Title: Nathan der Weise
Description: Nathan the Wise (original German title: Nathan der Weise) is the last play published by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. The play was published in 1779; its world premiere took place only in 1783, two years after Lessing's death, at the Döbbelinsches Theater in Berlin. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. Set in Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, just after the 1187 taking of Jerusalem by Saladin (1187), it describes how the wise Jewish merchant Nathan, the enlightened sultan Saladin, and the (initially anonymous) Templar, bridge their gaps between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Its major themes are friendship, religious and social tolerance, the value of inherited traditions of religion (and the damage done when those of different religious persuasions attack each other instead of focusing on the welfare of humankind), the validation of human goodness and moral intelligence as the source of good in the world, and the need for communication, self-questioning, and openness to others' good intentions.
Subjects: Crusades, Drama, Enlightenment, German drama, German language, German literature, History, Readers, 18th Century Literature, early modern, 19th Century Literature, German Jewish history, German Jewish literature, Lessing, Auferklärung, Philosophy, German philosophy, Jewish religion and philosophy in Germany, Nathan der Weise (Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim), Translations into English, Judaism, Religious tolerance, German Verse drama, Jews, Christianity and other religions, Christianity, Interfaith relations
Places: Jerusalem
People: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781)
Time periods: Set during the Third Crusade, about 1187 or shortly thereafter; the early middle ages.