Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist
"Michael Kohlhaas" is a novella by German author Heinrich von Kleist, published in 1810. The story follows Michael Kohlhaas, a horse dealer from Brandenburg, who encounters a series of injustices while attempting to sell his horses. After being unfairly charged a toll and finding his horses mistreated at Tronka Castle, Kohlhaas seeks legal redress against the castle's owner, Wenzel von Tronka. However, his efforts are thwarted by corruption and powerful influences at court. Driven by a desire for justice and revenge, Kohlhaas resorts to increasingly violent actions, leading to a rebellion against the authorities.
The novella explores themes of justice, moral dilemmas, and the pursuit of personal retribution in the face of systemic injustice. It also raises questions about the nature of authority and the individual's relationship to the law. As Kohlhaas spirals deeper into conflict, his story reflects the complexities of human emotion and social order. Ultimately, the narrative culminates in a tragic end, emphasizing the consequences of vengeance and the elusive nature of justice. "Michael Kohlhaas" is considered a significant work in German literature, illustrating Kleist's intricate storytelling and his examination of ethical conflicts.
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Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist
First published: 1810 (English translation, 1844)
Type of work: Novella
Type of plot: Historical realism
Time of plot: Sixteenth century
Locale: Germany
Principal characters
Michael Kohlhaas , a horse dealerLisbeth , his wifeHerse , his groomWenzel von Tronka , a knightMartin Luther ,Elector of Brandenburg , ruler of a German stateElector of Saxony , ruler of a German stateJohannes Nagelschmidt , an outlawA gypsy woman ,
The Story:
Michael Kohlhaas, a horse dealer from Brandenburg, is on his way to sell some of his fine horses when he is stopped at Tronka castle in the neighboring state of Saxony. He is asked to pay a toll and show a pass before proceeding—a requirement he has not had to satisfy on seventeen previous trips. Leaving his groom Herse and two horses as security, Kohlhaas goes to Dresden, capital of Saxony, where he is given a pass, though no pass is required. He returns to the castle to find his horses emaciated, and he learns that his groom has been beaten and chased away. Determined to find justice for himself and other travelers, he rides home to question his groom; if the groom was at fault, he is prepared to forfeit the horses.
Kohlhaas finds that Herse has been badly injured and his horses were mistreated. He returns to Dresden to file suit against the castle owner, Wenzel von Tronka, asking that the knight be punished, that the horses be restored to health, and that he be compensated for damages done to him and his groom. The suit is dismissed because two relatives of Tronka have influence at court. Kohlhaas is advised to negotiate with Tronka for return of the horses without seeking further legal action.
Kohlhaas decides to sell his properties as he plans his next course of action. He tells his anxious wife Lisbeth that he will present his complaint to the Saxon ruler in person, but he accepts her offer to hand his petition to the elector of Brandenburg, his sovereign. Lisbeth is badly injured by an aggressive guard and dies shortly thereafter. Before she dies, she shows Kohlhaas a passage in the Bible urging forgiveness for one’s enemies. At her funeral, he receives the elector’s reply to his petition: He is to pick up his horses at Tronka castle and pursue the matter no further; otherwise, he risks a jail sentence.
Planning his revenge, Kohlhaas issues a decree ordering Tronka to return the horses and fatten them in Kohlhaas’s own stables. When his order is not obeyed, Kohlhaas sends his children away, arms seven grooms, and leaves for Tronka castle. He sets the castle on fire and kills a relative of the knight, as well as the castle warden, steward, and their families, but Tronka escapes.
Kohlhaas arms additional men and is about to attack a convent where Tronka is thought to be hiding when a mighty lightning stroke stays his hand. Told that Tronka is in Wittenberg, Kohlhaas sets out for that city with ten men. Calling himself “a free man of the Empire and the world who was subject only to God,” he sets Wittenberg on fire on the evening before Pentecost—and twice more thereafter. With a band of 109 men, Kohlhaas defeats the Saxon forces and sets fire to the city of Leipzig. Claiming to be an emissary of the Archangel Michael sent to punish the world’s deceit, Kohlhaas calls on the people to create a better order in the name of his provisional world government.
At this point, Martin Luther, the Reformer, addresses a stern appeal to Kohlhaas. Writing in Wittenberg, Luther calls Kohlhaas a godless sinner who has not tried hard enough to find justice, a robber and murderer who has broken into a peaceful community like a wolf. He says that only God can judge a ruler whose civil servants suppress lawsuits behind his back. Kohlhaas, who admires Luther greatly, goes to see him and offers to present his complaint in Dresden if given safe conduct. Because Kohlhaas refuses to forgive Tronka, as Luther suggests, the Reformer will not give him communion but agrees to ask the elector of Saxony for safe conduct. Criticizing the elector’s staff for not acting on Kohlhaas’s complaint, Luther urges the elector to grant amnesty to Kohlhaas to press his case. The elector grants safe conduct to Kohlhaas on the condition that he disarm in three days. Kohlhaas disarms his men, returns his booty and goes to Dresden to plead his case.
Accompanied by three guards and a large crowd, Kohlhaas appears at court, and Tronka is summoned to Dresden to answer Kohlhaas’s suit. The case is complicated by a member of Kohlhaas’s band, Johannes Nagelschmidt, who is marauding in Saxony with his own band of outlaws. Kohlhaas condemns Nagelschmidt’s violence but agrees to lead his band temporarily while asking Nagelschmidt to help him escape from Dresden, where Kohlhaas is under guard. Kohlhaas plans to go overseas to escape from his legal entanglements, but when his letters to Nagelschmidt are intercepted Kohlhaas is arrested and sentenced to be drawn and quartered.
The elector of Brandenburg has Kohlhaas extradited from Saxony so he can be tried under Brandenburg law. The elector of Saxony asks the emperor in Vienna, who is not bound by Kohlhaas’s amnesty, to prosecute him in Berlin for his breach of the peace. Kohlhaas wears a capsule containing a sealed paper given to him by a gypsy woman who resembled his late wife. The paper contains vital information about the elector of Saxony, but Kohlhaas refuses to give it up, even though it might save his life. The gypsy woman prophesies a long reign for the elector of Brandenburg but not for the Saxon elector.
In Berlin, Kohlhaas is charged with breach of the peace. After being informed that he will get full satisfaction from Tronka, Kohlhaas is sentenced to death for his crimes. An emissary of Luther administers communion to him, and his two sons are knighted. Before he is executed, two well-fed horses are returned to him, and Herse’s medical expenses are paid in full. Mounting the scaffold before a large public crowd, Kohlhaas swallows the sealed paper in view of the Saxon elector, who returns home a broken man. After his death, descendants of Kohlhaas continue to be active.
Bibliography
Ellis, John M. Heinrich von Kleist: Studies in the Character and Meaning of His Writings. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979. Contains a detailed analysis of Michael Kohlhaas that assumes a close knowledge of the text.
Gailus, Andreas. Passions of the Sign: Revolution and Language in Kant, Goethe, and Kleist. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. Explores the influence of the French Revolution upon Kleist and two other major German Enlightenment thinkers. Reads both Michael Kohlhaas and a critical essay by Kleist to argue that the author puts forward an energetic and unstable model of language and human subjectivity that reveals the precarious nature of society and of social institutions.
Greenberg, Martin. Introduction to The Marquise of O——, and Other Stories, by Heinrich von Kleist. New York: Criterion Books, 1960. A brief assessment of Kleist’s career and his approach to the novella.
Hamburger, Michael. Contraries: Studies in German Literature. New York: Dutton, 1970. Includes a chapter on Kleist that discusses specific aspects of Kleist’s writings and worldview. Draws on a thorough knowledge of Kleist’s life and texts to provide a sophisticated overview of his work.
Helbling, Robert E. The Major Works of Heinrich von Kleist. New York: New Directions, 1975. Offers general observations about Kleist’s literary practice and brief comments about Michael Kohlhaas.
Mann, Thomas. “Kleist and His Stories.” Preface to The Marquise of O——, and Other Stories, by Heinrich von Kleist. Translated by Francis Golffing. New York: Criterion Books, 1960. A psychological profile of Kleist, followed by an essayistic discussion of his stories.
Silz, Walter. Heinrich von Kleist: Studies in His Works and Literary Character. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1961. Contains a detailed and informed discussion of themes in Michael Kohlhaas.
Simonsen, Karen-Margrethe. “Evilness and Law in Heinrich von Kleist’s Story Michael Kohlhaas.” In Understanding Evil: An Interdisciplinary Approach, edited by Margaret Sönser Breen. New York: Rodopi, 2003. Explores the relationship between legal and moral discourses within Kleist’s novella.