Egmont (play)

[1] In contrast to the earlier work, the portrait in Egmont of the downfall of a man who trusts in the goodness of those around him appears to mark a shift away from Sturm und Drang themes.

The phrase "Himmelhoch jauchzend, zu(m) Tode betrübt" (heavenly joy, deadly sorrow) from Klärchen's song in the third act has become a proverb often quoted by European intellectuals as characteristic of the Romantic soul: Freudvoll und leidvoll, gedankenvoll sein; Langen und bangen in schwebender Pein; Himmelhoch jauchzend, zum Tode betrübt; Glücklich allein ist die Seele, die liebt.

In joy and in sorrow, be thoughtful; Long and fearful in suspended pain; Rejoicing to heaven, grieving to death; Blessed alone is the soul that loves.

When in 1809 the Burgtheater asked Ludwig van Beethoven, a great admirer of Goethe, to compose incidental music for a revival of the play, he accepted with enthusiasm.

It recalled themes close to his own political preoccupations, already expressed in his opera Leonore (renamed Fidelio in the definitive 1814 version) and in his Coriolan Overture (in 1807).