firmly
resolved to die before we give thanks for the air we breathe to anyone
but God and before we pledge our faith and loyalty to anyone but the
Emperor. So now they stalk me all about, blacken my name with the
Emperor and their friends and my neighbors, and spy around for
some advantage against me. They want me out of the way, no matter
how. Thats why you took my page prisoner, because you knew I had
sent him to gather information, and thats why he did not behave as
he should when he refused to betray me to you. And you, Weislingen,
are their tool!
W eislingen. Berlichingen!
G oetz. Not a word more about it, I am an enemy of explanations, a
man betrays himself or someone else, usually both.
Carl. Come to dinner. Papa.
G oetz. Theres good news! Come, I hope my womenfolk will cheer
you up. You used to be quite a lover; the girls knew stories to tell
about you. Come on!
In the B ishops Palace at Bam berg

The Dininghall
B ishop o f Bam berg. A b b o t o f Fulda. Olearius, D octor o f Sacred and
Secular Law. Liebetraut. Courtiers.
A t Table. Dessert and large drinking chalices are brought in.

Bishop. Are there many German aristocrats now studying at Bologna?
O learius. Both aristocrats and merchant class. And without exaggera
tion, they receive the highest praise. There is a common saying at the
Academy; as diligent as a German nobleman. For while the bur
ghers apply themselves with an admirable diligence in order to offset
by talent the shortcomings of birth, the others strive, with admirable
competitiveness, to exalt their dignity of birth through the most splen
did accomplishments.
A bbot. Aha!
L iebetraut. Just think! What marvels to be known! As diligent as a
German nobleman. In all my days Ive never heard that one.
O learius. Yes, they are a marvel for the whole Academy. Very soon
Act I 17
some of the oldest and most skilled will be returning as D octores. The
Emperor will be pleased to appoint them to his courts of law.
B ishop . That is bound to happen.
A bbot. D o you know, for instance, a young lord? he comes from
Hessen
O learius. There are many Hessians there.
A bbot. His name is hes called Does no one among you know
him? His mother was a von Oh! his father had only one eye and
was a Marshall.
L iebetraut. Von Wildenholz.
A bbot. Right! Von Wildenholz.
O learius. I do know him, a young man of various skills. He is especially
praised for his strength in disputation.
A bbot. He has that from his mother.
L iebetraut. But her husband never wished to praise her for it.
B ishop . What did you say was the Emperors name who wrote your
corpus juris?
O learius . Justinian.
B ishop . A worthy lord! To his health!
O learius . T o his memory! {They drink.)
A bbot. It must be a splendid book.
O learius . One might call it the book of all books. A collection of all
laws, for every case the judgment ready at hand, and whatever may
still be oblique or obscure is supplemented by glosses, with which the
most learned men have decorated that splendid work.
A bbot. A collection of all laws! Well! Then the Ten Commandments
must also be in it.
O learius. Im plicite they are, not explicite.
A bbot. Thats what I mean, in and by themselves, without further ex
plication.
B ishop . And best of all, the realm could be maintained, as you say, in
secure peace and quiet, wherever this system would be introduced
and rightly administered.
O learius . N o question.
B ishop . T o all D octores Juris\
O learius . I can drink to that. {They drink.) Would to God they spoke
that way in my homeland.
A bbot. Where do you come from, most learned Sir?
O learius. From Frankfurt on the Main, at your Eminences service.
B ishop . Are you gentlemen not well thought of there? How can that be?
O learius . Strange enough. I was there to fetch my inheritance from my
father, and the mob all but stoned me when they heard I was a lawyer.
A bbot. God forbid!
O learius. This is the reason: the Sheriffs Court, which is held in great
esteem far and wide, is filled with people who are ignorant of Roman
Law. No one attains to the dignity of a judge but those who have
acquired through age and experience a precise knowledge of the in
ternal and external procedures of the city, along with a strong power
of judgment, which applies the past to the present. In this way the
sheriffs become living archives, chronicles, books of law, all in one,
and they pass judgment on the citizens and neighboring populace by
ancient precedent, not by statutes.
A bbot. T hat is all for the good.
O learius . But by far not enough. Human life is short, and in a single
generation not all cases occur. Our book of law is a collection of such
cases from many centuries. And in addition the will and opinion of
men can vary, today something will seem right to one person, which
tomorrow displeases another; in this way confusion and injustice are
unavoidable. All this is established by laws, and laws are unchange
able.
A bbot. That of course is better.
O learius . The common people dont recognize that. However keen for
anything new and different, they completely abhor whatever leads
them away from their own track, no matter how much they might
benefit from it. They regard a lawyer with contempt, as a disruption
to the state, a cutpurse, and they are so rabid about it, that no lawyers
can settle there.
L iebetraut. Y ou are from Frankfurt! Im well known there myself.
At the coronation of Emperor Maximilian we stole a feast on your
young swains. Your name is Olearius? I do not recall the name.
O learius . My father was called Oehlmann. Just to avoid misunder
standing about the title of my Latin writings, I took the name
Olearius, on the example and advice of worthy teachers of law.
L iebetraut. Y ou did well to translate yourself. A prophet is w ithout
honor in his own country; it might also have applied to you in your
m other tongue.
O learius . It was not for that reason.
L iebetraut. There is more than one reason for every result.
A bbot. A prophet is w ithout honor in his own country!
L iebetraut. And do you know why, reverend Sir?
A bbot. Because he was born and brought up there.
L iebetraut. True! That may be one reason. Another is this: Because a
close acquaintance with such men dissolves the halo of nobility and
holiness, with which the mists of distance surround them like lies; and
then they are nothing but little stumps of tallow.
O learius . It would seem that you are employed for speaking the blunt
truth.
Act I 19
L iebetraut. Since I have the head for it, I dont lack the tongue.
O learius . Just the ability to pronounce it with a certain delicacy.
L iebetraut. Best apply the cupping-glass where it can draw blood.
O learius . Y ou can recognize a barber-surgeon by his apron, and
th eres no offence taken for his trade. For your protection you might
do well to w ear a cap-and-bells.
L iebetraut. Where did you take your degree? I only ask in case some
time the notion strikes me, so I can go straight to the right forge.
O learius . Y ou are im pudent.
L iebetraut. And you are very inflated. {Bishop and A b b o t laugh.)
B ishop . Change the subject. Not so heated, my lords. At table all
things are tolerated. Some other discourse, Liebetraut.
L iebetraut. Theres a place across from Frankfurt called Sachsen-
hausen
O learius (to the B ishop). Whats the news from the Turkish campaign,
so please your Grace?
B ishop . The Emperor wishes nothing more than to achieve peace in his
realm, to abolish feuding and to secure the authority of the courts.
Then, it is said, he will proceed in person against the enemies of the
realm and of Christendom. For now his private affairs keep him busy,
and the realm, despite some forty local treaties for peace, is still a den
of murderers. Franconia, Swabia, the upper Rhineland and adjacent
territories are laid waste by bold and impudent knights: Sickingen,
Selbitz with his one leg, Berlichingen with his iron hand, they mock
the Emperors authority in those regions.
A bbot. Indeed, if his Majesty does not do something about it soon,
those fellows will end up putting someone in a sack.
L iebetraut. That would be quite a fellow, who could stuff the winecask
of Fulda into a sack.
B ishop . That last fellow in particular has been my implacable enemy for
many years, and he annoys me beyond words, but it wont go on much
longer, I hope. The Emperor is now holding his court in Augsburg.
We have taken our measures, we cannot fail. Doctor, do you know
Adelbert von Weislingen?
O learius . N o, your Eminence.
B ishop . If you will await the arrival of this man, you will be pleased to
behold in one person the noblest, most reasonable and most gallant
knight.
O learius . He must be exceptional, who earns such words of praise from
such a mouth.
L iebetraut. He never attended a university.
B ishop . We know that. (Servants rush to the w in dow s.) What is hap
pening?
A Servant. Faerber, Weislingens squire, is just riding through the

castle gate.
B ishop . G o , see what he brings, h ell have news of him.
Liebetraut leaves. They stand up and take another drink. Liebetraut returns.
B ishop . Whats the news?

L iebetraut. I wish someone else might tell you. Weislingen has been
captured.
B ishop . Ah!
L iebetraut. Berlichingen seized him with three of his attendants near
Haslach. One of them escaped to report it to you.
A bbot. A Jobs messenger!
O learius . Im truly sorry to hear it.
B ishop . I want to see that squire, bring him up here. I want to talk to
him myself. Bring him to my chamber. {L eaves.)
A bbot {sits do w n ). One more cup. {Servants fill his glass.)
O learius . Would your Reverence not enjoy a brief promenade in the
garden? P o st coenam stabis seu passus m ille m eabis.
L iebetraut. Truly, sitting is not healthy for you. Youll have another
stroke. {The A b b o t rises.)
L iebetraut {to h im self). If I can just get him outside. Ill tend to his
exercitium. {They leave.)
Jaxthausen
Maria. Weislingen.
M aria . Y ou say that you love me. I gladly believe you and hope that I
will m ake you happy.
W eislingen . I feel nothing but my love for you. {H e embraces her.)
M aria . I beg you, please dont. I gladly offer a kiss as a sample, but you
seem to w ant to take possession already of w hat will be yours only on
condition.
W eislingen . Y ou are too strict, Maria! The innocence of love is a
delight to the Deity, never an insult.
M aria . That may be! But I dont find it edifying to hear it. I was taught
that caresses are as strong as chains, which they resemble, and that
young women when in love are weaker than Samson after he lost his
locks.
W eislingen . Who taught you that?
M aria . The Abbess of my convent. I was with her until my sixteenth
year, and the happiness I felt in her presence I feel again only with
you. She had loved and knew how to speak of it. She had a heart full
of feeling! She was a splendid woman.
Act I 21
W eislingen . Then she resembled you! (^He takes her hand.) How will I
endure it, if I must leave you!
M aria {w ithdraw s her hand). With a bit of pain, I hope, for I know how
I will be. But you must leave.
W eislingen . Yes, my dearest, and I will. For I sense what bliss I may
win through this sacrifice. Blessings on your brother, and the day on
which he set out to take me prisoner.
M aria . His heart was filled with hope for you and for myself.
Farewell!, he said as he left, I will see that I find him again.
W eislingen . And he has. How I wish that the management of my
estates and their security had not been neglected by my wretched life
at court! You could be mine at once.
M aria . Postponement also has its pleasures.
W eislingen . D o not say that, Maria, otherwise Fd fear you feel less
strongly than I do. But I shall do deserving penance, and what hopes
will accompany me at every step! To be wholly yours, to live only with
you and your circle of good people, removed from the world, to enjoy
all the bliss which two such hearts may provide for each other! What is
the grace of a prince, what the applause of the world, compared to
such simple, singular happiness? I have hoped and wished for so
much, this surpasses all my hopes and wishes.
Goetz enters.
G oetz . Your page has returned. He could hardly speak for fatigue and
hunger. My wife is giving him something to eat. This much I have
understood: the Bishop wont release my squire, theres supposed to
be an Imperial Commission appointed and a day set aside when the
affair will be settled. Be that as it may, Adelbert, you are free to
leave; I ask only your hand in pledge that in future you will not assist
my enemies, neither publicly nor in private.
W eislingen . Give me your hand. From this moment on may friendship
and trust, like an immutable law of nature, be unchanging between
us. A t the same time allow me to take this hand {he takes M arias
hand) and the possession of this noblest young woman.
G oetz . May I say yes for you?
M aria . If you will say it with me.
G oetz . Its lucky that for once advantage coincides for both of us. No
need to blush! Your glances are proof enough. Well then, Weislingen!
Clasp hands together and let me say Amen! My friend and
brother! I thank you, sister! You know how to spin more than flax.
Youve twisted the thread thats snared this bird of paradise. You
dont quite look free, Adelbert! Whats the matter? Myself Im
completely happy: what I could hope for only in dreams is now real,
and I feel Im dreaming. Ah! now my dream is over. It seemed this
night as if I gave you my iron hand, my right one, and you held me so
tightly that it came loose from my brassarts, as if it were broken off. It
frightened me and woke me up. I should have kept on dreaming, then
Id have seen how you provided me with a new, living hand. Now
you must be gone to set your castle and estates in perfect order. The
damned court made you neglect both. I must call my wife. Elisabeth!
M aria . My brother is filled with joy.
W eislingen . And yet I can challenge him for that distinction.
G oetz . Youll have a charming place to live.
M aria . Franconia is blessed land.
W eislingen . And I may truly say, my castle stands in its most blessed
and charming region.
G oetz . That you may, and I will affirm it. Here flows the Main and
there the hill rises gradually, clothed in tilled fields and vineyards and
crowned by your castle, then the river quickly twists round the bend
behind the rock of your castle. The windows of the great hall open
on the steep drop to the water, a view to the distance many hours
away.
Elisabeth enters.
E lisabeth . What are you up to?

G oetz . Y ou must join your hand with ours and wish G ods blessing on
these two. Theyre engaged.
E lisabeth . So quickly.
G oetz . Yet not unexpectedly.
E lisabeth . May you always desire her as you have while wooing her!
And more! May you be as happy as your love for her endures.
W eislingen . Amen! I wish for no joy but on these terms.
G oetz . The bridegroom, dear wife, must undertake a short journey; for
a great change draws many smaller ones after. He must first withdraw
from the Bishops court, to allow that friendship gradually to grow
cold. Then he must rescue his properties from the hands of self-
serving tenants. And then but come, sister, Elisabeth!, come away.
W ell leave him alone. His page no doubt has private business to
convey.
W eislingen . Nothing that you may not know.
G oetz . N o need. Franconians and Swabians! Youre more closely re
lated now than ever. And how w ell keep a hold on those princes!
{The three leave.)
W eislingen . Dear God in Heaven! that you could provide such bliss for
one so undeserving. It overwhelms me. How dependent I was on
wretched people I thought I controlled, on favors from my prince, on
the flattery of sycophants at court. Goetz, dear Goetz, you have re
stored me to myself, and Maria, you make my change of heart com
plete. I feel as free as if I breathed the open air. Bamberg I wish to see
Act I 23
no more. I will cut loose from all those shameful bonds that kept me
beneath my true self. My spirit soars, here is nothing of that ponder
ous struggle for a greatness denied. And so its certain that he alone is
joyful and great who needs neither to command nor to obey in order
to be something.
Franz enters.
F ranz . G ods greeting, my noble Lord! I bring so many messages that I
scarcely know how to begin. Bamberg and its environs for ten miles
around send you a thousandfold: Gods greeting!
W eislingen . W elcom e, Franz. What else do you bring?
F ranz . Y our place in the m em ory of the court and everywhere is
beyond what I can say.
W eislingen . That wont last long.
F ranz . A s long as you live! and after your death it will shine more
brightly than the brass lettering on a tombstone. Flow they all took
your misfortune to heart!
W eislingen . What did the Bishop say?
F ranz . He was so eager for news that with the busy speed of his ques
tioning he prevented my answering. He already knew about it, since
Faerber, who escaped from Haslach, brought him that message. But
he wanted to know everything. He asked very anxiously whether you
had been wounded. I said, H es all right, from the hair on the top of
his head to the toenails on his little toe.
W eislingen . What did he say about the proposals?
F ranz . He was ready to turn over everything at once, the squire and
money as well, just so that you would be freed. But when he heard
that you could be released without it, and your word alone would be
weighed as equal to the boy, then he absolutely insisted that the strug
gle with Berlichingen be postponed. He told me a hundred things to
say to you. Ive forgotten them. It was a long sermon on a single text:
I cant do without Weislingen.
W eislingen . H ell have to learn how!
F ranz . What do you mean? He said, Make him hurry, everything
waits upon him .
W eislingen . Let it wait. I am not returning to the court.
F ranz . Not to the court? Lord! What makes you say that? If you only
knew what I know. If you could but dream what I have seen.
W eislingen . W hat happened to you?
F ranz . Just the memory of it is enough to make me lose control. Bam
berg is Bamberg no longer, an angel in womans form has trans
formed it into the antechamber of heaven.
W eislingen . Nothing more?
F ranz . Ill turn priest if you see her and dont lose your mind.
W eislingen . Who is she then?
F ranz . Adelheid von Walldorf.

W eislingen . Her! Ive heard a lot about her beauty.
F ranz . Heard! Thats as much as saying, Ive seen music. It is just as
impossible for the tongue to express the line of her perfections, since
the eye itself in her presence is not good enough.
W eislingen . Y oure not making sense.
F ranz . That may be. That last time I saw her I had no more control of
my senses than a drunkard. Or rather, let me say, I felt at that mo
ment the way the saints must feel in the presence of a heavenly vision.
All my senses stronger, more exalted and more complete, and yet the
use of none.
W eislingen . That is strange.
F ranz . When I took my leave from the Bishop, she was with him. They
were playing chess. He was very gracious, gave me his hand to kiss
and said a great deal to me, much of it I didnt hear. For I was gazing
at the lady beside him, she had fixed her eyes on the chess board, as if
she were planning a masterstroke. A fine, calculating expression upon
her mouth and cheeks! I would have liked to be the ivory chess king.
Nobility and friendliness were blended in her brow. And the blinding
light of her face and breast, offset by her dark hair!
W eislingen . The sight has turned you into a poet.
F ranz . In that moment I can feel what makes a poet, a full heart, filled
with one single emotion. When the Bishop had ended and I bowed to
him, she looked at me and said: From me, too greetings from a
stranger! Tell him he should come quickly. New friends are waiting
for him, he should not despise them, even though he may be so rich in
old ones. I wanted to answer something, but the passage between
heart and tongue was blocked. I bowed my head. I would have sac
rificed all my possessions to be allowed to kiss the tip of her little
finger! While I was standing there, the Bishop dropped a pawn, I
reached down to pick it up and in doing so touched the hem of her
dress; that sent shock waves all through my limbs, and I have no idea
how I managed to get out through the door.
W eislingen . I s her husband at court?
F ranz . She has been a widow for four months. She is staying in Bam
berg to be distracted. You will see her. When she looks at you, its as
if you were standing in the sunlight of spring.
W eislingen . It would have a weaker effect on me.
F ranz . I hear you are as good as married.
W eislingen . Would that I already were. My gentle Maria will make my
life a happiness. Her sweet soul is mirrored in her blue eyes. And like
an angel from heaven, formed of innocence and love, wisely she
guides my heart toward peace and happiness. Pack up my things! And
then to my castle! I do not wish to see Bamberg, even if St. Vitus in
person bid me to come. {He leaves.)
Act II 25
F ranz . God forbid! Well hope for the best! Maria is loving and beauti
ful, and I cant blame a prisoner and a sick man for falling in love with
her. In her eyes there is solace, a congenial melancholy. But sur
rounding you, Adelheid, there is life, fire, courage What I would
do! I am a fool One glance from her made me that way. My Lord
must go there! I must go there! And then Ill gaze on her until I re
cover my senses again or else go quite mad.
A ct II
Bam berg
A Hall
The Bishop, A delheid, playing chess. Liebetraut with a zither. Ladies
and Courtiers gathered around them by the fireplace.
L iebetraut {p la ys and sings).

Young Cupid flew hither
With bow and with quiver.
His torch like a brand.
To vaunt in the battle
His masculine mettle.
His conquering hand.
Up! Up!
On! On!
His weapons were clashing
His winglets were flashing.
His eyes, how they burned!
And here he found bosoms
Alas, they were bare;
And laps here to sit on;
They welcomed him there.
He shook all his arrows
Right into the flames.
They cradled him, squeezed him.
And played loving games.
Heigh, eigh, ho, popeio!
A delheid . Youre not concentrating on the game. Check to your king!
B ishop . There is still a way out.
A delheid . But not for long. Check to your king!
L iebetraut. This is not a game Id play, were I a great lord; Id ban it in
the court and in all the land.
A delheid . Its true, this game is a test for the brain.

L iebetraut. Not for that! Id rather hear the toll of the funeral bell and
the cry of ominous birds, rather the barking of the angry watchdog
Conscience, father hear them even through a deep sleep, than to hear
from your knights, your bishops and your other beasts that eternal:
Check to the king!
B ishop . Who could ever have thought that up!
L iebetraut. Someone for example who was weak and had a strong con
science, as often they go together. They call it a royal game and claim
it was invented for a king, who rewarded the inventor with an ocean
of largess. If that is true, I feel that I see him before me. He was a
minor in wits or in years, the ward of his mother or his wife, had baby
hair in his beard and flax at his temples, he was as pliable as a willow-
shoot and liked to play checkers and with the ladies, not out of
passion God forbid! but to pass the time. His tutor, too active for
a scholar, too inflexible for a man of the world, invented the game in
usum D elphini, thus making it so like his Majesty and so on.
A delheid . Checkmate! Liebetraut, you should fill in the gaps of our
history books.
They stand up.
L iebetraut. The gaps of our genealogies that would be more profit

able. Ever since the deeds of our ancestors have served the same pur
pose as their portraits, namely to decorate the empty walls of our
rooms and our characters, there would be profit in it.
B ishop . He wont come, you say!
A delheid . I beg you, put it out of your mind.
B ishop . What could it be?
L iebetraut. What? The causes can be prayed off like rosary beads. He
has fallen into a kind of contrition, which I could cure him of in a
hurry.
B ishop . D o that, go to him.
L iebetraut. My assignment?
B ishop . N o restrictions. Spare nothing, if you can bring him back.
L iebetraut. May I also involve you, my Lady?
A delheid . With discretion.
L iebetraut. That is a broad assignment.
A delheid . D o you know me so little, or are you too young to know the
right tone for speaking to Weislingen about me?
L iebetraut. With the tone of a bird-call, I should think.
A delheid . Youll never learn to be sensible.
L iebetraut. D oes one ever learn that, dear Lady?
B ishop . G o on, go on. Take the best horse from my stable, choose your
squires, and bring him here to me!
Act II 27
L iebetraut. If I cannot conjure him hither, then say that an old woman
who cures warts and freckles knows m ore about sym pathetic magic
than I.
B ishop . What good will that do! Berlichingen has taken him in com
pletely. If he comes to us, he will want to leave again.
L iebetraut. Want to, no question, but whether he can. The handshake
of a prince and the smile of a beautiful woman! No Weislingen will get
free of those. I hasten to take my leave of your Grace.
B ishop . A happy journey.
A delheid . Adieu. {H e leaves.)
B ishop . Once he is here I leave it to you.
A delheid . D o you want to use me as bird-bait?
B ishop . Not at all.
A delheid . A s a decoy then?
B ishop . N o , thats Liebetrauts role. I beg you, do not refuse me what
no one else can grant.
A delheid . W ell see.
Jaxthausen
Hanns von Selbitz. G oetz.
Selbitz . Everyone will praise you for proclaiming a feud against those
Nurembergers.
G oetz . It would have destroyed me if I had failed to repay them for very
long. Its come to light, they betrayed my squire to the Bambergers.
Theyd better not forget me.
Selbitz . They have an old grievance against you.
G oetz . And I against them. Im even pleased that they made the first
move.
Selbitz . The imperial cities and the clergy have already sided together.
G oetz . They have a reason to.
Selbitz . W ell try to make things hot for them in Hell.
G oetz . I was counting on you. Would to God the burgomaster of
Nuremberg with his golden chain around his neck might fall into our
net; with all his wit hed be in for a surprise.
Selbitz . I hear Weislingen is on our side again. Will he join us?
G oetz . Not yet, theres a reason why he cant yet openly give us his
support; but for the while its enough that hes not against us. Without
him the priest is no better than the vestments are without the priest.
Selbitz . When do we set out?
G oetz . Tomorrow or the day after. Soon therell be merchants from
Bamberg and Nuremberg coming from the Frankfurt Fair. It will
bring us a good catch.
Selbitz . God willing. {They leave.)
Bamberg
A d elh eid s R oom
A delheid. Lady-in-W aiting.
A delheid . H es here, you say! I hardly believe it.
L ady . If I had not seen him myself, I would say I doubted it.
A delheid . The Bishop should mount Liebetraut in gold, he has
achieved a masterpiece.
L ady . I saw him as he was about to ride into the castle, he was mounted
on a white horse. As it approached the bridge it shied and wouldnt
budge from the spot. The people came running down all the streets to
see him. They enjoyed the horses bad behavior. On all sides he was
greeted, and he thanked them all. He sat his mount with an easy
indifference, and with flattery and threats he finally forced it into the
gate, Liebetraut with him and just a few squires.
A delheid . H ow does he please you?
L ady . A s few men have. He looked like the Emperor here {points to a
portrait o f M axim ilian), as if he were his son. The nose a bit smaller,
just such friendly, light-brown eyes, just such beautiful blond hair,
and built like a statue. A bit of sadness in his face I dont know it
was very attractive!
A delheid . Im curious to see him.
L ady . That would be a Lord for you.
A delheid . Fool!
L ady . Children and fools
Liebetraut enters.
L iebetraut. N ow , dear Lady, what have I earned?
A delheid . A cuckolds horns from your wife. For to judge by this you
must have already cajoled many a neighbors honest housewife away
from her duty.
L iebetraut. Not so, dear Lady! Into her duty, you mean to say; for if it
ever happened, then I cajoled her into her husbands bed.
A delheid . H ow did you m anage to bring him here?
L iebetraut. Y ou know only too well how to catch a woodcock; do I
have to teach you my little tricks as well? First, I acted as if I knew
nothing, understood nothing about his conduct, and placed him at the
disadvantage of having to tell the whole story. Right away, I saw it all
from a different side than he, couldnt understand couldnt see
and so forth. Then I spoke about Bamberg, everything all at once,
great and small, awakened certain memories, and once I got his im
agination working, I managed to connect a number of threads which I
found torn. He did not know what was happening to him, felt a new
longing toward Bamberg, he wanted to without wanting to. When
he turned to his own heart and tried to work it all out, when he was
Act II 29
much too concerned with himself to take care for himself, I slipped a
line around his neck woven with three powerful strands: women,
princely favor, and flattery, and with that I dragged him here.
A delheid . What did you say about me?
L iebetraut. The simple truth. That you were having difficulties with
your estates were hoping, since he counts for so much with the
Emperor, that he could easily end that for you.
A delheid . Fine.
L iebetraut. The Bishop will bring him to you.
A delheid . I shall await them. {Liebetraut leaves.) With feelings such as
Ive seldom felt, in awaiting a visit.
In the Spessart
Berlichingen. Selbitz. G eorg as squire.
G oetz . Y ou didnt find him, Georg?

G eorg. The day before he had ridden with Liebetraut to Bamberg and
two squires with him.
G oetz . I cant see what thats all about.
Selbitz . I can. Your reconciliation was a bit too hasty to last for long.
Liebetraut is a clever fellow, hes let himself be hoodwinked by him.
G oetz . D o you believe hell break his bond?
Selbitz . The first step has been taken.
G oetz . I dont believe it. Who knows what need there was to go to
court; they still are in his debt there; lets hope for the best.
Selbitz . Would God he deserves it and might do whats best!
G oetz . A plan occurs to me. Well have Georg put on that captured
cloak from the Bamberg trooper and give him the safe-conduct pass;
let him ride to Bamberg and see how things stand.
G eorg. Ive long hoped for that.
G oetz . Its your first mission. Be careful, boy! Id be sorry if you met
with an accident.
G eorg. D ont worry, I dont care how many men I find crawling around
me, to me its only like rats and mice. {H e leaves.)
Bam berg
The Bishop. Weislingen.
B ishop . Y ou do not wish to be kept here longer?

W eislingen . Y ou would not ask that I break my oath.
B ishop . I could have asked that you not swear it. What sort of spirit
possessed you? Could I not have set you free without that? Do I count
for so little at the Imperial Court?
W eislingen . It is done; forgive me if you can.
B ishop . I do not comprehend at all what required you to take such a
step! Why renounce me? Were there not a hundred other conditions
by which to get free? D o we not hold his squire? Wouldnt I have
given money enough to quiet him down again? Our operations against
him and his companions would have gone on. Ah, I forget that I am
talking with his friend, who is now working against me and can easily
defuse the mines which he himself put in place.
W eislingen . Gracious Lord!
B ishop . And yet now that I see your face again, hear your voice. Its
not possible, not possible!
W eislingen . Farewell, gracious Lord.
B ishop . I give you my blessing. Formerly, whenever we parted, I said:
Till we meet again. Now God willing, w ell never see each other
again.
W eislingen . Theres a lot that can change.
B ishop . Alas, theres too much that has changed already. Perhaps I will
see you once again, as an enemy before my walls, laying waste my
fields, which now have you to thank that they are in full bloom.
W eislingen . N o , gracious Lord.
B ishop . Y ou cannot say No. The secular estates, my neighbors, all are
out to get me. As long as I had you Go, Weislingen! I have nothing
more to say to you. You have undone a great deal. Go!
W eislingen . And I do not know what to say. {Bishop leaves.)
Enter Franz.
F ranz . Adelheid is waiting for you. She is not well. But she does not
want to let you go without saying goodbye.
W eislingen . Come.
F ranz . Are we really leaving?
W eislingen . This very evening.
F ranz . I feel as if I were taking leave of the world.
W eislingen . So do I, and as if I didnt know where I was going either.
A d elh eid s R oom

A delheid. Lady.
L ady. Youre looking pale, dear Lady.

A delheid . I dont love him, and yet I wish he would stay. You see, I
could live with him, even if I do not yet want him as a husband.
L ady . D o you believe h es going?
A delheid . H es gone to the Bishop to take his leave.
L ady . After that he still has a hard stand to make.
A delheid . What do you mean?
L ady . H ow can you ask, dear Lady? You caught his heart on your hook,
and if he wants to tear himself free, hell bleed to death.
Act II 31
A delheid. Weislingen.
W eislingen . Y ou are not well, dear Lady?

A delheid . That can be of little concern to you. You abandon us, aban
don us forever. Why do you ask whether we live or die?
W eislingen . Y ou misjudge me.
A delheid . I take you as you seem to be.
W eislingen . Appearances deceive.
A delheid . So youre a chameleon?
W eislingen . If only you could see my heart!
A delheid . Pretty things would meet my eyes.
W eislingen . Indeed! You would find your image there.
A delheid . In some forgotten corner alongside the portraits of extinct
families. I beg you, Weislingen, remember with whom you speak.
False words count most when they are masks for our deeds. A mas
querader who is recognized plays a pathetic role. You do not deny
your deeds and yet speak the reverse; what should anyone take you
for?
W eislingen . What you will. I am so plagued by what I am that it mat
ters little to me what I am taken for.
A delheid . Y ou come to take your leave.
W eislingen . Allow me to kiss your hand, and I will say: Farewell. You
remind me! I did not think. I am a burden, dear Lady.
A delheid . Y ou misinterpret: I wanted to assist your leaving, since you
want to leave.
W eislingen . Oh, say rather that I must. Were I not obliged by knightly
duty, the sacred clasp of hands
A delheid . G o on! go! Tell that tale to the girls who read the Emperors
Theuerdank and wish they might have such a husband. Knightly duty!
Childish games!
W eislingen . Y ou do not believe that.
A delheid . Upon my oath, youre dissembling! What have you prom
ised? and to whom? You pledge your allegiance to a man who denies
his duty to the Emperor and the Empire, and at just the moment
when through your capture he incurs the imperial ban as punishment.
Obliged by your duty! a duty which cannot be more valid than an
illegal oath obtained by force. Do not our laws release us from such
vows? Teach such wisdom to children who believe in hobgoblins.
Other matters lie concealed here. To become an enemy of the
Empire, an enemy of the civil peace and welfare! An enemy of the
Emperor! Companion to a brigand! You, Weislingen, with your gen
tle soul!
W eislingen . If you only knew him
A delheid . I only wish that justice might be done him. He has an
exalted, unfettered soul. And for that very reason, woe to you,
Weislingen! Go and imagine that youre his companion. Go! and let
yourself be ruled by him. You are friendly, congenial
W eislingen . And so is he.
A delheid . But you are yielding, and he is not! Without realizing it
youll be swept away by him, youll be the slave of a nobleman, when
you could be the master of princes.But it is cruel to paint such a
dark picture of your future status.
W eislingen . If you could have felt how affectionately he received me.
A delheid . Affectionately! You credit him with that? It was what he
owed you; and what would you have lost if he had been hostile? To
me that would have been even more welcome. An arrogant man like
that
W eislingen . Y ou speak about your enemy.
A delheid . I speak for your freedom And I have no idea at all why I
should be interested in that. Farewell!
W eislingen . Allow me just a moment more. {H e takes her hand and is
silent.)
A delheid . Have you anything further to say to me?
W eislingen . ------ 1 m ust leave.
A delheid . Then go.
W eislingen . Dear Lady! I cannot.
A delheid . Y ou must.
W eislingen . I s this to be my last sight of you?
A delheid . Go, I am ill, at a most inopportune time.
W eislingen . D o not look at me so.
A delheid . Will you be our enemy and have us smile at you? Go!
W eislingen . Adelheid!
A delheid . I hate you!
Franz enters.
F ranz . Noble Lord! The Bishop is calling for you.

A d e lh e id . G o! G o!
F ranz . He bids you to come quickly.
A d e lh e id . G o! Go!
W eislingen . I will not say goodbye, I will see you again. {He leaves.)
A delheid . See me again? We shall tend to that. Margarete, if he comes,
send him away! I am ill, I have a headache, Im sleeping Send him
away! If he can still be won, then this is the way to do it. {She leaves.)
A ntecham ber
Weislingen. Franz.
W eislingen . She wont see me?

F ranz . Nights coming on; shall I saddle the horses? '
Act II 33
W eislingen . She w ont see me!

F ranz . When will your Grace order the horses?
W eislingen . It is too late! We will stay here.
F ranz . Thank God! {H e leaves.)
W eislingen . Youll stay? Be on your guard, the temptation is great. My
horse shied as I tried to ride through the castle gate, my good angel
stood in his way, he knew the dangers that awaited me here. Still,
its wrong not to attend to the various matters which I left unfinished
for the Bishop and at least arrange them in such a way that a successor
can pick things up where I left them. That can all be done without
damaging the bond between Berlichingen and me. For they wont
keep me here. Would have been better if I hadnt come. But I will
be off tomorrow, or the day after. {H e leaves.)
In the Spessart
G oetz. Selbitz. Georg.
Selbitz . Y ou see, it went just as I said.

G oetz . N o ! no! no!
G eorg. Believe me. Im telling you the truth. I did as you commanded,
took the cloak of the Bamberger and his pass, and in order to earn my
food and drink, I escorted peasants from Reineck up to Bamberg.
Selbitz . In disguise? That could have turned out badly for you.
G eorg. Thats my thought, too, looking back. A rider who thinks ahead
will not attempt any great leaps. I came to Bamberg and right away I
heard the story at the inn: Weislingen and the Bishop are reconciled
and they talked a lot about a marriage with the widow von Walldorf.
G oetz . Just talk.
G eorg. I saw him when he was escorting her to table. She is beautiful,
by my oath, she is beautiful. We all bowed, she thanked all of us, he
nodded his head, looked very pleased with himself, they went on past,
and the people murmured: a handsome pair!
G oetz . That may be.
G eorg. Listen further! When he went to mass the next day, I watched
for my chance. He was alone with a page. I stood below him on
the stair and spoke softly to him: A few words from your friend
Berlichingen! He was startled; I saw in his face a confession of
his misdeed, he scarcely had the heart to look at me, at me: a mere
squire.
Selbitz . Thats because his conscience was worse than your rank.
G eorg. Are you a Bamberger? said he. I bring you greetings from
the Knight of Berlichingen, said I, and Im to ask you Come
tomorrow morning, said he, to my room, we will talk further.
G oetz . Did you go?
G eorg. Indeed I did, and had to wait in the antechamber for a long.
long while. And those silken boys stared at me from front and back.
Go ahead and look, I thought. Finally I was led in, he seemed
angry, it was no matter to me. I stepped up to him and carried out my
assignment. He acted hostile and angry, like someone who has no
courage and doesnt want it to be noticed. He was amazed that you
used a squire to take him to task. That upset me. I said, there were
two kinds of people, brave ones and scoundrels, and I served Goetz
von Berlichingen. Now he started in and spouted all kinds of confus
ing stuff, which came to this: You had rushed him, and he had no
obligation to you, and wanted nothing to do with you.
G oetz . Y ou have that from his own mouth?
G eorg . That and still more He threatened me.
G oetz . Thats enough! Now he is lost to us, too! Loyalty and trust,
youve betrayed me once again. Poor Maria! How will I break this to
you?
S elbitz . I had rather lose my second leg than be such a dirty dog. {They
leave.)
Bam berg
A delheid . Time begins to drag unbearably for me; I dont want to talk
and Im ashamed to play with you. Boredom, youre more trouble
than a cold fever.
W eislingen . Have you already grown tired of me?
A delheid . Not of you so much as your company. I wish you were where
you wanted to go, and we had not held you back.
W eislingen . Such is womans favor! First, with the warmth of a mother
she broods over our dearest hopes; then like a fickle hen she leaves
the nest and abandons her growing progeny to death and decay.
A delheid . Blame it on the woman! A reckless gambler tears up and
tramples on the cards which were the innocent cause of his losing. But
allow me to tell you something about men. Who are you to talk about
being fickle? You, who are seldom what you claim to be, never what
you ought to be. Monarchs in holiday robes, envied by the mob. What
would the wife of a tailor give to wear a string of pearls about her neck
from the hem of your cloak that is kicked aside contemptuously by
your heels!
W eislingen . Y ou are bitter.
A delheid . Thats the refrain to your song. Before I knew you, Weis
lingen, I was like the tailors wife. Rumor with its hundred tongues,
not speaking metaphorically either, had drawn you out as a tooth
surgeon would, so I let myself be talked into wishing: If only you
could catch a glimpse of this quintessence of the male sex, this
phoenix of a Weislingen! My wish was granted to me.
Act II 35
W eislingen. And this phoenix proved to be an ordinary cock-of-the-

walk.
A delheid . N o, Weislingen, I became interested in you.
W eislingen. It seemed so
A delheid . And was. For truly you even surpassed your reputation. The
mob only respects the reflected light of merit. Just as I have a tenden
cy not to think about the people I like, so we lived awhile side by side;
I felt something was missing and I didnt know what it was that I
found lacking in you. Finally my eyes were opened. Instead of the
active man who enlivened the affairs of a principality, who did not
forget himself and his reputation in doing so, who had scaled the
heights of the clouds in a hundred good deeds, as over mountains
heaped one on top of another I suddenly saw this man whining like
a sickly poet, melancholic as a healthy girl, and more idle than an
aged bachelor. At first I attributed this to your misfortune, which still
lay fresh upon your heart, and I excused you as well as I could. Now,
since you seem to be getting worse from day to day, youll have to
forgive me if I withdraw my favor from you. You have no right to
possess it, I gave it as a gift for life to another, who could not transfer
it to you.
W eislingen. Then set me free!
A delheid . Not before all hope is lost. Solitude in such circumstances is
dangerous. You poor man! Youre as dejected as someone whose
first girl has been unfaithful, and just for that reason I will not give
you up. Give me your hand, forgive me for what my love has said to
you.
W eislingen. If you could love me, if you could grant me only one drop
of relief for my ardent passion! Adelheid! your accusations are most
unjust! If you could guess even a hundredth part of what has been
going on in me all this time, you would not have torn me this way
and that way so mercilessly, with condescension, indifference and
contempt. You smile! To come to terms with myself again after
taking such an overhasty step, cost me more than one day. To turn
against the man whose memory is still so vividly new in my affections!
A delheid . Strange man, to love the one you envy! Thats as if I were to
provide provisions for my enemy.
W eislingen. I know this matter brooks no delay. He has received the
news that I am Weislingen again, and he will avail himself of his
advantage over us. Besides, Adelheid, w ere not so slow as you think.
Our horsemen are reinforced and alert, our negotiations are going
forward, and we hope the Imperial Diet in Augsburg will bring our
projects to fulfillment.
A delheid . Youre going there?
W eislingen. If I could only take one hope along with me. {H e kisses her
hand.)
A delheid . Oh, you of little faith! Only signs and wonders! Go, Weis-
lingen, and complete your work. The Bishops advantage and yours
and mine are so interwoven that even if only for the sake of politics
W eislingen . H ow can you joke about it?
A delheid . Im not joking. My estates are being held by the haughty
Duke, and yours will not long be left in place by Goetz; and if we do
not keep together like our enemies and steer the Emperor to our side,
w ell be lost.
W eislingen . Im not worried. The majority of the princes thinks as we
do. The Emperor is demanding aid against the Turks and to get it hell
have to stand by us. What a pleasure it will be for me to liberate your
estates from overbearing enemies, to get these unruly Swabian heads
back down on their pillows and to restore peace to the Bishopric and
to ourselves. And then?
A delheid . One day follows another, and the futures in the hands of
destiny.
W eislingen . But we have to want it.
A delheid . A nd we do w ant it.
W eislingen . Truly?
A delheid . Of course. Now go.
W eislingen . Y ou sorceress!
A n Inn
A peasant wedding. M usic and dancing outside.
The B rides Father, G o etz, Selbitz at a table.
The Bridegroom comes up to them.

G oetz . And the most clever thing of all is that you resolve your quarrel
so happily, so congenially, with a marriage.
F ather of the B ride . Better than I could have dreamed it. In peace and
quiet with my neighbors and a daughter well taken care of in the
bargain!
B ridegroom . And Im the owner of the lot at issue and besides have
won the prettiest filly in the whole village. Would God that you had
started your feud even sooner!
Selbitz . H ow long have you been in court?
F ather of the B ride . Almost eight years. Id rather have the ague for as
long again as have to start that up once more. Thats all a hassle, you
wouldnt believe, till you squeeze a verdict out of the hearts of those
periwigs; and what have you got when all is done? May the devil fetch
that Assessor Sapupi! H es a damned swarthy Italian!
B ridegroom . Yes, thats a crazy fellow. Twice I was over there.
F ather of the B ride . And I three times. And look you, my Lords: how
Act II 37
are we finally going to get our verdict, where Ive as much right as the
other fellow, and he as much as me, and we just stand there with our
mouths wide open, until the good Lord gives me the idea to let him
have my daughter and the whole works as well.
G oetz (drinks). Heres luck in future trials!
F ather of the B ride . God willing! But however it may be. Ill not sub
mit again to court procedures as long as I live. What that costs for a
pretty penny! For every bow your attorney makes, its you who has to
pay up.
Selbitz . Well, there are imperial visitations once a year.
F ather of the B ride . Not a trace of them! And many a handsome thal
er was squeezed out of me for extras. An unbelievable swindle!
G oetz . H ow do you mean?
F ather of the B ride . Ah, they all hold out their paws palms up! The
Assessor alone, may God forgive him, took me for eighteen gold guil
ders.
B ridegroom. Who?
F ather of the B ride . Who else but this Sapupi!
G oetz . Thats a scandal.
F ather of the B ride . Indeed it is. I had to put down twenty. And when
Id paid it all out to him, in his country house, which is a splendid
place, in the great hall, I thought my heart would break for grief. For
dont you see, a mans house and yard can stand secure, but wheres
he to find ready cash? There I stood, God knows how I felt. I didnt
have so much as a red cent in my pocket for my travel expenses.
Finally I summon up my courage and tell him so. Now when he saw I
was about to go under, he threw back two of them and sent me away.
B ridegroom. Thats not possible! Sapupi?
F ather of the B ride . Why are you acting surprised? Of course, it was
him. No one else.
B ridegroom. The devil take him, he also relieved me of fifteen gold
guilders.
F ather of the B ride . Dam nation!
Selbitz . Goetz! Were supposed to be the brigands!
F ather of the B ride . So thats the reason the verdict came out so one
sided. You dog!
G oetz . D ont let that go unpunished.
F ather of the B ride . What should we do?
G oetz . Get yourself to Speyer, its just now the time for the visitation;
lodge a complaint, they have to investigate it and then theyll help you
to get whats yours.
B ridegroom . D o you think we can get it through?
G oetz . If I could get hold of him by the ears. Id promise it to you.
Selbitz . For that sum its worth a try.
G oetz . There were times when Id ride out for a fourth that amount.
F ather of the B ride . What do you think?
B ridegroom . Lets try it, come what may.
Enter Georg.
G eorg . The Nurembergers are on the march.

G oetz . Whereabouts?
G eorg . If we get moving right away, w ell catch them between
Beerheim and Muehlbach, in the forest.
Selbitz . Splendid!
G oetz . Come on, children! God be with you all! and may he help us all
to get whats ours!
P easant . Many thanks to you! Wont you stay for a late snack?
G oetz . N o time. Adieu.
A ct III
A ugsburg
A Garden
Two M erchants fro m Nuremberg.
F irst M erchant. Lets stand here, the Emperor has to come by there.
H es just coming along the Alice.
Second M erchant. Who is that with him?
F irst M erchant. Adelbert von Weislingen.
Second M erchant. Bambergs friend! Thats good.
F irst M erchant . Lets kneel before him, and Ill do the talking.
S econd M erchant. All right, here they come.
Emperor. Weislingen.
F irst M erchant . He looks annoyed.

E mperor. I am disheartened, Weislingen, and when I look back over my
past life, I might well despair, so many projects half complete, so
many failed! and all that because there is no prince in the Empire so
small but hes more concerned with his own whims than with my
thoughts.
The Merchants throw themselves at his feet.
M erchant. Supreme Majesty! Allpowerful!
E mperor. Who are you? Whats going on?
M erchant. Poor merchants from Nuremberg, your Majestys servants.
Act III 39
and we appeal to you for help. Goetz von Berlichingen and Hans von
Selbitz fell upon thirty of us who were coming from the Frankfurt Fair
under escort from Bamberg and robbed us. We pray to your Imperial
Majesty for help, for support, else we are all ruined, forced to beg for
our bread.
E mperor. Dear God! Dear God! What is this? One of them has only one
hand, the other only one leg, if they just had two hands and two legs,
what would you do then?
M erchant. We beg your Majesty most humbly to cast a sympathetic eye
upon our troubled circumstances.
E mperor. Is this the way it goes? If a merchant loses a sack of pepper,
the whole Empire is expected to take arms, and if there is trouble at
hand, where much is at stake for his Imperial Majesty and the
Empire, involving kingdoms, principalities, duchies and what all else,
then no human being can get you together.
W eislingen. Y ou come at an unsuitable time. Go and wait here for a
few days.
M erchant. We commend us to your Grace. {They leave.)
E mperor. Still more troubles! They proliferate like the heads of Hydra.
W eislingen. And will not be eliminated but by fire and sword, and by
resolute action.
E mperor. D o you think so?
W eislingen. I hold nothing more certain, providing your Majesty and
the princes could reach accord about other, more insignificant con
flicts. It is by no means all of Germany that complains of unrest. Only
Franconia and Swabia still glow from the embers of civil war and its
internal destruction. And even there many of the nobles and the
freeborn yearn for peace and quiet. If we only could get rid of this
Sickingen, this Selbitz this Berlichingen, the rest would soon col
lapse of its own accord. Those are the ones whose spirit drives the
rebellious crowd.
E mperor. I wish I could spare those people, they are brave and noble. If
I were to fight a war, I would need them among my army.
W eislingen. It could be wished that they had learned long since to obey
their duty. And whats more it would be extremely dangerous to
reward their rebellious undertakings with positions of honor. For
just such imperial generosity and grace is what till now they have so
mightily abused, and their followers, who place their trust and hope
on this, will not be checked until we have reduced them to nothing in
the eyes of the world and have cut them off from all prospects for the
future.
E mperor. So you advise force.
W eislingen. I see no other means to control this delusion that possesses
entire regions. D o we not already hear in various places the most
bitter complaints of the nobles, that their vassals, their bondsmen re

bel against them and challenge them, threaten to diminish their tradi
tional sovereignty, so that most dangerous consequences are to be
feared?
E mperor. This would be an opportune moment to move against Ber
lichingen and Selbitz, only I would not wish that any harm be done to
them. Id like to have them captive, and then theyd have to swear an
oath of truce, to stay peacefully in their castles, and not to stray out
side their ban. A t the next session I will propose it.
W eislingen . a joyous acclamation will spare your Majesty the end of
your speech. {They leave.)
Jaxthausen
Sickingen. Berlichingen.
SiCKiNGEN. Yes, I have come to ask your noble sister for her heart and
her hand.
G oetz . I could wish you had come earlier. I must tell you, during his
captivity Weislingen won her love, sued for her hand, and I gave him
my consent. I released him, that captive bird, and he scorns the gener
ous hand which fed him in his need. H es winging about, looking for
nourishment, God knows on what bush.
Sickingen . I s that true?
G oetz . A s I have said.
Sickingen . He has severed a twofold bond. Be grateful that you are not
now more closely related to that traitor.
G oetz . She sits there, the poor girl, and laments and prays her life
away.
Sickingen . We shall try to make her sing.
G oetz . What? Can you bring yourself to marry an abandoned woman?
Sickingen . Its an honor to both of you, being betrayed by him. Should
the poor girl have to enter a convent just because the first man she
met was worthless? Far from it! I hold to my commitment, that she
become the queen of all my castles.
G oetz . Im telling you that she was not indifferent to him.
Sickingen . D ont you trust me to chase off the shadow of a scoundrel?
Let us go to her. {They leave.)
C am p o f the Im perial Legation

Captain. Officers.
C aptain . We must move carefully and spare our people as much as

possible. Our strict orders are to drive him into a corner and capture
him alive. It wont be easy, for who will dare to lay hand on him?
Act III 41
F irst O fficer. Thats true! And he will defend himself like a wild boar.
Besides, in all his life he has never done any harm to us, and everyone
will pass up the opportunity to risk life and limb for the sake of the
Emperor and the Empire.
Second O fficer. It would be a disgrace if we dont capture him. If I can
just latch on to his coattail, hell not get loose.
F irst O fficer. Just dont grab him with your teeth, he might dislocate
your jaw. My dear fellow, such people are not to be captured like a
thief in flight.
Second O fficer. W ell see.
C aptain . Our letter must have reached him by now. We must not delay
sending out a patrol to observe him.
Second O fficer . Let me lead them.
C aptain . Y ou are unfamiliar with the territory.
Second O fficer. One of my men was born and raised here.
C aptain . Thats agreeable to me. {They leave.)
Jaxthausen
Sickingen.
SiCKiNGEN. Its all going as I hoped; she was a bit startled by my propos
al and looked me over from head to foot; I bet she was comparing me
to her Whitefish. Thank God I can stand the scrutiny. She answered
little and in confusion, all the better! Let it simmer for a time. With
girls who have been wounded by misfortune in love a proposal of
marriage makes a good broth.
Goetz enters.
Sickingen . What news, brother?

G oetz . Ive been proclaimed an outlaw.
Sickingen . What?
G oetz . There, read the edifying letter. The Emperor has ordered the
ban to be executed against me, the ban that says to carve up my flesh
to feed the birds beneath the sky and the beasts upon the field.
Sickingen . Let them have their turn first. Im here at just the right time.
G oetz . N o , Sickingen, you must be off. You would trample your great
projects in the bud if you became an enemy of the Empire at such an
inopportune time. You can also be more valuable to me if you appear
to be neutral. The Emperor loves you, and the worst that can happen
to me is to be taken prisoner, then you can use your good word, to
rescue me from the ruin into which your premature aid would plunge
us both. For what would happen? Now things are going against me, if
they learn you are with me, theyll send more forces and we would be
in no way better off. The Emperor controls things at the source, and I
would be irretrievably lost, if it were possible to blow bravery into

men as quickly as you can blow trumpets to marshall them.
SiCKiNGEN. At least I can secretly assign you twenty knights or so.
G oetz . Good. Ive already sent Georg to Selbitz and my men around
the countryside. Dear Brother, when my people are gathered, it will
be a troop of men the likes of which few princes have seen in one
place.
SiCKiNGEN. You will be few against many.
G oetz . One wolf is too many for a whole herd of sheep.
SiCKiNGEN. But if they have a good shepherd?
G oetz . D on t worry! Theyre only hirelings. And even the best knight
can do nothing, if he is not lord of his own actions. For instance, once
they got after me, when I had promised to serve the Count Palatine
against Conrad Schott. He presented me a memo from the Chancel
lery, telling me how I was supposed to ride and how to behave. I
threw the paper back at the magistrates and said I didnt know how to
operate that way; I dont know what I may run into thats not written
in that piece of paper; I must keep my own eyes open and see what I
have to do.
SiCKiNGEN. Good luck, brother! Ill leave at once and send you what I
can gather together in a hurry.
G oetz . Come join the ladies once more, I left them together. I wish you
might have her word before you leave. Then send me the horsemen
and come in secret to take Maria away, for my castle, I fear, will soon
be no place for women to stay.
SiCKiNGEN. W ell hope for the best. {They leave.)
Bam berg
A d elh eid s R oom
A delheid. Franz.
A delheid . So both the expeditions have already set out?

F ranz . Yes, and my Lord has the pleasure of taking the field against
your enemies. I wanted right away to go along, as glad as I am to see
you. And I also want to be off again, so I can return soon with good
news. My Lord has given me permission.
A delheid . H ow are things with him?
F ranz . He is in good spirits. He commanded me to kiss your hand.
A delheid . There your lips are warm.
F ranz {aside, indicating his breast). Here its still warmer! {A loud:)
Dear Lady, your servants are the luckiest fellows under the sun.
A delheid . Who is the leader against Berlichingen?
F ranz . Baron von Sirau. Farewell, dear Lady. I must be off again. D o
not forget me.
A delheid . Y ou m ust eat, and drink, and rest.
Act III 43
F ranz . What for? Ive seen you. Im not tired and not hungry.
A delheid . I know how loyal you are.
F ranz . A h, dear Lady.
A delheid . You cant keep this up; have some rest and something to eat.
F ranz . What good care you take for a poor young fellow! {H e leaves.)
A delheid . There were tears in his eyes. I love him from my heart. No
one was ever so truly and warmly devoted to me. {She leaves.)
Jaxthausen
G oetz. Georg.
G eorg. He wants to speak with you himself. I dont know him, hes a
big man with black, fiery eyes.
G oetz . Bring him in.
Lerse enters.
G oetz . God be with you. What do you bring me?

L erse . Only myself, thats not much, but all that it is I offer you.
G oetz . Y ou are welcome, doubly welcome, a brave man, and at this
time, when I had no hopes for winning new friends, but feared with
every passing hour to lose my old ones. Give me your name.
L erse . Franz Lerse.
G oetz . I thank you, Franz, for the privilege of meeting a brave man.
L erse . I gave you that privilege once before, but then you did not thank
me for it.
G oetz . I do n t rem em ber you.
L erse . Id be sorry if you did. D o you still remember how you came to
be enemies with Conrad Schott because of the Count Palatine and
wanted to ride to Hassfurth for carnival?
G oetz . Well do I remember.
L erse . Y ou rem em ber how along the way near a village you m et up with
twenty-five horsem en?
G oetz . Thats right. At first I took them for only twelve and divided my
group we were sixteen and stopped at the village, behind the
barn, meaning to let them move past me. Then I was going to follow
after them, as I had laid out the plan with the rest of the group.
L erse . But we saw you and rode up a hill by the village. You rode past
and stopped below. When we saw you werent about to come up, we
rode down.
G oetz . Thats when I first saw Id stuck my hand into the fire. Twenty-
five against eight! There was no time to dally there. Erhard Truchsess
ran one of my fellows through, for which I charged him off his horse.
If theyd all held out like him and one other fellow, it would have
gone badly for me and my small band.
L erse . The fellow you say
G oetz . He was the bravest of any Ive ever seen. He made things hot
for me. Whenever I thought Id got rid of him and was about to deal
with some others, he was at my side again, slashing furiously. He cut
through to my arm, a bit of a flesh wound.
L erse . H ave you forgiven him?
G oetz . I liked him all too well.
L erse . W ell, I hope youll be satisfied with me, I gave you a sample of
my work on your own self.
G oetz . Y oure the one? Then welcome, welcome. Oh, Maximilian, can
you say you ever recruited anyone in your service this way?
L erse . Im surprised you didnt think of me sooner.
G oetz . H ow should it occur to me that someone would offer me his
service who tried to defeat me like the worst of my enemies?
L erse . Precisely that, my Lord! From my youth I served as squire and
have even taken on many a knight. When we attacked you, I was
glad. I knew your name and so got to know you. You remember that I
gave way, you saw it wasnt fear, for I came on again. In short, I got to
know you and from that hour I was determined to serve you.
G oetz . H ow long will you stay with me?
L erse . For a year. Without pay.
G oetz . N o , youll be signed on like any other, and more so, like the one
who gave me such a go of it at Remlin.
Georg enters.
G eorg . Hans von Selbitz sends you his greetings. H ell be here tomor
row with fifty men.
G oetz . Good.
G eorg . Theres a troop of Imperials coming along the Kocher, no doubt
to observe you.
G oetz . H ow many?
G eorg . Fifty of them .
G oetz . N o more? Come on, Lerse, w ell beat them up, so Selbitz, when
he comes, will find one bit of work already done.
L erse . Thatll be a nice early harvest.
G oetz . T o horse! (T hey leave.)
Forest, at the Edge o f a Swam p

Two Im perial Soldiers, meeting each other.
F irst Soldier . What are you up to here?

Second Soldier . I got leave to take care of natures call. Since all that
wild fracas in the dark last night my bowels are acting up, so I have to
get off my horse every other minute.
F irst Soldier . Have the troops stopped near here?
Act III 45
Second Soldier . About an hour up through the woods.

F irst Soldier . Then how have you wandered off this far?
Second Soldier . I beg you, dont betray me. Im trying to get to the
next village, to see if I cant relieve my troubles with warm com
presses. Where are you coming from?
F irst Soldier . From the next village. Im bringing wine and bread to
our officer.
Second Soldier . So , he gets something for himself right before our
eyes, and w ere supposed to fast! Fine example.
F irst Soldier . Come back with me, you rogue.
Second Soldier . Id be a fool to. There are many in the group whod be
glad to fast if they could get as far away from it as I have.
F irst Soldier . D o you hear that? Horses!
Second Soldier . Oh Lord!
F irst Soldier . Ill climb this tree.
Second Soldier . Ill hide in these reeds.
Goetz, Lerse, Georg, Soldiers on horseback.
G oetz . Here past the pond and to the left into the woods, then w ell
come around behind them. {They ride on.)
F irst Soldier {clim bs dow n fro m the tree). This is no good. Michel! He
doesnt answer? Michel, theyre gone. {H e goes to the sw am p.)
Michel! Oh God, hes sunk into it. Michel! he doesnt hear me, hes
suffocated. Youre done for, you coward. W ere defeated. Enemy,
enemy everywhere.
G oetz, G eorg on horseback.
G oetz . Stop, fellow, or youre a dead man.

Soldier . Spare my life!
G oetz . Your sword! Georg, lead him to the other prisoners Lerses
holding down there by the woods. Ive got to catch up with their lead
er, hes fleeing. {H e leaves.)
Soldier . Whats become of the knight who was leading us?
G eorg . My Master knocked him off his horse head over heels, so his
helmet stuck in the mire. His troopers lifted him onto his horse and
off they went like madmen. {They leave.)
Camp
Captain. First Officer.
F irst O fficer. Theyre fleeing toward camp from far off.

C aptain . He must be at their heels. Have fifty men move out as far as
the mill, if he extends himself too far perhaps we can catch him.
{Officer leaves.)
Second Officer, led in.

C aptain . H ow goes it, young man? Have they knocked a few points
from your antlers?
O fficer . A plague on you! If I had antlers, even the strongest would
have splintered like glass. You devil! He set upon me so, I felt as if Id
been struck to earth by a thunderbolt.
C aptain . Thank God youve come out of it.
O fficer. Theres nothing to be thankful for, a couple of my ribs are
broken. Wheres the field surgeon? {They leave.)
Jaxthausen
G oetz. Selbitz.
G oetz . What do you say to this declaration of ban, Selbitz?

Selbitz . Its a trick of Weislingens.
G oetz . Y ou think so?
Selbitz . I dont think so, I know so.
G oetz . H ows that?
Selbitz . He was there at the Imperial Diet, I tell you, at the Emperors
side.
G oetz . Well, w ell just have to undo another of his schemes.
Selbitz . Hope so.
G oetz . Lets be off! and the rabbit hunt can begin again.
Cam p
Captain. Officers.
C aptain . This way we accomplish nothing, my Lords. He defeats us one

detachment after the other, and whoever isnt killed or captured runs
off in Gods name toward Turkey rather than back into camp, so
every day we grow weaker. Once and for all, we must go after him,
and that in earnest, I want to be there myself and let him see who hes
got to deal with.
O fficer. Thats all right by us, only he has the hang of the land so,
knows all the paths and trails in the hills so well that hes as tough to
catch as a mouse on a granary floor.
C aptain . W ell get him all right. First, on to Jaxthausen. Whether he
will or no, hell have to come back to defend his castle.
O fficer. I s our whole group to march?
C aptain . Of course! D o you know that w eve melted away by about a
hundred?
O fficer. Then lets move fast, before the whole iceberg thaws, its get
ting warmer around us and we sit here like butter in the sun.
Act III 47
M ountain and Forest

G oetz. Selbitz. Troops.
G oetz . They come in full force. It was high time that Sickingens troops
joined up with us.
S elbitz . Lets divide up. Ill move around the hill to the left.
G oetz . Good. And you, Franz, lead your fifty to the right up through
the woods, theyll come across the heath. Ill take a stand against
them. Georg, you stay with me. And when you see that theyre
attacking me, then fall on both their flanks with no delay. W ell slap
em down. They dont think we can face them. {They leave.)
Heath, on One Side a Hill, on the O ther a Forest

Captain. Troops fo r the Im perial Legation.
C aptain . H es stopping on the heath! Thats an impertinence. H ell pay

for it. What! Not to fear the torrent thats roaring down on him?
O fficer. I wish you would not ride at the front of our column, he looks
as if he means to take the first who comes at him and plant him head
downward in the earth. Better to ride in the rear.
C aptain . Not willingly.
O fficer. I beg you. Youre still the knot that binds this bundle of hazel-
rods together, loosen it and hell snap them one by one like reeds.
C aptain . Blow, trumpeter! and, all of you, blow him away! {They
leave.)
Selbitz at a gallop from behind the hill.
Selbitz . Follow me! Let them call to their hands: Be fruitful and multi
ply. {H e leaves.)
Lerse from the forest.
L erse . T o the aid of Goetz! H es almost surrounded. Brave Selbitz,
youve already broken through. W ell sow the heath with their thistle-
heads. {Passes on. Tum ult.)
A H ill with a W atchtower

Selbitz, wounded. Soldiers.
Selbitz . Set me down here and get back to Goetz.

F irst Soldier . L et us stay. Sir, you need us.
Selbitz . Climb up on the watchtow er, one of you, and see how things
are going.
F irst Soldier . How can I get up?
Second Soldier . Climb on my shoulders, then you can reach the hole
and boost yourself up to the opening. (Climbs up.)
F irst Soldier . Oh, Sir!
Selbitz . What do you see?
F irst Soldier . Your horsemen in flight. Toward the hill.
S elbitz . Damned cowards! I wish they were standing fast and I were hit
in the head by a bullet. Ride down, someone, and curse them, drive
them back. (Soldier leaves.)
Selbitz . Can you see Goetz?
Soldier . I see his three black feathers in the midst of the melee.
Selbitz . Swim, brave swimmer. And here I lie!
Soldier . A white plume, who is that?
Selbitz . The Captain.
Soldier . Goetz is pushing his way toward him bam! H es down.
Selbitz . The Captain?
Soldier . Yes, Sir.
Selbitz . Good! Good!
Soldier . Oh! Oh! I dont see Goetz any longer.
Selbitz . Then Selbitz dies.
Soldier . A terrible milling about where he stood. Georg s blue plume
has also disappeared.
Selbitz . Come on down. Do you see Lerse?
Soldier . Nothing. Everything is all topsy turvy.
Selbitz . No more! Come! How do Sickingens horsemen hold?
Soldier . W ell. Theres one in flight toward the forest. Another! A
whole troop. Goetz is done for.
Selbitz . Come down.
Soldier . I cant Yes! Yes! I see Goetz! I see Georg!
Selbitz . On horseback?
Soldier . High on horseback! Victory! Victory! Theyre fleeing.
Selbitz . The Imperial troops?
Soldier . Their banner in the midst of them, Goetz after them from
behind. Theyre scattering. Goetz has reached the standard bearer
H es got the banner H es stopped. A handful of men around him.
My comrade has reached him Theyre moving up here.
Goetz. Georg. Lerse. Troop of soldiers.
Selbitz . Goetz, good news! Victory! Victory!

G oetz (dismounts). But at what cost! Youre wounded, Selbitz.
Selbitz . Youre alive and have won the victory. I did little. And those
dogs, my troopers! How did you get free?
G oetz . This time it worked! And to Georg here I owe thanks for my life
and here to Lerse also. I threw their Captain from his steed. They cut
down my horse and threw themselves on me, Georg fought through to
Act III 49
me and dismounted, I like lightning up on his steed, he like thunder

mounted again as well. How did you get that horse?
G eorg. From one of them who was swinging at you; I thrust my dagger
into his gut when his cuirass was lifted up a bit. Down he fell, and I
helped you free of an enemy and myself to a horse.
G oetz . N ow , there we stuck, till Franz fought his way in to us, and then
we mowed through them from inside.
L erse . The dogs I was leading were supposed to mow their way in from
the outside until our scythes could meet, but they all took flight like
Imperial troops.
G oetz . Friend and foe both fled. Only the small group of you kept my
back free, I had enough to do with the fellows in front of me. The fall
of their Captain helped me shake them up, and they fled. I have their
banner and a few prisoners.
Selbitz . Did the Captain escape you?
G oetz . By then they had rescued him. Come, boys, come, Selbitz!
Make a stretcher with branches, you wont be able to ride. Come
along to my castle. Theyre scattered. But we are few, and I dont
know whether theyve got troops to send after us. I offer you my
hospitality, my friends. A glass of wine tastes good after a scrap like
this.
Camp
Captain.
C aptain . Id like to kill you all with my own hands, a thousand curses on
you! What do you mean, running away! He had less than a handful of
men left! To run away like dirty cowards, from one man! No one will
believe it, except for those who want to ridicule us. Ride around,
you and you and you. Wherever you find any of our scattered troops,
either bring them back or strike them down. We must grind these
notches out of our swords, even if the blades get worn down com
pletely in the process.
Jaxthausen
G oetz. Lerse. Georg.
G oetz . We cant delay for a single moment! Poor fellows, I cant allow
you any rest at all. Quickly hunt around and try to round up some
horsemen. Send them all to Weilern, there theyll be safest. If we
hesitate, then theyll march on my castle. {Both o f them leave.) I need
to send someone out for news. Things are beginning to get hot, and if
there were only some brave fellows left, but thats the way it is with
the mob. {H e leaves.)
Sickingen. Maria.
M aria. I beg you, dear Sickingen, do not leave my brother! His horse
men, Selbitzs, yours, are all scattered; he is alone, Selbitz is wounded
and has been taken to his castle, and I fear the worst.
Sickingen . Be calm, I shall not leave you.
Goetz enters.
G oetz . Come into the church, the priest is waiting. In a quarter hour
you can be a married couple.
Sickingen . Let me stay here.
G oetz . Y ou must go to the church now.
Sickingen . Gladly and after that?
G oetz . After that you can be on your way.
Sickingen . Goetz!
G oetz . W ont you go to the church?
Sickingen . Come, come.
Cam p
Captain. Knight.
C aptain . H ow many are they all together?

K night . Hundred and fifty.
C aptain . Out of four hundred! Thats bad. Up now, quick and straight
toward Jaxthausen, before hes recovered and can put himself in our
way again.
Jaxthausen
G oetz. Elisabeth. Maria. Sickingen.
G oetz . God bless you, grant you happy days, and preserve those he
takes from you for your children.
E lisabeth . And may he make them just like you: upright! And then let
them be whatever they want.
Sickingen . I thank you. And thank you, Maria. I led you to the altar
and you will lead me to happiness.
M aria . Lets set out together on a pilgrimage to this strange and blessed
land.
G oetz . Good luck on the journey.
M aria . I dont mean it that way, we wont abandon you.
G oetz . Y ou must do so, sister.
M aria . Youre very cruel, brother.
G oetz . And youre more gentle than wise.
Act III 51
Georg enters.
G eorg {secretly). I cant scare up anybody. One fellow was willing, then
he changed his mind and wouldnt.
G oetz . All right, Georg. Luck is beginning to get moody with me. I felt
it coming. (Aloud:) Sickingen, I beg you, leave this very evening. Per
suade Maria. She is now your wife. Make her realize she is! When
women get mixed up in our affairs, our foes are safer in the open field
than theyd otherwise be in their castles.
Servant enters.
S ervant (quietly). Lord, the Imperial column is on the march, straight

for us, very fast.
G oetz . Ive prodded them awake with whips. How many are they?
Servant. About two hundred. They cant be more than two hours from
here.
G oetz . Still beyond the river?
Servant. Yes, Lord.
G oetz . If I only had fifty men. Id not let them across. Did you not see
Lerse?
Servant. N o , Lord.
G oetz . Instruct everyone to keep themselves in readiness. There
must be a parting, my loved ones. Weep, my dear Maria, there will
come times when you will rejoice. Its better for you to weep on your
wedding day, than for excess of joy to be the herald of future misery.
Farewell, Maria. Farewell, brother.
M aria . I cannot leave you, sister. Dear brother, dont refuse us! Have
you so little respect for my husband that you scorn his help in this
extremity?
G oetz . Yes, its come a long way with me. Perhaps Im close to the end.
You two begin your life today, and you should not share my fate. I
have ordered your horses saddled. You must leave at once.
M aria. Brother! Brother!
E lisabeth (to Sickingen). Give in to him! Leave!
Sickingen . Dear Maria, we must go.
M aria . You, too? My heart will break.
G oetz . Then stay. In a few hours my castle will be surrounded.
M aria . Woe! woe!
G oetz . We will defend ourselves as best we can.
M aria . Mother of God, have mercy upon us.
G oetz . And at the last, w ell die or w ell surrender. You will have
wept your noble husband into a common fate with me.
M aria . Y ou to rture me.
G oetz . Stay! Stay! We will be taken prisoner together. Sickingen, youll

fall along with me into the pit! I would have hoped youd be the one to
help me out.
M aria . We will have to leave. Sister, sister!
G oetz . Bring her to safety and then remember my cause.
Sickingen . I shall not enter her bed until I know that youre out of
danger.
G oetz . Sister dear sister! {He kisses her.)
Sickingen. Away from here! Away!
G oetz . One moment more. I shall see you again. Be assured. We
shall all meet again. {Sickingen and Maria leave.)
G oetz . I drove them away, and now that she leaves, I d like to keep
them here. Elisabeth, you will stay with me?
E lisabeth . Until death. {She leaves.)
G oetz . If G od loves a m an, h ell give him a wife like that.
Georg enters.
G eorg . Theyre nearby, I saw them from the tower. The sun rose and I
saw their pikes flashing. When I saw them I felt no more fear than a
cat faced by an army of mice. Though its we who play the rats.
G oetz . Make sure the gates are bolted. Barricade the inside with beams
and stones. {G eorg leaves.) W ell make fools of their patience. And as
for their bravery, let them chew it away on their fingernails. {H erald
outside.) Aha! some redcoated scoundrel, to put the question to us,
whether we want to hoist the white flag. {H e goes to the w indow .)
What is that? {Talking is heard in the distance.)
G oetz {into his beard). A noose around your neck.
Herald keeps talking.
G oetz . An insult to his Majesty! A priest put up that challenge.
Herald concludes.
G oetz {answers). I should surrender! Unconditionally! Who are you

talking to! Am I some brigand! Tell your Captain: To his Imperial
Majesty, as ever, I offer all due respect. But as for him, you tell him,
he can kiss my arse! {H e slams the w indow shut.)
Siege. Kitchen
Elisabeth. G o etz joins her.
G oetz . Y ou have so much work, dear wife.

E lisabeth. I only wish I might have it for a long time. We will hardly be
able to hold out for long.
G oetz . We had no time to equip ourselves.
Act III 53
E lisabeth . And all these people whom youre always feeding. Our
supply of wine is already dwindling.
G oetz . If we can only hold out up to a certain point, so they offer to
bargain for surrender. W ell do them plenty of damage. Theyll shoot
at us all day long and wound our walls and chip our windows. Terse is
a brave fellow; he creeps about with his musket; wherever anyone
dares get too close, bang! hes done for.
S ervant. Coal, my Lady!
G oetz . Whats happening?
Servant. The bullets are all gone, we want to cast new ones.
G oetz . H ow are we fixed for powder?
Servant. Not badly. W ere saving our shots well.
H all
Lerse with a bullet m old. Servant with coal.
T erse . Put it over there and see where you can find lead in the house.
Meanwhile, Ill help myself here. {Lifts a w indow fro m its fram e and
smashes the panes.) Every advantage counts. Thats the way of the
world, no man knows what can come of a thing. The glazier who set
these panes never dreamed that the lead might some day give one of
his great-grandchildren a splitting headache! And when my father
begot me, he wasnt thinking what bird in the sky, what worm in
the earth might feed on me.
Georg enters with an eaves trough.

G eorg. Heres your lead. If you hit them with only half of it, there wont
be a one who gets away to report to his Majesty: Lord, we made a
poor showing.
T erse (cutting som e o ff). A nice piece.
G eorg. Let the rain water run off some other way! Im not bothered by
it; a bold rider and a proper rain will get through anywhere!
T erse (as he po u rs). Hold the ladle. (H e goes to the w in dow .) Theres an
Imperial lad sneaking about with his gun; they think w ere all shot
out. Let him sample this bullet, hot from the pan. (H e loads.)
G eorg (places the ladle to the m o ld ). Let me see.
T erse (shoots). One sparrow down!
G eorg. He was shooting at me before (they p o u r), as I was climbing out
of the attic window and trying to reach the eaves trough. He hit a
dove that was perched next to me, it fell into the eaves trough; I
thanked him for the roast and climbed back in with double booty.
T erse . N ow lets load up and walk around the whole of the castle, to
earn our noonday meal.
Goetz enters.
G oetz . Wait, Lerse! I need to talk to you! You, Georg, I dont want to
keep you from the hunt. {G eorg leaves.)
G oetz . Theyre offering to negotiate.
L erse . Let me go out to them and hear what they propose.
G oetz . I know what it will be: house arrest, with stipulations attached.
L erse . That wont do. How would it be if they were to grant free with
drawal, since youre not expecting any relief from Sickingen. We
could bury the gold and silver where no dowser could find it for them,
abandon the castle to them and get away in style.
G oetz . Theyll not allow us.
L erse . Its worth a try. W ell call for a safe conduct and Ill go out. {H e
leaves.)
H all
G o etz, Elisabeth, G eorg, Servants at table.
G oetz . So we are brought together by danger. Eat heartily, my friends!

D on t forget drinking! The bottle is empty. Another, dear wife.
{Elisabeth shrugs her shoulders.) Is there no more?
E lisabeth {quietly). One more! I put it aside for you.
G oetz . Oh no, my dear! Bring it out! They need the strength, not me;
its my affair after all.
E lis a b e th . Go get it out there in the cupboard.
G oetz . Its the last one. And I feel as if we had no need to hold back. I
havent felt so pleased in a long time. {H e p o u rs.) Long live the
Emperor!
A ll. Long may he live!
G oetz . Let that be our next-to-last word when were dying. I love him,
for we share the same destiny. And I am more fortunate than he. He
has to catch the mice for the imperial estates, while the rats are gnaw
ing away at his possessions. I know he wishes sometimes that he were
dead, rather than serve any longer as the soul of so crippled a body.
{H e p o u rs.) Theres just enough for one more round. And when our
blood begins to dwindle like the wine in this bottle, first flowing weak
ly, then drop by drop {he p o u rs the last drops into his glass), what
should our last word be?
G eorg . Long live freedom!
G oetz . Long live freedom!
A ll. Long live freedom!
G oetz . And if that survives us, we can die in peace. For well see in
spirit our grandchildren happy and the Emperors of our grand-
Act III 55
children happy. If the servants of our princes serve them as nobly and
freely as you serve me, if the princes serve the Emperor as I would
serve him
G eorg. Then a lot would have to change.
G oetz . Not so much as it might seem. Have I not known splendid men
among the princes, and should such a race have died out? Good men,
who were fortunate in themselves and their subjects; who could toler
ate a free and noble neighbor beside them and neither fear him nor
envy him; whose hearts rejoiced when they could view a number of
their equals as guests at table, and did not need to transform knights
into court toadies in order to live with them.
G eorg. Have you known such lords?
G oetz . Indeed. Ill remember as long as I live how the Landgrave of
Hanau held a hunt and the princes and lords who attended took their
food under an open sky and the people from the countryside all came
running to see them. That was no masquerade that he had staged in
honor of himself. But the full, round heads of the boys and girls, all
those red cheeks, and the prosperous men and the dignified elders,
and all those happy faces, and how they shared in the glory of their
master, who enjoyed himself on Gods ground among them!
G eorg. That was a nobleman as perfect as you.
G oetz . Should we not hope that more such princes might rule all
together? That homage to the Emperor, peace and friendship among
neighbors, and love among subjects will be the most valuable family
treasure, inherited by grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Every
man would preserve what is his own and increase it within himself,
instead of believing as now that there is no increase for them unless
they ruin others.
G eorg. And after that would we still go riding?
G oetz . Would to God there might be no uneasy minds in all of Ger
many! We would still find enough to do. We could clear the moun
tains of wolves, could bring a roast from the forest to our neighbor
who plows the soil in peace, and in return we would share his supper
with him. If that were not sufficient for us, we could take our place
with our brothers, like Cherubim with flaming swords, at the bound
aries of the Empire, to face the wolves, the Turks, and the foxes, the
French, and at the same time protect the exposed lands of our Emper
or and the tranquility of his realm. That would be a life, Georg! when
a man could risk his skin for the well-being of all. {Georg jum ps up.)
Where are you going?
G eorg. Ah, I forgot that we are locked in and that the Emperor has
locked us in and to escape with our skins we must risk our skins.
G oetz . Be of good courage!
Lerse enters.
L erse . Freedom! Freedom! These are wretched men, indecisive, cau

tious asses. You are to withdraw with weapons, horses and armor.
Provisions must be left behind.
G oetz . They will not get a toothache chewing on what we leave.
L erse (secretly). Have you hidden the silver?
G oetz . N o ! Wife, go with Franz, he has something to say to you. (A ll
leave.)
C ourtyard o f the Castle

Georg, in the stable, sings.
Once a bird was caught by a boy.

Hum, Hum!
He laughed into the cage with joy.
Hum, Hum!
So! So!
H m! H m!
He trusts his joy, so foolishly.
Hum, Hum!
Thrusts in his paw so clumsily.
Hum, Hum!
So! So!
H m! H m!
Out flew the tom-tit onto a thorn.
Hum, Hum!
And laughed the stupid boy to scorn.
Hum, Hum!
So! So!
H m! H m!
G oetz (enters). How do things stand?
G eorg (leads his horse out). All saddled up.
G oetz . Y oure quick.
G eorg . Like the bird out of its cage.
All the besieged enter.
G oetz . Youve all got your guns? Not so! Go up and fetch the best ones
from the gun rack, its all the same now. W ell ride ahead.
G eorg .
Hum! Hum!
So! So!
H m! H m! (They leave.)
Act IV 57
H all
Two Servants at the Gun Rack.
F irst Servant. Ill take this one.

Second Servant. And Ill have this. Theres an even better one.
F irst Servant. Not so! Hurry, get out of here!
Second Servant. Listen!
F irst Servant {ju m p s to the w indow ). Help, merciful God! Theyre
murdering our master! H es thrown from his horse! Georgs down!
Second Servant. H ow can we escape? Along the wall, down the nut
tree, into the field! (H e leaves.)
F irst Servant. Franz is still holding them off. Ill go help him. If they all
die, I dont want to live. {H e leaves.)
A ct IV
Inn at H eilbronn
G oetz.
G oetz . I feel like the evil spirit conjured into a sack by the Capuchin. I
wear myself out and it gets me nowhere. These perjurors!
Elisabeth enters.
G oetz . What news, Elisabeth, about my loyal followers?
E lisabeth . Nothing definite. Some were cut down, some lie in prison.
No one could or would tell me anything more about them by name.
G oetz . I s that the reward of loyalty? of childlike obedience? That it
may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth!
E lisabeth . Dear husband, do not chide our heavenly Father! They have
their reward, it was born with them, a free and noble heart. Let them
be captives, they are still free! You pay heed to the deputation of
Councilors, their great golden chains suit their faces
G oetz . A s a jewel of gold in a swines snout. Id like to see them lock up
Georg and Franz!
E lisabeth . It would be a sight to make the angels weep.
G oetz . I would not weep. I would grit my teeth and chew the cud of my
fury. In chains, the apples of my eye! You dear lads, if only you had
not loved me! I could never get my fill of gazing on them. Not to
keep their word, given in the Emperors name!
E lisabeth . Put such thoughts out of your mind. Consider the fact that
you must appear before their Councils. You are in no state to con
front them effectively, and I fear the worst.
G oetz . What will they do to me?

E lisabeth . The Sergeant-at-arms!
G oetz . The Jackass-at-justice! Hauls their sacks to the mill and their
dung to the field. What is it?
Sergeant-at-arms enters.
Sergeant. The Lord Commissioners are assembled in the Courthouse

and have sent me for you.
G oetz . I will come.
S ergeant. I will accompany you.
G oetz . A great honor.
E lisabeth . Keep your temper.
G oetz . Have no fear. {They leave.)
The Courthouse
Im perial Councilors. Captain. M agistrates o f Heilbronn.
M agistrate. We have, as you ordered, assembled the strongest and

boldest citizens; theyre waiting here for your signal, to overpower
Berlichingen.
F irst C ouncilor . It will be a great pleasure to be able to inform his Im
perial Majesty of your willingness to obey his highest command.
Are they laborers?
M agistrate. Blacksmiths, drayers of wine, carpenters, men with well-
practiced fists and well equipped here. (Pointing to his chest.)
C ouncilor . Good.
Sergeant. Goetz von Berlichingen is waiting at the door.

C ouncilor . Let him in!
Goetz enters.
G oetz . Gods greeting to you, gentlemen. What do you want of me?

C ouncilor . First, that you consider where you are and before whom.
G oetz . By my oath, I know exactly who you are, my Lords.
C ouncilor . Y ou do as your duty requires.
G oetz . With all my heart.
C ouncilor . Take a seat.
G oetz . Down below there? I can stand. The stool smells of poor sin
ners, as indeed the whole chamber does.
C ouncilor . Then stand!
G oetz . T o the point, if you please.
C ouncilor . We shall proceed in proper order.
G oetz . Im satisfied with that; I wish it had always been that way.
Act IV 59
C ouncilor . Y ou know that you were delivered into our hands uncon
ditionally.
G oetz . What will you give me, if I forget?
C ouncilor . If I could give you a sense of discretion, Id be helping your
case.
G oetz . Helping it! If only you could! That of course would take more
than it would to damage it.
C lerk . Should I put all this into the record?
C ouncilor . Whatever pertains to the proceedings.
G oetz . As far as Im concerned, you can have it printed.
C ouncilor . Y ou were in the Emperors power, whose sovereign justice
was replaced by fatherly clemency, who instead of consigning you to a
dungeon, lodged you rather in Heilbronn, one of his beloved cities.
You promised under oath, as befits a knight, to present yourself and
to await with humility whatever follows.
G oetz . True, and I am here and waiting.
C ouncilor . And we are here to announce to you the clemency and
favor of his Imperial Majesty. He pardons you your transgressions,
pronounces you free of the ban and of all well-deserved punishment,
which you will acknowledge with submissive gratitude and in return
will repeat the oath of fealty, which will here be read out to you.
G oetz . I am his Majestys loyal servant, as ever. Just one word before
you go on; my people, where are they? What will happen to them?
C ouncilor . That is no concern of yours.
G oetz . Then may the Emperor turn his face away from you when you
are in need! They were my comrades and still are. Where have you
taken them?
C ouncilor . We are not obliged to give you any account of that.
G oetz . Aha! I forgot that you are not even bound by what you promise,
let alone
/ C ouncilor . Our commission is to present you with the oath of fealty.
Submit to the Emperor and you will find a way to plead for the life
and liberty of your comrades.
G oetz . Your piece of paper!
C ouncilor . Clerk, read it!
CiERK. I, Goetz von Berlichingen, acknowledge publicly by this letter
that I did recently rise up against my Emperor and his Empire in a
rebellious manner
G oetz . Thats not true! I am no rebel, I have committed no crime
against his Imperial Majesty, and the Empire is no concern of mine.
C ouncilor . Restrain yourself and listen to the rest.
G oetz . I dont want to hear any more. Let anyone step forth and testify!
Have I ever taken one step against the Emperor, against the House of
Austria? Have I not proven at all times, in all my actions, that I know
better than anyone what Germany owes its Regent? and especially
what the lesser nobles, knights, and freemen owe their Emperor? I
would have to be a scoundrel if I allowed myself to be persuaded to
put my signature to that.
C ouncilor . And yet we have explicit orders to persuade you amicably
to do just that or, in the event of non-compliance, to throw you into
prison.
G oetz . In prison! Me!
C ouncilor . And there you can await your destiny at the hands of jus
tice, if you refuse to accept it from the hands of clemency.
G oetz . In prison! You abuse the Imperial power. In prison! That is not
his command. What! First to set a trap for me, those traitors, and then
bait it with their oath, their knightly word! Then to promise me house
arrest and break that promise again.
C ouncilor . We are not obliged to keep faith with a brigand.
G oetz . If you did not bear the image of the Emperor, which I venerate
even in its meanest counterfeit. Id force that word brigand down
your throat until you choked on it! I am engaged in an honorable
feud. You could give thanks to God and boast of it before all the
world, if you ever in your life performed so noble a deed as that for
which I now sit here captive.
The Councilor gestures to the Magistrate, who rings a bell.

G oetz . Not for the sake of sorry gain, not to grab land and people away
from those who are small and defenseless, did I go to war no, to
liberate my squire and to protect my skin! D o you see any wrong in
that? Neither Emperor nor Empire would ever have lost any sleep
over our need. Thank God, I still have one hand and I was right to use
it.
Citizens march in, poles in their hands, weapons at their sides.

G oetz . Whats the meaning of this?
C ouncilor . Y ou wont listen. Seize him!
G oetz . So thats the idea, is it? Unless youre a Hungarian ox, dont
come too near me. This right hand of mine can give you such a box on
the ear that will cure you once and for all of headache, toothache and
all the aches of life. {They m ake fo r him, he strikes one to the ground
and rips the weapon fro m the side o f another, they retreat.) Come on!
Come on! Itd be a pleasure to get to know the boldest of you.
C ouncilor . Surrender!
G oetz . With a sword in my hand? Do you know that all I have to do
now is beat my way through these rabbit hunters and head for the
open field? But I want to teach you all how to keep your word. Prom-
Act IV 61
ise me a knights house arrest and Ill yield up my sword and be your
prisoner as before.
C ouncilor . With a sword in your hand you want to bargain with the
Emperor?
G oetz . God forbid! Only with you and your noble company. You can
all go home, good people. Youll gain nothing for your time, and what
youll get here is nothing but bruises.
C ouncilors . Grab him! D oesnt your love for your Emperor give you
more courage than this?
G oetz . N o more than the Emperor will give them in the way of ban
dages to heal the wounds their courage might get for them.
Sergeant. The tower watch has just called out: a troop of more than
two hundred is marching toward the city. They advanced without
warning from behind the vineyards and are threatening our walls.
C ouncilor . Good God! what is this?
Guard enters.
G uard . Franz von Sickingen stands at the gate and wishes you to know:
he has heard how the oath given his brother-in-law has been broken,
and how the men of Heilbronn have given support to it all. He de
mands an explanation or else within an hour he will set fire to the city
at all four corners and open it up for plunder.
G oetz . Bold brother!
C ouncilor . Step out, Goetz! Whats to be done?
M agistrate. Have mercy on us and on our citizens. Sickingen is bound
less in his anger, he is man enough to do it.
C ouncilor . Are we to abandon our rights and the Emperors?
C aptain . If we only had people to assert them. But this way we could all
be killed, and the whole affair would be that much worse. W ell win
by yielding.
M agistrate. Lets appeal to Goetz to put in a good word for us. I feel as
if I can already see the city in flames.
C ouncilor . Bring Goetz in!
G oetz . What now?
C ouncilor . Y ou would do well to dissuade your brother-in-law from his
rebellious plan. Instead of rescuing you from destruction, h ell plunge
you deeper down by taking your part.
G o etz {sees Elisabeth at the door, secretly to her). Go and tell him: he
should break in without delay and come up here, but not do any harm
to the city. If these scoundrels oppose him, he should use force. It
doesnt matter to me if I get killed, if only they all get cut down along
with me.
A G reat H all in the Courthouse

Sickingen. G oetz.
The entire courthouse is occupied by Sickingens troops.
G oetz . That was rescue from heaven! How did you arrive so unex
pectedly and just when you were needed, brother?
Sickingen . No magic in it. I had sent out two or three scouts to find how
things were with you. At news of their perjury here I set out. Now
w eve got them.
G oetz . I demand nothing more than a knights house arrest.
Sickingen . You are too honorable. Not even to make use of the advan
tage that a just man possesses over perjurers! Theyre sitting there in
the wrong, lets not put any pillows under them. They have shameful
ly abused the Emperors orders. And if I know his Majesty, you can
certainly demand more than that. Its not enough.
G oetz . I have always been content with little.
Sickingen . And have always received too little. My opinion is: they
should release your followers from prison and allow them to withdraw
to your castle, along with yourself, upon your oath. You can promise
not to go beyond your boundaries and youll still be better off than
here.
G oetz . They will say that my estates are forfeit to the Emperor.
Sickingen . Then w ell say that you want to live there for rent until the
Emperor grants them back to you again. Let them squirm like eels in
a basket, theyll not slip away from us. Theyll speak of Imperial
Majesty, of their Commission. That wont matter to us, I know the
Emperor, too, and count for something with him. He has always
wanted to have you among his forces. You wont have to sit for long
in your castle before youre called up.
G oetz . Soon, God willing, before I forget how to use a sword.
Sickingen . Courage cannot be unlearned, just as it cannot be learned.
D ont worry about a thing! When your affairs are all arranged Ill go
to court, for my own plans are beginning to ripen. Favorable signs
encourage me: Get started! There is nothing left for me to do but
sound out the Emperors mind. Trier and the Palatinate would sooner
expect an attack from heaven than to have me fall upon them. And I
will come like a hailstorm! And if we have any say in our destiny,
youll soon be brother-in-law to a Prince Elector. I hope I can count
on your fist for this undertaking.
G oetz {looks a t his hand). Ah, this was the meaning of the dream I had
the day after I promised Maria to Weislingen. He promised me his
loyalty and grasped my hand so strongly that it pulled out of its socket
as if broken off. Ah! Im more defenseless at this moment than I was
when it was first shot off. Weislingen! Weislingen!
li
Act IV 63
SiCKiNGEN. Forget a traitor! We will annihilate his schemes, undermine

his esteem, and both conscience and shame will devour him to death.
I see them, in my mind I see my enemies, your enemies overthrown.
Goetz, just one half year more!
G oetz . Your soul is soaring high. I dont know, for some time now no
joyful prospects have opened up for mine. I have been in greater
distress before and have been taken prisoner before, and Ive never
felt the way I feel now.
SicKiNGEN. Good luck brings good courage. Come along to the periwigs!
They have had the floor long enough, lets take over the job for once.
{They leave.)
A d elh eid s Castle

A delheid . Thats despicable!

W eislingen . I gnashed my teeth! Such a good plan, so well executed,
and in the end they let him withdraw to his castle! That damned Sick-
ingen!
A delheid . They should not have done it.
W eislingen . They were trapped. What could they do? Sickingen
threatened them with fire and sword, that arrogant, hot-tempered
man! I hate him. His prestige swells like a surging river; once it has
gathered in a few streams the rest follow on their own.
A delheid . Did they not have the Emperor?
W eislingen . Dear wife! H es only the merest shadow of one, hes
grown old and cranky. When he heard what had happened, and that I
was agitating along with the other governing councilors, he said:
Leave them in peace! I can well afford to allow old Goetz his little
territory, and if he stays quiet there, how can you complain about
him? We discussed the welfare of the state. O h, said he, if only I
had always had councilors who had made me turn my restless mind
more to the happiness of individual people!
A delheid . H es losing his spirit as ruler.
W eislingen . We went at it about Sickingen. That is one of my loyal
servants, said he, even if he did not act upon my command he per
formed my will far better than my ofiicial ministers, and I can give my
approval, either before or after.
A delheid . It makes me want to tear myself apart.
W eislingen . Despite that. Ive not yet given up all hope. He has been
left to himself in his castle on his word as a knight, to keep the peace
there. For him thats impossible; soon enough w ell find cause against
him.
A delheid . And all the sooner, since we have hopes that the Emperor
will shortly depart this world, and Prince Charles, his admirable suc
cessor, promises more sovereign attitudes.
W eislingen . Charles? He has neither been elected nor crowned.
A delheid . Yet who does not wish and hope for it?
W eislingen . Y ou have an exalted notion of his qualities; one might
almost think you were looking at them with different eyes.
A delheid . Y ou offend me, Weislingen. Do you take me to be that way?
W eislingen . I said nothing intended to offend you. Yet I cannot keep
silent on this. Charless unusual interest in you worries me.
A delheid . A nd my behavior?
W eislingen . Youre a woman. You dislike no one who pays court to
you.
A delheid . But you men?
W eislingen . It gnaws at my heart, the very thought is terrible!
Adelheid!
A delheid . Can I cure your folly?
W eislingen . If you wanted to! You could remove yourself from the
court.
A delheid . Tell me the way and the means. Are you not yourself at
court? Should I abandon you and my friends, in order to converse
with the hoot owls at my castle? No, Weislingen, nothing would come
of that. Put your mind at ease, you know how I love you.
W eislingen . A sacred anchor in this storm, as long as the line doesnt
break. {He leaves.)
A delheid . So thats how youre going to be! Its all I needed. The ambi
tions of my heart are too important to allow you to stand in the way.
Charles! A great man, a fine man, and someday Emperor! and why
should he be the only man who is not flattered by the possession of my
favors? Weislingen, dont try to stop me or youll go down and my
path will take me right over you.
Franz enters with a letter.
F ranz . Here, dear Lady.
A delheid . Did Prince Charles himself give it to you?
F ranz . Yes.
A delheid . Whats the matter? You look distressed.
F ranz . It is your wish that I should languish and die. In my years of
hope you make me despair.
A delheid (aside). Im sorry for him and how little it costs to make
him happy! (O penly.) D on t be discouraged, my boy! I feel your love
and your loyalty and I shall never be ungrateful.
F ranz (overwhelmed). If you were to be so, I would be devastated. By
God, theres not a drop of blood in my veins which is not devoted to
Act IV 65
you, not a wish in my mind but to love you and to do what pleases
you.
A delheid . Dear boy!
F ranz . Y ou are flattering me. {Bursts into tears.) If my devotion de
serves no more than to see others preferred, to see how your thoughts
turn toward this Charles
A delheid . Y ou have no idea what you want, still less what you say.
F ranz {stam ping his f o o t in frustration and anger). I do not want any
m ore of this! I will no longer play your go-between.
A delheid . Franz! You forget yourself.
F ranz . T o sacrifice myself! A nd my dear master!
A delheid . Out of my sight!
F ranz . Dear Lady!
A delheid . G o , reveal my secret to your dear master! I was a fool to
take you for what you are not.
F ranz . Dear, gentle Lady! You know that I adore you.
A delheid . And you used to be my friend, so close to my heart. Go,
betray me!
F ranz . Id sooner tear the heart from my body! Forgive me, dear Lady!
My heart is too full, my senses cant endure it.
A delheid . Dear, passionate youth! {She takes his hands and draws him
to her and they m eet with kisses. B e fa lls weeping upon her shoulder.)
A delheid . Leave me, the walls are traitors. Leave me! {She frees her
self.) D o not waver from your love and your loyalty, and yours will be
the most beautiful reward. {She leaves.)
F ranz . The most beautiful reward! Let me only live till then! I would
murder my own father, if he challenged my place here.
Jaxthausen
G oetz at a table. Elisabeth near him with her work; there is a lam p on the
table and writing materials.
G oetz . This idleness is distasteful to me, and the limits imposed on

me get narrower from day to day; I wish I could sleep, or at least
deceive myself into thinking that peace and quiet were something
pleasant.
E lisabeth . So keep on writing the history of your life which youve
started. Put the evidence into the hands of your friends, with which to
shame your enemies; create for a noble posterity the pleasure of not
misunderstanding you.
G oetz . Alas! Writing is a busy form of idleness; it does not bring plea
sure. When I write about what I have done, I get angry about the loss
of the time when I could still do something.
E lisabeth (picks up the text). D ont be difficult. Youve just got to the
first time you were imprisoned at Heilbronn.
G oetz . That was a fatal place for me from the beginning.
E lisabeth (reads). There were even some members of the League who
said to me that Id acted foolishly, to stand up to my worst enemies,
since I could guess that they would not deal gently with me; so I
answered: Well, what did you answer? Keep writing.
G oetz . I said: D ont I often stake my skin for the goods and gold of
others? Why should I not stake it on my word?
E lisabeth . That is your reputation.
G oetz . And they cant take that away from me! Theyve taken every
thing else, property, freedom
E lisabeth . That was the time at the inn when I met those people from
Miltenberg and Singlingen who didnt recognize me. I enjoyed myself
as if I had given birth to a son. They were praising you to each other
and saying: He is the model of a knight, bold and noble in his free
dom and calm and loyal in his misfortunes.
G oetz . Let them find only one, to whom I ever broke my word! And
Lord knows. Ive sweated harder to serve my neighbor than myself,
and labored to achieve the name of a bold and loyal knight, not for
riches and rank. And thank God, what I worked for, I won.
Lerse and Georg enter with game.
G oetz . My greetings to you, brave huntsmen!

G eorg . W eve been changed to this from brave horsemen. Riding boots
are easily made into slippers.
L erse . The hunt is still something and a kind of warfare.
G eorg . If only we did not have to deal so much around here with impe
rial flunkies! D o you recall, my Lord, how you prophesied to us: if the
world were turned around, we would be hunters. W eve become that
without its happening.
G oetz . Its all the same in the end, we have been displaced from our
own sphere.
G eorg . These are questionable times. For the past week a fearsome
comet has been seen and all of Germany is afraid that it means the
death of the Emperor, who is very ill.
G oetz . Very ill! Our own path is coming to an end.
L erse . And nearby there are even more terrible changes. The peasants
have started an awful rebellion.
G oetz . Whereabouts?
L erse . In the heart of Swabia. Theyre destroying, burning, and
murdering. I fear theyll make the whole region into a wasteland.
G eorg. Theres a fearsome war going on. More than a hundred villages
have already joined the rebellion and there are more every day. The
Act V 67
winds of a storm recently tore up whole forests and shortly after that,
in the region where the rebellion began, two fiery swords in the shape
of a cross were seen in the sky.
G oetz . Some of my good friends and knights must be suffering in
nocently with the others!
G eorg. T oo bad w ere not allowed to ride!
A ct V
Peasants War
Tumult in a village and plundering.
W omen and o ld men with children and baggage.
Flight.
O ld Man . Away! away! We must escape from these murdering dogs.

W oman . Merciful God! the sky is so blood-red, the setting sun blood-
red!
M other. That means a fire.
W oman . My husband! My husband!
O ld M an . Away! away! Into the forest! {They m o ve on .)
Link enters.
L ink . Anyone who gets in your way, strike down! The village is
ours. Just be sure nothing of the crops gets destroyed or left behind.
Plunder everything and quickly! W ell set fire to everything right
now!
Metzler, running down from the hill.

M etzler . H ows it going. Link?
L ink . Its all a great mess, dont you see, youve come just in time for
the wind-up. Where from?
M etzler . From Weinsberg. That was quite a party.
L ink . H ow so?
M etzler . We cut them all down, and it was great work!
L ink . Who all?
M etzler . Dietrich von Weiler led the dance. The fool! We got em all
surrounded, with our whole raging mob, and up there in the church
tower he wanted to make a nice deal with us. Pow! Someone shot him
right through the head. We roared up like a storm and out the window
with the fellow.
Link. Ha!
M etzler (to the peasants). You dogs, do I have to kick you to make you
eo^ The way they hold back and mill about, the asses.
Link'. Set fire! Let them roast inside! Lets go! Get a move on, you
M etzler . Then we led out the others, Helfenstem and Eltershofen,

about thirteen nobles, altogether about eighty. Led them out into the
plain towards Heilbronn. What a jubilation and a tumult by our peo
ple as the long line of these poor rich sinners came along staring at
each other and earth and heaven! They were surrounded before they
knew it and all cut down with pikes.
Link. And I couldnt be there!
M etzler . In all my days 1 never had such a good time.
Link. Keep moving! Get out!
P e a s a n t. Everythings empty.
Link . Then set fire everywhere.
M etzler . Thatll give us a nice little blaze. See how those guys tumble
all over each other and croaked like frogs! It made me feel good all
over like a glass of brandy. There was a Rixinger there who used to
ride to the hunt with a great plume in his hat and Aunug
driving us in front of him along with his hounds, like his hounds. 1
hadnt seen him all this time, his fools face caught my eye right away.
Bash! a pike right between the ribs, there he lay, all four limbs
stretched out across his companions. They were like rabbits chased by
hounds in the hunt, these fellows, lurching one over another.
L ink . Its already smoking nicely.
M etzler . Back there its burning. So lets just move on out with the loot
to the main force.
Link. Where are they camped?
M etzler . This side of Heilbronn. Theyre lacking a commander that al
the people would respect. W ere only their own kind, they sense that
and get difficult.
Link. Who do they have in mind?
M e tz le r . Max Stumpf or Goetz von Berlichingen.
Link. That would be g o o d -g iv e the whole business some polish i
Goetz would do it; he always counted as an upright knight. Come on.
come on! Were off toward Heilbronn. Pass the word!
M etzler . The fire will light us a good ways further on. Did you see the
Li^K. Y S .T h a ts an awful, terrible sign! If we march through the night,

we can see it all right. It rises around one o clock
M etzler . And stays for only five quarter-hours. It looks like an arm
flexed, with a sword, all blood-yellow-red.
Link. Did you see the three stars at the point and side of the sword.
M e tz le r And the broad cloud-colored tail with thousands and
thousands of streamers like pikes and in between like little swords.
Act V 69
L ink . It gave me the shivers. The way its all so pale red and under it so
many bright fiery flames and, in between, the frightful faces with
smoking heads and beards!
M etzler . Did you see them, too? And it keeps twinkling all about as if
it were floating on a bloody sea and shifts back and forth enough to
make you lose your mind!
L ink . Come on! come on! {They leave.)
A Field
In the distance can be seen two villages burning and a cloister.
Kohl. Wild. M ax Stumpf. A M ob.
M ax Stumpf . Y ou cant expect me to be your commander. For me and

for you it would be no use. I am a subject of the Count Palatine; how
could I lead against my Lord? You would constantly suspect that I did
not act from the heart.
K ohl . We knew you would find an excuse.
Goetz, Lerse, Georg enter.
G oetz . What do you want with me?

K ohl . You are to be our commander.
G oetz . Am I to break my knightly word to the Emperor and leave my
ban?
W ild . That is no excuse.
G oetz . And if I were totally free and you continued to behave as you
did at Weinsberg toward the nobles and the lords and carry on this
way, so that the country round about burns and bleeds, and I was
meant to assist you in this shameful, raging business youd have to
beat me to death like a mad dog before Id become your chief!
K ohl . If that had not happened, perhaps it would never happen.
Stumpf. That was just the trouble, that they had no leader whom they
respected and who could control their rage. Take on the command, I
beg you, Goetz. The princes will be grateful to you, all of Germany
will. It will be for the best and the advantage of all. People and lands
will both be spared.
G oetz . Why dont you take it on?
Stumpf. Ive said Id have nothing to do with them.
K ohl . We dont have time to hang up saddles and hold unnecessary
discourse. Short and sweet: Goetz, be our commander, or look out
for your castle and your skin. And youve two hours to think it over.
Keep an eye on him!
G oetz . What need for that? I can decide as well now as later. Why did
you set out? To get back your rights and freedom? Why do you rav
age and destroy the land? If youre willing to stop all your ill deeds
and behave like responsible people who know what they want, then
Ill help you to get your demands and be your commander for a
week.
W ild . What happened, happened in the first heat of it, and we dont
need you to prevent it in the future.
K ohl . A quarter-year at least youve got to commit to us.
Stumpf . Make it four weeks, with that you can both be satisfied.
G oetz . All right with me.
K ohl . Y our hand!
G oetz . And promise me to send this agreement youve made with me to
all your troops, in writing, to be followed strictly under penalty.
W ild . Well, all right! It will be done.
G oetz . Then I pledge myself to you for four weeks.
Stumpf . Good luck! Whatever you do, spare our gracious Lord, the
Count Palatine.
K ohl (softly). Watch him. See that no one talks to him except in your
presence.
G oetz . Lerse! Return to my wife. Stay by her. She shall soon have news
of me.
Goetz, Stumpf, Georg, Lerse, some of the peasants leave.
Metzler, Link enter.
M etzler . Whats this we hear of a contract? What s a contract for?

L ink . Its an insult to accept such a contract.
K ohl . We know what were to do as well as you, and we have free rein.
W ild . This ravaging and burning and murdering had to finally stop,
today or tomorrow; this way we have won a brave commander
besides.
M etzler . What do you mean stop? You traitor! Why are we here? To
avenge ourselves on our enemies, to advance ourselves. That advice
was given to you by some princes lackey.
K ohl . Com e on. W ild, h es like an animal. (They leave.)
M etzler . G o ahead! Theres not one group will stay with you. The
scoundrels! Link, lets get the others riled up and set fire to Milten-
berg over there, and if there is any trouble about this contract, we 11
knock the heads off all the contractors together.
L ink . W eve got the main force of troops on our side.
M ountain and Valley

A M ill Below
A Troop o f H orsem en. Weistingen com es out o f the m ill with Franz and
a Messenger.
W eislingen . My horse! Youve also communicated this to the other

lords? u
M essenger . At least seven companies will meet up with you m the
Act V 71
forest behind the town of Miltenberg. The peasants are moving to

ward it from below. Messengers have been sent in all directions, the
entire League will shortly come together. It cant fail; it is reported
that theres dissension among them.
W eislingen . All the better! Franz!
F ranz . My Lord?
W eislingen . D o this exactly as I say. I charge you upon your soul. Give
her this letter. She should leave the Court for my castle! At once! You
are to wait until you have seen her ride away and then report it to me.
F ranz . It will be done as you command.
W eislingen . Tell her, she has to. {T o the M essenger.) Now take us by
the shortest and best way.
M essenger . We must go around. All the rivers have overflowed from
this terrible rain.
Jaxthausen
Elisabeth. Terse.
L erse . Be comforted, dear Lady!

E lisabeth . Ah, Lerse, there were tears in his eyes when he said good
bye to me. It is cruel, cruel!
L erse . He will return.
E lisabeth . Its not that. Whenever he rode out to achieve an honorable
victory I was never sad at heart. I rejoiced at his return, which now
makes me so uneasy.
L erse . Such a noble man.
E lisabeth . D ont call him that, it only makes for more misery. These
villains! They threatened to murder him and to burn down his
castle. If he comes back again. I see him in deep gloom. His
enemies will trump up false charges against him, and he will not be
able to deny them!
L erse . He will and he can.
E lisabeth . He has broken the ban under which he was placed. Deny it!
L erse . N o ! He was forced; where are the grounds to condemn him?
E lisabeth . Malice seeks no grounds, only causes. He has associated
himself with rebels, miscreants, murderers, he has taken their lead.
Deny it!
L erse . Stop torturing yourself and me. Have they not solemnly prom
ised him not to undertake any more acts of violence like those at
Weinsberg? Did I not myself hear them say; if it had not happened,
perhaps it would never happen? Would not both princes and lords
have to be grateful to him if he voluntarily became the leader of an
unruly mob in order to put a stop to their raging and to spare so many
people and so much property?
E lis a b e th . Y ou are a devoted advocate. If they were to take him pris-
oner, treat him as a rebel, and his grey head Lerse, I would lose my
mind.
L erse . Send gentle sleep to her body, dear Father of Mankind, if you
will not grant any comfort to her soul!
E lisabeth . Georg promised to bring me any news. But he wont be
allowed to do what he wants either. They are worse than prisoners. I
know they are guarded like enemies. That good Georg! He did not
wish to be separated from his Lord.
L erse . My heart bled when he made me leave him. If you had not
needed my help, all the dangers of the most shameful death could not
have separated me from him.
E lisabeth . I dont know where Sickingen can be. If only I could send a
messenger to Maria.
L erse . Write to her, I will take care of it. {Exit.)
Near a Village
Goetz. Georg.
G oetz . Quickly, to horse, Georg! I can see Miltenberg burning. This is

the way they keep a contract! Ride there and give them a piece of my
mind. Murderous arsonists! I declare myself free of them. Let them
elect a gypsy as commander, not me. Quick, Georg! (G eorg leaves.)
Would that I were a thousand miles from here and lay in the deepest
dungeon there is in all of Turkey. If only I could get away from them
with honor. Every day I counter their plans, tell them the bitterest
truths, so theyll tire of me and let me go.
A Stranger.
Stranger. Gods greeting, my noble Lord.
Goetz. God thank you for it. What is it? Your name?
Stranger. Thats of no concern. Ive come to tell you that your life is in
danger. The leaders are' tired of taking such harsh words from you,
theyve decided to get you out of the way. Keep your temper or else
look for an escape, and may God guide you. (He leaves.)
G oetz . What a way to end your life, Goetz, to die like this! Let it be!
This way my death will signify most certainly to all the world that I
have had nothing in common with these dogs.
Several Peasants.
F irst P easant . Lord! Lord! Theyve been defeated, theyre taken pris
oner.
G oetz . Who?
Second P easant. Those who burned Miltenberg. A troop of the League
appeared from behind the hill and ambushed them all of a sudden.
Act V 73
G oetz . Theyll get their due reward. Ah, Georg! Georg! Theyll
have captured him along with those scoundrels. My Georg! My
Georg!
Enter the Leaders.

L ink . Away, Commander, away! Theres no time to delay. Our enemy
is close by and powerful.
G oetz . Who set fire to Miltenberg?
M etzler . If you want to make trouble, youll have to learn not to.
K ohl . Look to your skin and ours. Leave! Leave!
G oetz {to M etzler). Are you threatening me? You wretch! Do you think
that you can intimidate me just because the blood of Count von Hel-
fenstein stains your clothes?
M etzler . Berlichingen!
G oetz . Y ou may well name me by name and my children will not be
ashamed of it.
M etzler . Y ou coward! Princes lackey!
Goetz hits him over the head and fells him. The others separate them.
K ohl . Y oure all mad! The enemy is breaking through on all sides and
you wrangle.
L ink . Out of here! {Tum ult and alarum s.)
Weislingen. Horsemen.
W eislingen . After them! After them! Theyre fleeing. D ont let rain
and darkness hold you back. Goetz is among them, I hear. Make a
special effort to catch him. Our people say hes badly wounded. {The
horsemen leave.) And once Ive got you! It will be a mercy if we
secretly execute your death sentence in prison. So his light will be
extinguished from human memory and you can breathe more freely,
foolish heart. {H e leaves.)
Night. In the W ild Forest. G ypsy Camp

G yp sy M other at her fire.
M other. Mend the roof-thatch over the ditch, daughter, later tonight
therell be rain enough.
Boy enters.
B oy. a hamster. Mother. There! Two field mice.

M other. Ill skin them for you and roast them, and youll get a cap from
the little pelts. Are you bleeding?
B oy. Hamster bit me.
M other. Fetch me dry kindling so the fire will be burning bright when
your father gets here, hell be all soaked through.
Another Gypsywoman enters, a child on her back.
F irst G ypsywoman. Did the begging go well?

Second G ypsywoman. Not very. The country is all in a tumult, so youre
not safe with your life. Two villages burning bright.
F irst G ypsywoman. I s that a fire down there, that glow? Ive been
watching it a long while. You get so used to the signs of fire in the sky
lately.
Enter Gypsy Captain, three companions.
C aptain . D o you hear the Wild Huntsman?

F irst G ypsy. H es riding right over us.
C aptain . H ow his hounds are barking! Bow! Wow!
S econd G ypsy. His whip is cracking.
T hird G ypsy. The huntsmen are shouting. Tally ho!
M other. Y ouve brought in a devil of a lot of baggage!
C aptain . Its easy to fish in muddy waters. The peasants are robbing
each other, it ought to be all right for us.
Second G ypsywoman. What have you got. Wolf?
W olf . A rabbit, there, and a rooster. A roasting spit. A bundle of linen.
Three cooking spoons and a horses bridle.
Sticks. A wool blanket Ive got, a pair of boots and tinder and powder.
M other . Its all soaking wet, w ell have to dry it, give it here.
C aptain . Listen, a horse! Go, see whats up.
Goetz enters on horseback.
G oetz . Thank God! I see a fire there, its gypsies. Im bleeding from my
wounds, my enemies right behind me. Holy God, you bring me to a
terrible end!
C aptain . I s it in peace you come?
G oetz . I beg you all for help. My wounds make me weak. Help me
dismount!
C aptain . Help him. A nobleman by his looks and his speech.
W olf {quietly). Its Goetz von Berlichingen.
C aptain . Welcome here! Whatever we have is yours.
G oetz . My thanks!
C aptain . Come into my tent.
C aptains Tent
Captain. G oetz.
C aptain . Call mother, have her bring bloodroot and bandages.

Act V 75
Goetz takes off his armor.
C aptain . Heres my Sunday jacket.

G oetz . May G od reward you!
The Mother binds his wounds.
C aptain . It warms my heart to have you here.

G oetz . D o you know me?
C aptain . Who wouldnt know you! Goetz, w ed lay down our life and
blood for you.
Enter Schricks.
ScHRiCKS. Riders coming through the forest. Theyre Leaguers.

C aptain . Your pursuers! They mustnt get to you. Up, Schricks! Call
out the others! We know the trails better than they do, w ell shoot
them down before they know w ere there. {They leave.)
G oetz {alone). Ah, Emperor! Emperor! Robbers protect your children.
{H eavy shooting is heard.) These wild fellows, straight and true!
Gypsywoman enters.
G ypsywoman. Save yourself! The enemy is overpowering us.

G oetz . Where is my horse?
G ypsywoman. Right out here.
G oetz {buckles on his sw o rd and m ounts without his arm or). For one
last time let them feel my arm. Im not so weak yet. {H e leaves.)
G ypsywoman. H es riding to our people. {Flight.)
W olf . Away! away! All is lost. Our Captains been shot. Goetz is cap
tured. {W ailing o f wom en and flight.)
A d elh eid s B edroom

A delh eid with a letter.
A delheid . He or I! What insolence! To threaten me! W ell outwit

him. Whats that sneaking through my hall? {A knocking.) W hos out
there?
Franz, softly.
F ranz . Open the door, my Lady.

A delheid . Franz! H es earned the favor of an open door. {She lets him
in.)
F ranz {rushes to em brace her). Dear gentle Lady!
A delheid . Are you shameless! What if anyone had heard you!
F ranz . Oh, everyones asleep, everyone!
A delheid . What do you want?
F ranz . It gives me no peace. The threats of my Lord, your fate, my

heart.
A delheid . Was he very angry when you left him?
F ranz . A s I never saw him before. Let her go to her estates, said he,
she m ust do so .
A delheid . A nd we obey?
F ranz . I know nothing, dear Lady.
A delheid . Betrayed and foolish boy, you do not see where this will
lead. Here he knows I am in safety. For a long time he has been
troubled by my freedom. He wants to have me on his estates. There
he has the force to deal with me however his hatred may dictate.
F ranz . He must not!
A delheid . Will you prevent him?
F ranz . He must not!
A delheid . I can foresee the whole of my misery. He will tear me away
from my castle by force, lock me up in a convent.
F ranz . Hell and Death!
A delheid . Will you rescue me?
F ranz . Ill do anything, anything!
A delheid (weeping, em braces him ). Franz, ah, to rescue us!
F ranz . Down with him! Ill set my foot upon his neck.
A delheid . N o raging. Ill give you a letter to him, full of humility,
saying that Ill obey him. And you pour this little bottle into his drink.
F ranz . Give it to me! You will be free!
A delheid . Free! When you will no longer have to sneak on tiptoe to
visit m e. When I no longer have to whisper in fear to you: Leave
me, Franz, the morning is near.
H eilbronn, in fro n t o f the Prison

Elisabeth. Lerse.
L erse . May God relieve you of your misery, dear Lady. Maria is here.
E lisabeth . Thank God! Lerse, weve sunk into terrible misery. Its all
going just as I had feared! Captured, thrown into the deepest
dungeon as a mutineer, a miscreant
L erse . I know everything.
E lisabeth . Nothing, you know nothing, our wretchedness is too ex
treme! His age, his wounds, a creeping fever and, worse than all that,
the darkness in his soul, that he should come to such an end.
L erse . And that Weislingen should be the Commissioner.
E lisabeth . Weislingen?
L erse . They have proceeded with unheard-of executions. Metzler was
burned alive, hundreds have been broken on the wheel, impaled on
Act V 77
pikes, beheaded, drawn and quartered. The countryside all around is

like a butchershop where human flesh is cheap.
E lisabeth. Weislingen Commissioner! Oh, God! a ray of hope! Let
Maria go to him for my sake, he cannot refuse her anything. He al
ways had a soft heart, and when he sees her, whom he once loved so,
who is so miserable because of him Where is she?
L erse. Still in the inn.
E lisabeth . Take me to her! She must go at once. I fear the worst.
W eislingens Castle
Weislingen.
W eislingen. I feel so sick, so weak. All my limbs are hollow. A wretched

fever has devoured the marrow. No peace and quiet, neither day nor
night. Poisonous dreams in a half-slumber. Last night I met Goetz in a
forest. He drew his sword and challenged me. I reached for mine and
my hand failed me. Then he thrust his back into its sheath, looked at
me contemptuously and walked behind m e. He is captured and I
quake before him. Wretched man! Your word condemned him to
death, and you tremble before his figure in a dream, like some
sinner! And should he die? Goetz! Goetz! We humans do not
guide ourselves; evil spirits are given power over us, so that they may
exert their hellish purposes for our destruction. {H e sits d o w n .) Pale!
Pale! How blue my nails are! A cold, cold and devouring sweat crip
ples me in every limb. Everything is spinning before my eyes. If I
could only sleep! Ah
Enter Maria.
W eislingen . Jesus and Mary! Leave me in peace! Leave me in

peace! Thats all I needed: the image of her! She must be dying,
Marias dying and so reveals herself to me. Leave me, blessed
Spirit, I am in misery enough!
M aria. Weislingen, I am not a ghost. I am Maria.
W eislingen . That is her voice.
M aria . I have come to beg you for my brothers life. He is innocent,
however deserving of punishment he may appear.
W eislingen . Be silent, Maria! You angel of Heaven bring with you the
torments of Hell. Speak no more.
M aria . And my brother shall die? Weislingen, it is terrible that I should
need to say this to you: he is innocent; that I should have to speak my
grief in order to prevent you from committing such a despicable mur
der. Your soul is possessed by pernicious powers to its inmost depths.
And this is Adelbert!
W eislingen . Y ou see how the consuming breath of Death has touched

me, my strength is fading toward the grave. I would die in misery, and
you come to plunge me into despair. If I could speak, your strongest
hatred would be melted to pity and lamentation. Ah! Maria! Maria!
M aria . My brother, Weislingen, is wasting away in prison. His grave
wounds, his age. And his grey head if you were capable of
Weislingen, we would despair!
W eislingen . Enough! {H e pulls a bellcord.)
Enter Franz in extreme agitation.
F ranz . My Lord?
W eislingen . Those papers there, Franz!
Franz brings them.
W eislingen {tears open a package and show s it to M aria). Here is your

brothers death warrant signed and sealed.
M aria . Dear God in Heaven!
W eislingen . And thus I tear it up! He will live. But can I make amends
for what I have destroyed? D o not weep so, Franz! Good lad, my
misery affects your heart too deeply.
Franz throws himself down before him and grasps his knees.
M aria {to herself). He is very ill. The sight of him tears at my heart.
How I loved him! and now, coming near him, I feel just how in
tensely.
W eislingen . Franz, stand up and stop weeping! I can still recover.
Where theres life theres hope.
F ranz . N o , you w ont. You must die.
W eislingen . I must?
F ranz {beside h im self). Poison! poison! From your wife! It was me!
me! {H e runs out.)
W eislingen . Maria, go after him. He is distraught. {Maria leaves.)
Poisoned by my wife! Woe! woe! I feel it. Torment and death!
M aria {within). Help! help!
W eislingen {tries to stand up). God, I cant!
M aira {enters). He is dead. In his frenzy he plunged down from the
hallway window into the river Main.
W eislingen . He is better off. And your brother is out of danger. The
other commissioners, Seckendorf especially, are his friends. Theyll
grant him knightly imprisonment, on the pledge of his word.
Farewell, Maria, now go.
M aria . Let me stay with you, poor abandoned man.
W eislingen . Abandoned indeed and destitute! You are a fearful aven
ger, God! My wife.
Act V 79
M aria . Rid yourself of such thoughts! Turn your heart toward the
Allmerciful.
W eislingen . Leave, dear Soul, surrender me to my misery. Horrible!
Even your presence, Maria, my final solace, is torture.
M aria (to herself). Give me strength, dear God! My soul will succumb
along with his.
W eislingen . Woe! woe! Poisoned by my wife! My Franz seduced by
that vile woman! How she must be waiting, listening for the messen
ger who will bring her the news: He is dead. And you, Maria!
Maria, why did you come, and reawaken every sleeping memory of
my sins! Abandon me! Abandon me, that I may die.
M aria . Let me stay! You are alone. Think of me as your attendant.
Forget everything. May God forget everything you have done, as I
forget everything you have done.
W eislingen . Youre a soul full of love, pray for me, pray for me! My
heart is frozen.
M aria . He will take pity on you. You are pale.
W eislingen . I am dying, dying, and cannot die. And in this terrible
struggle between life and death are the torments of Hell.
M aria . Merciful Father, have mercy on him! But one glance of Your
love upon his heart so that it may open itself to Your solace and his
spirit may carry hope, hope of life, across into death!
In a D ark, N arrow Vault

The Judges o f the Secret Tribunal. A ll are hooded.
T he E ldest J udge . Judges of the Secret Tribunal, sworn by the word

and the sword to be blameless, to judge in secret and to avenge in
secret, like God! If your hands are clean and your hearts are pure,
raise your arms to Heaven and cry upon misdoers: Woe! woe!
A ll. Woe! woe!
T he E ldest J udge . Summoner, commence the session of the Court.
T he Summoner. I, the Summoner, summon accusation against the mis-
doer. Whose heart is pure, whose hands are clean to swear by the
word and by the sword, let him accuse by the word and by the sword,
accuse! accuse!
T he A ccuser {steps forth ). My heart is pure of misdoing, my hands
clean of innocent blood. May God forgive me evil thoughts and hin
der the way to the will! I raise my hand aloft and accuse! accuse!
accuse!
T he E ldest J udge . Whom do you accuse?
T he A ccuser . Upon the word and upon the sword, I accuse Adelheid
von Weislingen. She is guilty of adultery, she poisoned her husband
through her page. The boy executed himself, the husband is dead.
T he E ldest J udge . D o you swear by the God of Truth that your accusa
tion is true?
T he A ccuser . I swear.
T he E ldest J udge . Should it be found false, would you take upon your
own neck the punishment for murder and adultery?
T he A ccuser . I would do so.
T he E ldest J udge . Your verdict.
They speak secretly to him.
T he A ccuser. Judges of the Secret Tribunal, what is your judgment on
Adelheid von Weislingen, accused of adultery and murder?
T he E ldest J udge . She shall die! Die the bitter double death. With
rope and dagger atone doubly for a double misdeed. Raise your hands
on high and cry out: Woe upon her! Woe! W oe! Into the hands of
her avenger!
A ll . Woe! woe! woe!
T he E ldest J udge . Avenger! Avenger! Step forth!
The Avenger steps forth.
T he E ldest J udge . Here grasp the cord and the sword, to eliminate her
from the face of Heaven within one weeks time. Wherever you may
find her, down with her into the dust. Judges, you who judge in
secret and punish in secret, like God, preserve your hearts from mis
deeds and your hands from innocent blood.
C ourtyard o f an Inn
Maria. Lerse.
M aria . The horses have rested long enough. We must leave, Lerse.
L erse . Just rest until tomorrow. The night is far too unfriendly.
M aria . Lerse, I shall know no peace until I have seen my brother. Let
us leave. The weather is clearing, we may expect a beautiful day.
L erse . A s you command.
Heilbronn. In the Prison

G oetz. Elisabeth.
E lisabeth . I beg you, dear husband, speak to me! Your silence fright
ens me. Youre burning up inside. Come, lets look to your wounds;
they are much improved. In such dispirited gloom I no longer recog
nize you.
G oetz . Y ou were looking for Goetz? H es long since gone. Gradually
they have crippled me more and more, my hand, my freedom, my
Act V 81
goods and good name. My head, whats that amount to? What do
you hear from Georg? Has Lerse gone for Georg?
E lisabeth . Yes, my dear. Raise yourself up, many things can turn for
the better.
G oetz . Whomever God strikes down, does not rise up again. I know best
what burden lies upon my shoulders. I am used to bearing misfortune.
And now its not only Weislingen, not only the peasants, not only the
death of the Emperor and not my wounds it is all of them together.
My hour is come. I had hoped it would be like my life. May His will be
done!
E lisabeth. Wont you eat something?
G oetz . Nothing, dear wife. Look how the sun is shining outside.
E lisabeth. A beautiful spring day.
G oetz . My dear, if you could persuade the guard to allow me into his
little garden for half an hour, so that I could enjoy the dear sun, the
bright sky and the pure air.
E lisabeth. At once, and he will surely do it.
Little Garden in the Prison

Maria. Lerse.
M aria . G o inside and see how things stand. {Lerse leaves.)
Elisabeth. Guard.
E lisabeth. God reward you for your love and loyalty to my lord.
(G u ard leaves.) Maria, what have you brought?
M aria . My brothers safety. Ah, but my heart is torn in two. Weislingen
is dead, poisoned by his wife. My husband is in danger. The princes
are becoming too powerful for him, it is said that he is surrounded and
under siege.
E lisabeth . D ont believe that rumor! And dont let Goetz notice any
thing.
M aria. H ow are things going with him?
E lisabeth . I was afraid he would not live till your return. The hand of
the Lord lies heavy upon him. And Georg is dead.
M aria . Georg! That golden youth!
E lisabeth . When those worthless rebels were burning Miltenberg, his
master sent him to make them stop. Just then a troop of the League
overran them. Georg! If they had all held out as he did, they would
all have a right to a good conscience.
M aria. D oes Goetz know this?
E lisabeth . W eve been concealing it from him. He asks me ten times a
day and sends me out ten times a day to find out what Georg is doing.
I am afraid to give his heart this one last shock.
M aria . Oh, God, what use is hope upon this earth?
Enter Goetz, Lerse, Guard.
G oetz . Almighty God! How blissful it is for a man to be beneath your

sky! How free! The trees are putting forth buds and the world is full
of hope. Farewell, my loved ones; my roots have all been cut off, my
strength is sinking toward the grave.
E lisabeth . May I send Lerse to the monastery for your son, so you may
see him once again and bless him?
G oetz . Leave him, he is holier than I, he needs no blessing from m e.
On our wedding day, Elisabeth, I never thought that I might die this
way. My aged father blessed us, and a posterity of brave and noble
sons flowed from his prayer. You did not hear him, and I am the
last. Lerse, your face gives me joy at the hour of my death more
than in the boldest fight. Then it was my spirit that guided yours, now
its you who hold me upright. Ah, if only I might see Georg once
more, might warm myself on his gaze. You all look to the ground
and weep. He is dead Georg is dead. Then die, G oetz. You
have outlived yourself, outlived the noble ones. How did he die?
Ah, they captured him among those murderous incendiaries, and he
was executed?
E lisabeth . N o , he was cut down near Miltenberg. He defended himself
like a lion, fighting for his freedom.
G oetz . God be thanked! He was the best youth under the sun and
brave. Let my soul be released now. Poor wife. I leave you be
hind in a corrupted world. Lerse, do not forsake her. Close your
hearts more carefully than your doors. The time of betrayal is coming,
it will have free rein. The worthless ones will rule with deceit, and
the noble man will fall into their nets. Maria, God give you back your
husband once again! May he not fall so low as he has now climbed
high! Selbitz died, and the dear Emperor, and my Georg. Give me a
drink of water! Heavenly breezes Freedom! Freedom! {He dies.)
E lisabeth . Only on high, on high with you. The world is a prison.
M aria . Noble man! Noble man! Woe to the century that spurned you!
L erse . W oe to coming generations that fail to understand you!
NOTES
G oetz von B e r l ic h in g e n
First conceived while Goethe was in Strassburg in 1771 in direct

response to the autobiography of Gottfried von Berlichingen (1480-
1562) Lebensbeschreibung des Herrn G o tz von Berlichingen, pub
lished in 1731 and under the influence of Herders program for the
renewal of German literature and Shakespeares historical drama and
tragedies (see Shakespeare: A Tribute, volume 3 of this series, pp.
163 ff.), the initial version of the play was composed in six weeks during
the autumn of that year, after Goethe had returned home to Frankfurt.
This version, entitled Geschichte Gottfriedens von Berlichingen m it der
eisernen H and dram atisiert, was carefully preserved by Goethe in manu
script throughout his lifetime and still survives in the Goethe-Schiller
Archives in Weimar. It was published posthumously under G oethes
instructions in the second volume of the Nachgelassene W erke in the
Ausgabe letzter H and in 1832. The revised version of the drama, under
taken in response to a criticism of the first version from Herder (who
complained that Shakespeare had completely corrupted you), was
published anonymously and without indication of place or date in 1773,
privately financed by Goethe and his friend Johann Heinrich Merck. A
number of editions followed in quick succession, and the play quickly
became famous and ultimately established an entire school of historical
dramas using medieval German subjects. Various attempts at stage pro
duction occurred, always involving radical cuts and rearrangements of
scenes. Goethe himself prepared an abbreviated stage version during
1803/04 in close consultation with Schiller, which received its premiere
in Weimar on September 22, 1804, complete with incidental music by
G oethes composer friend Karl Friedrich Zelter. The performance
lasted for six hours and was subsequently divided into two parts to be
performed on consecutive evenings: Acts I to III on the first night, and
Acts III to V on the second, with Act III being performed both times.
Subsequently, Goethe introduced further cuts to achieve a manageable
version for a single performance, and this was finally published along
side the earliest version of the play in the posthumous works (designated
B uhnenbearbeitung). The play continues to hold the stage in Germany,
at least for intermittent, though always successful performances.
282 Notes
An early translation into English was attempted and published by Sir

Walter Scott in 1970, at a time when the Scotsman was a fledgling
author and only a beginning student of German. More recently a free
adaptation for performance in England was made by John Arden and
published under the title Ironhand (Methuen Theatre Classics, 1965).
P. 2, Schwarzenberg in Franconia. Almost all the place names and

many of the proper names in the play are historically real. Franconia,
e.g ., was one of the major political divisions of the Holy Roman
Empire. Goetz, Sickingen and Selbitz were all free knights, owing
allegiance only to the Emperor. Brother Martin, as the later part of the
play reveals, is a veiled allusion to Martin Luther. The peasant uprising
appears in its true brutality.
P. 15, Perm anent Peace. A Permanent Peace with established courts
and procedures was decreed by Emperor Maximilian at the Diet of
Worms in 1495, abolishing the custom of unilateral but legally sanc
tioned feuds, requiring only cause, challenge, and three days of
preparation.
P. 17, To his health. The Abbot makes himself ridiculous by drinking
to the health of the Emperor Justinian (died A .D . 565), the codifier of
Roman Law, as if he were still alive, and by misconstruing simple Latin
(im plicite. . .explicite).
P. 19, Sachsenhausen. Proverbially boorish town.
P. 20, P ost co en a m . . . m ille m eabis. After eating, stand up, or walk

a thousand paces.
P. 28, he was m ounted on a white horse. See Shakespeare, Richard
111, Ill.iv.
P. 31, Theuerdank. Idealized poem of chivalry, ascribed to Maximi

lian.
P. 36, A ssessor Sapupi. From G oethes other historical frame of
reference, the 18th century. The name is an anagram of Papius, an
official of the Imperial Court, discharged for corruption.
P. 41, the E m peror has o rd e re d . . . upon the field. The literal words of
the proclamation of the ban, inviting assault with impunity.
P. 82, The w orld is a prison. See H am let, II.ii.

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Johann Wolfgang von

Early Verse Dram a

Translated by Cyrus Hamlin

E mperor M aximilian L ords and L adies at the Bamberg

SiEVERS. Hansel, another glass of brandy, and give us a good Christian

SiEVERS. D o I owe you questions and answers? What a fool!

First Trooper boxes his ears.

M etzler . Knock the dog dead!

Second T rooper. Come on, if youve got the guts!

Enter two o f Berlichingens Troopers.

F irst T rooper. Whats going on?

A Shelter in the Forest

G oetz (^outside the d o o r beneath a linden tree). Whats keeping my men?

G oetz . Y ou know about that?

in the weakness of a gluttonous repose desires are conceived which

C arl . Was it much?

G oetz {placing his helm et and sw o rd on the table). Unbuckle my har

Count Palatine, that time when your Bishop turned so poisonous to

C arl . G ood m orning. Papa.

Carl stares at him.

Enter Goetz with a bottle o f wine and glasses.

W eislingen. The page has not behaved as he should.

In the B ishops Palace at Bam berg

A t Table. Dessert and large drinking chalices are brought in.

A Servant. Faerber, Weislingens squire, is just riding through the

B ishop . Whats the news?

E lisabeth . What are you up to?

F ranz . Adelheid von Walldorf.

L iebetraut {p la ys and sings).

A delheid . Its true, this game is a test for the brain.

L iebetraut. The gaps of our genealogies that would be more profit

G oetz . Y ou didnt find him, Georg?

B ishop . Y ou do not wish to be kept here longer?

A d elh eid s R oom

L ady. Youre looking pale, dear Lady.

W eislingen . Y ou are not well, dear Lady?

F ranz . Noble Lord! The Bishop is calling for you.

W eislingen . She wont see me?

W eislingen . She w ont see me!

Selbitz . Y ou see, it went just as I said.

W eislingen. And this phoenix proved to be an ordinary cock-of-the-

The Bridegroom comes up to them.

G eorg . The Nurembergers are on the march.

F irst M erchant . He looks annoyed.

bitter complaints of the nobles, that their vassals, their bondsmen re

C am p o f the Im perial Legation

C aptain . We must move carefully and spare our people as much as

Sickingen . What news, brother?

would be irretrievably lost, if it were possible to blow bravery into

A delheid . So both the expeditions have already set out?

G oetz . God be with you. What do you bring me?

Forest, at the Edge o f a Swam p

F irst Soldier . What are you up to here?

Second Soldier . About an hour up through the woods.

G oetz, G eorg on horseback.

G oetz . Stop, fellow, or youre a dead man.

F irst O fficer. Theyre fleeing toward camp from far off.

Second Officer, led in.

G oetz . What do you say to this declaration of ban, Selbitz?