Fastnachtspiel

Fastnachtspiel (plural ‐spiele)a kind of short popular drama performed by townsfolk in Germany during the Shrove Tuesday (Fastnacht) festivals in the 16th century. Most surviving examples are from Nuremburg, where Hans Sachs (1494–1576) was the foremost author of such plays.

Fastnachtspiel, a play of popular character originally performed during Shrovetide. (See Fastnacht.)

The Fastnachtspiel was characteristic of towns, and was performed by citizens. Its themes were primarily social, especially marriage (normally unhappy, with the woman at fault), and the misdeeds of soldiers or peasants; and its form is frequently that of a court hearing. Religious and political subjects occur, particularly after the Reformation. Some are simple comedies, dramatizations of Schwänke (see Schwank). Their typical medium is the Knittelverse. They are frequently short, sometimes no more than 300 lines, but long examples exist, such as Vom verlorenen Sohn by Waldis and Das Weinspiel of H. R. Manuel. Almost invariably their moral is clearly summed up in a final tag or speech. Most of the surviving Fastnachtspiele were written in Nuremberg but they were popular in most of Germany and Switzerland.

The origins of the Fastnachtspiel are to be found in the 15th c. in Shrovetide masquerades. The earliest-known writer of these plays is Hans Rosenplüt, c.1450. The heyday of the Fastnachtspiel is the 16th c. with Hans Folz and above all Hans Sachs; Niklas and Hans Rudolf Manuel were also prominent, Der Ablaßkrämer by N. Manuel being a particularly outstanding example. By the beginning of the 17th c. the plays appeared old-fashioned and lost their popularity. The last prolific writer was Jakob Ayrer, who wrote thirty-six Fastnachtspiele. In the late 18th c. the form was revived as a literary (non-theatrical) drama by Goethe (see Ein Fastnachtspiel vom Pater Brey) and A. W. Schlegel.