The Project Gutenberg EBook of Egmont, by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

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Title: Egmont
A Tragedy In Five Acts

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Translator: Anna Swanwick

Posting Date: October 5, 2008 [EBook #1945]
Release Date: October, 1999

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EGMONT ***

EGMONT

A Tragedy In Five Acts

By Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Translated by Anna Swanwick

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

In 1775, when Goethe was twenty-six, and before he went to Weimar, he
began to write "Egmont" After working on it at intervals for twelve
years, he finished it at Rome in 1787.

The scene of the drama is laid in the Low Countries at the beginning of
the revolt against Spain. In the fifteenth century Philip of Burgundy
had usurped dominion over several of the provinces of the Netherlands,
and through him they had passed into the power of his descendant, the
Emperor Charles V. This powerful ruler abolished the constitutional
rights of the provinces, and introduced the Inquisition in order to
stamp out Protestantism. Prominent among his officers was the Fleming,
Lamoral, Count Egmont, upon whom he lavished honors and opportunities of
service--opportunities so well improved that, by his victories over
the French at Saint-Quentin (1557) and Gravelines (1558) Egmont made a
reputation as one of the most brilliant generals in Europe, and became
the idol of his countrymen. When in 1559 a new Regent of the Netherlands
was to be created, the people hoped that Philip II, who had succeeded
Charles, would choose Egmont; but instead he appointed his half-sister
Margaret, Duchess of Parma. Under the new Regent the persecution of
the Protestants was rigorously pressed, and in 1565 Egmont, though a
Catholic, was sent to Madrid to plead for clemency. He was received
by the King with every appearance of cordiality, but shortly after
his return home the Duke of Alva was sent to the Netherlands with
instructions to put down with an iron hand all resistance to his
master's will. How terribly he carried out his orders has been told by
Prescott and Motley. Egmont was an early victim, but his