The Erlking by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"The Erlking" is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that encapsulates key themes of the Romantic period, particularly the interplay between nature, the supernatural, love, and death. The narrative follows a desperate father riding through the woods with his feverish child, who begins to hallucinate and perceives the ominous figure of the Erlking. This mythic character, symbolizing death, attempts to lure the child away with promises of joy and companionship, while the father tries to rationalize his son’s visions. Despite the father's reassurances, the Erlking's seductive power ultimately results in tragedy, as he claims the child, leading to the father's grief when he arrives home with his lifeless son. The poem reflects the Romantic belief that innocence is inevitably lost to the harsh realities of adulthood and societal pressures. It captures the tension between emotion and intellect, emphasizing the importance of feeling over rationality. Goethe's work invites readers to contemplate the darker aspects of human experience and the loss of childhood innocence, using rich imagery and a haunting tone.
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The Erlking by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: “Erlkönig,” 1782 (collected in Selected Poetry: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 2005)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
The theme, setting, and mood of Goethe’s “The Erlking” capture the spirit of the Romantic period of the late eighteenth century. Characteristics of Romanticism include a love for nature, a fascination with the supernatural, and the recurring themes of love and death, all of which are contained in Goethe’s poem.
“The Erlking” begins with a narrator describing a father’s frantic ride home on horseback, through the woods, holding tightly his feverish child. The child begins to hallucinate and tells his father that he sees the Erlking:
“O father, see yonder!” he says;
The father’s rational explanation of what his son sees remains unheeded. The feverish child describes the luring of the Erlking, who invites him to come with him, promising toys and playmates. The fearful child hesitates, but the Erlking persists and finally takes him by force. At the end of the poem, the father arrives home with his son dead in his arms.
The Erlking symbolizes death, which is to the Romantic a source not only of fear but also of attraction to the unknown and the supernatural. Goethe’s poem embodies the universal theme of the loss of innocence. In this perspective, the Erlking becomes the monstrous maturity, which lures youth but destroys its innocence. The fatalistic tone of the poem suggests that innocence inevitably succumbs to, and is destroyed by, the socialization of adulthood.
Goethe’s poem reflects the Romantics’ view of society as the culprit in the destruction of innocence. They believed in the natural goodness of humankind and emphasized the expression of feelings, which they considered more important than intellect. In eighteenth century Germany, emotionalism burst forth in violent form in the Storm and Stress literary movement, of which Goethe was an integral part.
Bibliography
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