Chapter 5: the turning point

  

Chapter 5:   The turning point

The ascension of Duke Karl August of Saxony

In Weimar, in the meantime, Goethe has been appointed a secret counselor to Duke Karl August of Saxony-Anhalt. A close collaboration between the two men would ensue: in this pair, many people in Weimar would see the new division of duties prevailing in the city. Duke Karl August would, from now on, devote himself to his military commandment duties while his counselors, and particularly Goethe, would progressively focus his time on the administration of Saxony.

In the coming months after this appointment, Goethe would accompany Duke Karl August on his various military campaigns. He would also accompany this one during his ducal visits to the various places and villages in Saxony, and it is during such visits among the farmers that they would utterly anger the Saxons: Duke Karl August and his council would often demand from the local authorities young maidens for their convenience. This custom was not so unusual in those times, should Duke Karl August and also Goethe, have not declared themselves previously to the public as Enlightened. The maintenance of such custom would not also have caused such anger, did the two men not behave so unusually with the maidens.

With the arrival of Goethe in Weimar, the sacred union of the citizens in this city, with the presence of Herder and Wieland, would be completed, and Duke Karl August would through this move, practically make the final step to fully conquer his throne. From now on, he can exclusively devote himself to his sovereign duties and delegate the lesser ones to his council.

In the same time, in Rudolstadt, Frederick Schiller would, now, acquaint himself with the ambiance and uses of the military academy, and have made, among the pupils of the school, some friends, as he, now, is member of a student group.

 

The medicine student

With his legal studies, he has now little interest, not so much because this field has not offered him many subjects of interest, as well to the contrary, he had found so many challenging time studying legal acts, but rather because he would soon discover, that through the excuse of applying the laws, the attendants of the academy would exert with even more severity their authority upon the pupils and the students. Law and rules were the cause invoked by these attendants when they wanted to justify their physical punishment and other moral humiliations. He would, then, only use his intellectual energy and curiosity, mostly, on Latin and Philosophy: he did not want, after finishing his education, to be employed as another means to perpetuate the vile submission of Duke Karl Eugen in the academy. Henceforth, in Latin, he would already, make translations and compose verses. 

With the help of Philosophy, he would also create his own world of fantasy. He would use the philosophical explanations to interpret the events and thoughts in his own life. His religious education, he would, for the first time, dare to question with the light of philosophy. He would also be made aware that his military education, in truth, was only meant to break his will, to limit his perspectives in life and to focus only his time and energy on those capacities which are useful to the army.

His interest to medicine was, indeed, made possible because this field was for the first time offered in the academy. Together with Frederick of Hoven, Schiller would, then, choose medicine as field of study. He also thought that with this change, he would assure himself a better future, outside Wurttemberg and through his practice, bring something concrete to the alleviation of the miseries of his fellows, daily.

Author's Note

Any suggestion welcome

Reviews

[patricia]

it became easier to read when you suddenly changed the font size. Part of this was very interesting, have found your work difficult to follow up to now, maybe an authors note for each chapter would help?