It was written towards the end of the German Sturm und Drang ("Storm and Stress") movement, and many critics, such as Peter Brooks, consider it very influential in the development of European melodrama.

The younger brother, Franz, who appears as a cold, calculating villain, plots to wrest away Karl's inheritance.

Schiller's highly emotional language and his depiction of physical violence mark the play as a quintessential Sturm und Drang work.

[citation needed] At the same time, the play utilizes a traditional five-act structure, with each act containing two to five scenes.

The play uses alternating scenes to pit the brothers against each other, as one quests for money and power, while the other attempts to create revolutionary anarchy in the Bohemian Forest.

For instance, he questions the dividing lines between personal liberty and the law and probes the psychology of power, the nature of masculinity and the essential differences between good and evil.

At the beginning of the play, Karl is a student in Leipzig, where he lives a relatively carefree life, spending freely, accruing large amounts of debt.

The letter shocks the old count deeply, causing him to declare — with the help of Franz's suggestions — Karl as disinherited.

Shortly after, the band receives a newcomer, Kosinsky, who tells them the tale of how his bride-to-be, importantly named Amalia, was stolen from him by a greedy count.

Incensed by the treatment of his loved ones, Karl sends his robbers band to storm the castle and capture Franz.

The old Count Maximilian of Moor receives a letter from Leipzig, containing news about his older son Karl.

Greatly disturbed by the news, the count takes some supposedly "friendly advice" from Franz and disowns Karl.

Upon reading the message, Karl lets the letter fall to the ground and leaves the room speechless.

This extreme character change, as presented in Franz's story, causes Amalia to doubt the truth of it, and she remains true to Karl.

Herman leaves the room to carry out the plan, and just as he's left, Franz reveals that he has no intention of holding up his end of the promise.

Karl shares some memories of his childhood and youth, brought forth by the familiar scenery, but his monologue becomes progressively darker.

He feels a moment of doubt regarding the sensibility of his return, but he gathers his courage and enters the castle.

Karl breaks character at Amalia's faith in him, and flees the castle, returning to his robbers nearby.

The robbers remain loyal to Karl and Schweizer, one of his close friends, kills Spiegelberg for this attempt.

He tells them to rest, and in this time he sings a song about a confrontation between the dead Caesar and his murderer Brutus.

The song discusses patricide, this coming from a legend in which Brutus was possibly Caesar's son.

In the tower, the old Count of Moor is left to starve following the unsuccessful attempt on his life.

Karl becomes full of rage upon hearing the story, and calls his robbers to storm the castle and drag out Franz.

Disturbed and full of fear, he hurries about the castle, meeting Daniel whom he orders to fetch the pastor.

Other characters The family of Treusch von Buttlar at Willershausen, around 1730/40, served as an inspiration and background to his drama.

One source of The Robbers was Christian Schubart's Zur Geschichte des menschlichen Herzens [Concerning the History of the Human Heart] (1775) as well as the real-life story about the case of two Treusch von Buttlar brothers.

Schiller also went to school with Wilhelm Philipp Johann Ludwig von Bibra (Adelsdorf) (1765–1794) at the Carlsakademie.

As a close relative of the murdered mother-in-law, Wilhelm von Bibra may have spurred Schiller's interest in the incident.

In contrast, Robert MacDonald's 1995 translation, written for a performance by the Citizen's Company at the Edinburgh Festival, includes some of Schiller's own revisions, modernizes the language trying to find equivalences to reach his British target audiences.

"[15] Michael Billington wrote in 2005 that Robert MacDonald "did more than anyone to rescue Schiller from British neglect.