Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Clavigo: Ein Trauerspiel [Clavigo: A Tragedy]

Ellis Dye (Macalester College)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1774

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Clavigo, written in one week in May 1774 in response to a challenge from Goethe’s “pretend wife” Susanne Magdalene Münch and the first work published under Goethe’s own name, is based on an inset in part four of Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ Mémoires: Fragment de mon voyage d’ Espagne. Beaumarchais’ self-serving account reports a true event in his life. José Clavijo y Fayardo had defaulted on a promise of marriage to Beaumarchais’ younger sister Marie-Louise in 1764. Coming to her aid in Madrid, her brother threatened Clavijo with legal action and lodged a complaint with the Spanish king, who released Clavijo from his official position at court. The tragic conclusion …

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1803 words

Citation: Dye, Ellis. "Clavigo: Ein Trauerspiel". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 June 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21817, accessed 24 November 2024.]

Save this article