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Egmont

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 14 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Egmont" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is a drama completed in 1788. Set during the Eighty Years' War, it follows Count Egmont, a Dutch warrior who refuses to flee from Spanish oppression despite the threat of arrest. His idealism and trust in others lead him toward a fatal confrontation with the despotic Duke of Alba. As his mistress Klärchen desperately tries to save him, Egmont must face the consequences of his unwavering commitment to liberty and justice, transforming personal tragedy into a powerful call for national independence.

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  • Egmont, Lamoraal, Graaf van, 1522-1568
  • Tragedies (Drama)

Read the opening

Scene I. — Soldiers and Citizens (with cross-bows)

Jetter (steps forward, and bends his cross-bow). Soest, Buyck, Ruysum

Soest. Come, shoot away, and have done with it! You won't beat me! Three black rings, you never made such a shot in all your life. And so I'm master for this year.

Jetter. Master and king to boot; who envies you? You'll have to pay double reckoning; 'tis only fair you should pay for your dexterity.

Buyck. Jetter, I'll buy your shot, share the prize, and treat the company. I have already been here so long, and am a debtor for so many civilities. If I miss, then it shall be as if you had shot.

Soest. I ought to have a voice, for in fact I am the loser. No matter! Come, Buyck, shoot away.

Keep reading Egmont →

Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Scene I. — Soldiers and Citizens (with cross-bows)
  3. Scene II. — -Palace of the Regent
  4. Scene III. — Citizen's House
  5. Scene I. — Square in Brussels: Jetter and a Master Carpenter (meeting)
  6. Scene II. — Egmont's residence: His Secretary (at a desk with papers. He rises impatiently)
  7. Scene I. — Palace of the Regent Margaret of Parma
  8. Scene II. — Clara's dwelling
  9. Scene I. — A Street
  10. Scene II. — The Palace of Eulenberg, Residence of the Duke of Alva: Silva and Gomez (meeting)
  11. Scene I. — A Street. Twilight
  12. Scene II. — A Prison
  13. Scene III. — Clara's House
  14. Scene IV. — A Prison

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About this edition

This free edition of Egmont by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1945, released 1999-10-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, German Literature, History - European.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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