Wilhelm Tell

"Wilhelm Tell", the last play completed by Schiller, goes back to the Tell saga, a wandering saga with its apple-shot motif that goes back to the beginnings of literature (Saxo Grammaticus).
In this play, too, Schiller's great concern is freedom. In the Swiss fight for freedom, the central figure is William Tell, who becomes a tyrannicide and saviour of his people. In his dedicatory verses, which are printed in the epilogue, Schiller explains how he wants the act of liberation to be understood. There the historical background of the spectacle is shown. The notes provide explanations of difficult words and terms.