Penthesilea heinrich kleist biography

1808 tragedy by Heinrich von Kleist

Penthesilea is an 1808tragedy by the German playwrightHeinrich von Kleist about the mythologicalAmazon queen, Penthesilea, described as an exploration of sexual frenzy.^[1]Goethe rejected it as "unplayable".^[2] It was first performed on 25 April 1876 at the Königliches Schauspielhaus in Berlin, 65 years after the author's death.

Summary

The Amazons, a fierce race of female warriors, have a sacred tradition: they can marry only those warriors whom they have defeated in battle. Nor may they choose their partners voluntarily even from the ranks of the defeated, but must submit to random pairing at a Festival of Roses.

The Amazons therefore intervene in the Trojan War to fight against the Greeks so that they can gain captives.

The drama opens on the battlefield before the gates of Troy, where the Greeks are besieging the city and are interrupted by belligerent Amazons who attack and endanger the