Nathan der Weise

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's "Nathan the Wise" (published in 1779 and premiered in 1783) is one of the central works of the German Enlightenment. The text, which eludes classification as a dramatic genre with its designation as a "dramatic poem," significantly contributed to establishing blank verse as the classical German dramatic verse. With "Nathan," Lessing responded to the religious orthodoxy and intolerance of his time. The setting of the play is Jerusalem during the Crusades—a city where Christianity, Islam, and Judaism directly intersect. The climax of the piece, which conveys a moral and philosophical message as well as a call for tolerance and humanity, is the famous ring parable told by the wealthy Jewish merchant Nathan: it aims to answer the underlying question posed by Sultan Saladin about which of the three religions is the true one. Nathan's response advocates for an equal coexistence of all religions.

Text in modern orthography - with notes by Peter von Düffel.