ルートヴィヒ・ティーク
Zweig had discovered Ben Jonson sometime earlier, and had successfully adapted Jonson's Volpone for the German stage prior to being approached by Strauss for a libretto. Zweig used a German translation of "Epicoene" by Ludwig Tieck in 1800, with the subtitle "Das Stumme Maedchen" or "das Stille Frauenzimmer" depending on the edition.