Jedermann

This mystery play was written between 1903 and 1911, and Hofmannsthal (1874-1929) found the "Everyman" material, which combines the theme of the frailty of earthly possessions and the need for salvation through penance with the parable of the friend in need, in an English play adaptation. A dramatic arrangement from the 12th century has also survived. Hofmannsthal used the medieval and baroque ideas of the transformation of people with each other and in the sight of God to pose the fundamental question of the meaning of human mission in the world. First performed in 1911 in Berlin under the direction of Max Reinhardt, this piece became famous above all because of the Salzburg Festival, in whose programme it has a fixed place.