Riassunto
Riassunto di I masnadieri
A chi è rivolto
Readers who love fierce family drama, outlaw adventure and big speeches about freedom and justice will find plenty here. It suits anyone drawn to rebels, rival brothers and the question of what a good cause may demand.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Robbers is a stage play by Friedrich Schiller, written when he was a young man and first performed in 1782. It is set in Germany, in the home of old Count von Moor in Franconia and in the forests of Bohemia. Two sons grow up under one roof. Karl is warm, rash and generous. Franz is cold, clever and bitter about his own looks. One brother is about to use the other's good name as a weapon.
What do you get from this summary? You get the whole shape of the play: the scheme that splits a family, the band of outlaws that gathers around a wronged young man, and the questions that the drama keeps pressing. Can a man fight injustice by breaking every law? Where does rebellion end and cruelty begin? Fate, family duty and personal freedom collide on nearly every page, and Schiller lets his characters argue these points at full volume. We begin in a hall of Moor Castle, where one brother is already at work on the other.
In questo riassunto
- 1A cunning son poisons his father's loveFree
- 2Cast out by a letter, Karl takes command
- 3Franz stages a death and claims everything
- 4Fire, siege and a captain's code
- 5Nature, law and family ties collide
- 6A drama told in storms and songs
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A cunning son poisons his father's love
The play opens in a hall of Moor Castle in Franconia. Old Count Maximilian von Moor is anxious for news of his elder son Karl, and his younger son Franz has a letter from a friend in Leipzig. Franz acts as though it pains him to read it aloud. The letter says that Karl has run up forty thousand ducats in debt, wounded a rival in a duel and fled the law with seven companions. As Franz's own words soon make plain, the letter is his invention.
Step by step Franz talks his father into disowning Karl. He says that love for a bad son is the very source of the old man's grief, and that a wise father lets a child learn from suffering. The count agrees to withdraw his support, begging only that his son not be driven to despair. Franz offers to write the letter himself, so that the old man's anger will not be too harsh. Once he is alone, he laughs and counts the way back as closed forever.
Then Franz speaks to the audience. He hates his ugly face and blames nature for it. He decides that nature at least gave him the power to make himself, and that right belongs to the strong. Honor, conscience and family ties are, in his eyes, tricks that keep fools respectful and common people docile. Even a father's claim on a son he calls an animal act that earns no thanks.
Franz also wants Amalia, an orphan who lives at the castle and loves Karl. He tries to make her believe that Karl has given her ring to a mistress and sunk into disease. She sees through him and answers with scorn. When he claims a sacred promise from Karl, she catches him out, because Karl made her swear faithfulness in that very arbor. She sends him away and says she would take Karl in rags over any crown.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Karl Moor
- The elder Moor brother longs for his father's forgiveness and loves Amalia, but becomes leader of an outlaw band.
- Franz Moor
- Karl's younger brother schemes against him to gain their father's property and power, while also pursuing Amalia.
- Amalia
- Karl's beloved remains devoted to him while resisting his brother Franz's attempts to win her affection.
- Old Moor
- The wealthy father of Karl and Franz becomes the target of Franz's attempts to undermine family trust.
- Spiegelberg
- An ambitious member of the robber band, Spiegelberg resents Karl's leadership and pursues his own criminal aims.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 45,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h
- Listening time5 h
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 10 other languages
Questions about I masnadieri
What is The Robbers by Schiller about?
It is a play about two brothers. Franz tricks their father into disowning Karl, who then becomes the captain of a band of outlaws in the Bohemian forests, while Amalia stays loyal to him.
Who is Karl Moor?
Karl is the elder son of Count von Moor, a spirited and generous young man who is cast out after a forged letter. He becomes the robber captain and sees himself as an avenger of injustice.
What does Franz Moor want?
Franz wants his father's estate, his brother's place and Amalia's hand. He believes that conscience and family loyalty are tricks, and he uses lies, forged letters and hired helpers to get what he wants.
When was The Robbers written and is it a true story?
It is a work of fiction by Friedrich Schiller, written when he was young and first performed in 1782. It uses an invented family and invented robbers to ask questions about law, freedom and justice.
What is the main message of The Robbers?
The play warns that neither cold self-interest nor furious vengeance can build a just world. It shows how a wish to fight injustice can turn into harm, and how much love, loyalty and conscience matter.