Politics and the playwright: J.M.R. Lenz and Die 'Soldaten'

Taken as an end in itself, Die Soldaten, and above all its ending, has spawned much confusion. Once acknowledged as part of a process spanning several texts, a close reading reveals that, from its inception, Lenz has written a play that looks beyond itself. His adaptation of the burgerliches Trauerspiel exposes drama as an inadequate vehicle for social criticism; rather it is used in an attempt to gain access to the corridors of power. As such, Die Soldaten heralds a break from the politically marginalized Sturm und Drang and a move towards the Aufklarung, more precisely the practical governance of enlightened absolutism.