The famous German poet Johann
Friedrich Schiller mainly wrote ballads based on legendary or mythological subjects - they give his works brightness and originality. The poem “The Glove” was no exception. Schiller described the era of brave, strong knights and beautiful ladies, and although these times have long been in the past, the themes of the works of the
German writer still remain relevant and interesting to readers.
All the poet’s ballads are filled with special drama, hiding deep knowledge. The heroes in them must constantly prove to society their courage and devotion to their homeland, show nobility, courage, fearlessness and selflessness. In many of Schiller's works, there is a similarity with the works of Shakespeare, the great English playwright. It is safe to say that Frederick became his faithful follower.
Schiller put a real historical fact at the heart of the ballad “The Glove”. The plot takes us to the time of the knights and court ladies. It may seem rather banal and unremarkable, but the author managed to show the real deep meaning of the work, made the reader reflect on the situation, find out who is right and who is to blame. Schiller, The Glove, tells in his ballad about the events that happened at the court of the French king in the 15th century.
The summary of the work can be divided into several scenes. Initially, the king with noble persons gathered for a performance to watch the battle between wild animals. The first to enter the arena was a huge lion, which soon lay on the sidelines. Then a bold tiger came out, but when he saw a stronger rival, he did not get into trouble. Two leopards who ran after them attacked the striped beast, but the formidable roar of a lion forced them to step aside. But she wanted to know how to continue the bloody spectacle ... By creating the ballad The Glove, Schiller wanted to emphasize human cruelty and heartlessness.
Among the spectators, the young beauty Kinigund shone, wishing to check the sincerity of feelings for her knight Delorge, and at the same time have fun. The lady deliberately threw her glove into the arena, which fell right between the predators. Kinigunda turns to the knight with an innocent request to bring the dropped item and thereby prove his allegiance. Delorge understands that the beauty did this on purpose, but cannot fulfill the request, because refusal will undermine his reputation. Using the ballad “The Glove,” Schiller wanted to draw the reader's attention to how valuable human life is.
The animals did not touch Delorge - he brought the glove to his lady, but he did not want her praise and recognition, because he realized that Kinigund did not love him and did not appreciate his actions. Moreover, the glove flew in the face of an arrogant beauty.
The main meaning of the work is that nothing can be more valuable than a person’s life, and it’s stupid to risk it for the sake of the whim of a spoiled girl. Despite the fact that so much time has passed, the ballad still attracts attention and makes you think about the meaning - Schiller created the eternal work ... The glove (Zhukovsky’s translation is most accurate and understandable to the reader) as a symbolic detail - the embodiment of someone else’s will, which requires ridiculous victims and meaningless evidence of feelings ... Reading a ballad, you involuntarily think about the true value of love and life.