- Our Story
- Discipline
Discipline
back - Digital
- Solutions
- Contact Us
Nathan the Wise
First Edition| ©2004 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter
One of the most frequently performed and widely read comedies of the eighteenth century, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1779) combines rich characterization with an engaging plot. Set in Muslim-ruled Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades, it deals with universal themes -- includi...
One of the most frequently performed and widely read comedies of the eighteenth century, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1779) combines rich characterization with an engaging plot. Set in Muslim-ruled Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades, it deals with universal themes -- including the nature of God, antisemitism, wealth and poverty, and the conflict between love and duty. Today the play is as timely as ever. This edition, the first English version expressly intended for undergraduates, contains an insightful introduction that discusses the play, Lessing and the Enlightenment, and the situation of Jews in eighteenth-century Europe. Additionally, there are five related historical documents -- each with a context-setting headnote -- illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography.
Read more
E-book
from
$6.99
ISBN:9781319242640
Bookmark, search, and highlight our PDF-style e-books.
Retail:$6.99
Subscribe until 06/08/2020
Retail:$13.99
Paperback
$20.99
ISBN:9780312442439
Read and study old-school with our bound texts.
Retail:$20.99
Wholesale:$17.00

One of the most frequently performed and widely read comedies of the eighteenth century, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1779) combines rich characterization with an engaging plot. Set in Muslim-ruled Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades, it deals with universal themes -- including the nature of God, antisemitism, wealth and poverty, and the conflict between love and duty. Today the play is as timely as ever. This edition, the first English version expressly intended for undergraduates, contains an insightful introduction that discusses the play, Lessing and the Enlightenment, and the situation of Jews in eighteenth-century Europe. Additionally, there are five related historical documents -- each with a context-setting headnote -- illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography.
Features
New to This Edition

Nathan the Wise
First Edition| ©2004
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter
Digital Options

E-book
Read online (or offline) with all the highlighting and notetaking tools you need to be successful in this course.

Nathan the Wise
First Edition| 2004
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter
Table of Contents
Foreword Preface A Note about the Text and Translation List of Illustrations
PART ONE
Introduction: Beyond Tolerance — Lessing, Nathan the Wise, and the Legacy of the Enlightenment
PART TWO
Nathan the Wise
PART THREE
Related Documents
1. Johann Andrea Eisenmenger, Jewry Revealed, 1700
2. Christian Wilhelm von Dohm, On the Civic Improvement of the Jews, 1781
3. François-Louis-Claude Marin, History of Saladin, 1758
4. Moses Mendelssohn, On Lessing, 1786
5. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Theodicy, 1710
Appendixes
A Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Chronology (1729-1786)
Questions for Consideration
Selected Bibliography
Index
PART ONE
Introduction: Beyond Tolerance — Lessing, Nathan the Wise, and the Legacy of the Enlightenment
PART TWO
Nathan the Wise
PART THREE
Related Documents
1. Johann Andrea Eisenmenger, Jewry Revealed, 1700
2. Christian Wilhelm von Dohm, On the Civic Improvement of the Jews, 1781
3. François-Louis-Claude Marin, History of Saladin, 1758
4. Moses Mendelssohn, On Lessing, 1786
5. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Theodicy, 1710
Appendixes
A Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Chronology (1729-1786)
Questions for Consideration
Selected Bibliography
Index

Nathan the Wise
First Edition| 2004
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter
Authors

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Ronald Schechter
Ronald Schechter is associate professor of history at the College of William and Mary, where he teaches a wide variety of courses in European history. He received his doctorate from Harvard University and has held research fellowships at the University of Heidelberg and Princeton University. Professor Schechter is the author of Obstinate Hebrews: Representations of Jews in France, 1715–1815 (2003) and the editor of The French Revolution: The Essential Readings (2001). He has published articles in Past and Present, Representations, Eighteenth-Century Studies, and Historical Reflections/Réflexions historiques and is the early modern Europe section editor for History Compass.

Nathan the Wise
First Edition| 2004
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter
Related Titles
Available Demos
Select a demo to view:
We are processing your request. Please wait...
