Hermannsschlacht, Die, a five-act play (Ein Drama) in blank verse by H. von Kleist, written in 1808-9, and published by L. Tieck in 1821. It was written under the impact of the Napoleonic occupation (see Napoleonic Wars) to serve the patriotic necessity of the moment. In this sense Kleist made it a gift to the German people, asking for no more than its immediate stage production. His call went unheeded; in the 1860s a stage version of the play was produced through the influence of H. von Treitschke.

The plot revolves round the historic battle in the Teutoburger Wald, in which Hermann der Cherusker (see Arminius), the Germanic chieftain, combined forces with various German tribes, and defeated Varus, the Roman commander in Germany; as a result the Roman occupation forces had to withdraw to the Rhine. The play ends with the death of Varus at the hands of Fust, the chieftain of the Cimbri and a former ally of Varus. Fust celebrates liberation and fraternity with Hermann, and Marbod, chieftain of the Suevi and king, passes the crown to Hermann, hailing him king of Germania.

The theme of liberation achieved principally by intrigue and deceit is by itself unattractive. Kleist's treatment of it, in its expression of frenzied hatred and violence, is perhaps the most extreme example among literary works dealing with Arminius. The analogy with the disunited Germanic tribes is directed at Austria and Prussia who failed, to Kleist's exasperation and that of other patriots, to make common cause against Napoleon. It is remarkable that Kleist has depicted a chivalrous enemy (Ventidius excepted), so reflecting his admiration for French civilization.

The Oxford Companion to German Literature. Copyright © 1976, 1986, 1997, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.