Schiller was born in the era of rapid changes in European society, and the old and the new clashed fiercely. The tomb door of the feudal system has been opened, so this is also the most intense time for it to struggle. All kinds of ugly and decadent things jumped out of Pandora's box and went to Germany to perform their hysterical performances. The whole of Germany is shrouded in that dark cloud. But the young people in Germany are not depressed and have not retreated. They are like wild horses galloping on the grassland, like goshawks fighting in the sky. In this era of great turmoil and great change, sturm und drang. They tried to wake up the German gentlemen. They were drunk, half-dead in the boring darkness, enthusiastic but spineless, not tired enough to need a rest, but lazy and yawning, wandering among myrtle and laurel trees and wasting their time. With poems, novels and plays as javelins, they threw themselves into the decadent German dark forces and tried to save the dangerous buildings. Schiller and Goethe are their most outstanding representatives.
In his youth, under the influence of Strauss' spirit, Schiller wrote the famous novel The Robber (1780), which laid his creative path of opposing feudal system, striving for freedom and arousing national awakening. On the title page of the second edition of The Robber, Schiller wrote the slogan "Down with the tyrant" and quoted Hippocrates, a famous ancient Greek doctor: "If medicine cannot be cured, rule with iron; If iron can't cure it, use fire. " The fighting enthusiasm is extremely strong. Engels said the play was "a tribute to a young man who declared war on the whole society".
1783, Schiller wrote his masterpiece "Conspiracy and Love". This work reflects the fierce contradiction between the German civil class and the feudal ruling class. Louise, the heroine in the play, embodies the idea that the progressive young people in Germany opposed the feudal system and demanded freedom and equality at that time. Schiller, through her mouth, shouted that "the restriction of class will collapse, and the hateful skin of class will break!" People are people! "Such a deafening voice can be said to be the voice of the whole era. Engels said that "this work is the first political drama in Germany".
Since then, it has been nearly 10 years. Schiller did not create, but turned to the study of history and philosophy. In his research, he paid attention to the national movement in the historical development and linked history with the current social problems in Germany.
Based on this research, Schiller's later historical dramas all used the past as a metaphor to criticize and accuse German society. However, these works always try to convey Schiller's unique thinking about a social problem and make them become the mouthpiece of some thoughts. Therefore, it will inevitably hurt the literariness of the works. Engels was keenly aware of this and criticized him sincerely.
Among his later works, wallenstein (1799), The Maiden of Orion (180 1) and William Tell (1804) are the most famous.
The Girl in Orion is set in the struggle of Joan of Arc, the heroine of the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France. She saved France from the humiliation of national subjugation.
According to the legend of heroes in the14th century, William Tell expressed the need to fight against tyrants and fight for freedom.
Schiller is not only a playwright and poet, but also has his own excellent works in aesthetic theory, which greatly promotes the development of aesthetics.
Philosophically, he is a follower of Kant. His aesthetic theory is idealistic.
1795, he finished his own aesthetic work "Aesthetic Education Communication", which was 27 letters written by Schiller to Prince augsburg. This book is obscure, but it can't escape the reality. It can be said that it is the product of philosophical meditation on the French Revolution. Goethe said: "The ideal of freedom runs through all Schiller's works." This is completely applicable to letters of aesthetic education. Schiller believes that the French Revolution failed to solve the problem of political freedom, and the road to freedom should not be political and economic revolution, but aesthetic education. The problem of beauty should be put before the problem of freedom, and people realize freedom through aesthetics.
Why did Schiller put the question of beauty before the question of freedom? Because Schiller thinks that the starting point of aesthetic theory is people. To realize political freedom, the premise is to have a person with complete personality, and such a person can only be cultivated through aesthetic education. Therefore, he first analyzed human nature and its evolution from a historical perspective, and then closely linked aesthetic education with human lofty ideals and historical development prospects.
However, starting from the abstract "humanity", Schiller did not understand that "humanity is the sum of all social relations". He regarded the development of history as the process of the split and return of human nature, and attributed the motive force of historical development to culture and education, which completely reversed the relationship between social existence and social consciousness and was a typical historical idealism.
Schiller's aesthetic thought was further developed in his 1795 On Simple Poetry and Sentimental Poetry. It first distinguishes the characteristics and ideals of realism and romanticism, and points out the possibility of their unification. His starting point is still an idealistic historical view based on human nature. Any poet who tries to express human nature draws inspiration from nature, but because of different times, different degrees of human development and different ways of feeling nature, he has different creative ways. What he said about nature includes both nature, real society and human nature.
It is on the basis of humanity or humanitarianism that he pursues the unity of realism and romanticism, which is of progressive significance at that time and now.
Schiller occupies an important position in the history of aesthetics. Many aesthetic problems he raised are very important and profound. Critically inheriting Schiller's aesthetic heritage is one of the important tasks in the study of aesthetic history.
1805, this hero who dared to declare war on any dark and ugly forces finally came to the end of his life, but what he left behind was shining immortal works and awe-inspiring righteousness.