This was a fine play by the master Goethe. He manages to weave poetry, sentence after sentence, into his dramatic words to infuse it with power and meaning. The language is soft and contemplative and allows one to explore the work at length. Overall, quite a good play and very impressive.

4 stars! ( )

1151 Torquato Tasso: A Play, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (read 15 Jan 1972) This was published in 1770. It is a "classical" style play. Obviously I prefer Goethe's Sturm and Stress period to his classical. The play reads easily enough, and it is well constructed. But it isn't very exciting, and at least in English has no powerful lines. Tasso in 1577 has finished his poem, Jerusalem Delivered, but is a prima donna and gets mad at Antonio, the Prince, Leonore and the Princess--the only five characters. ( )

5