Hamburgische Dramaturgie

by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

"Hamburgische Dramaturgie" by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is a work on drama written between 1767 and 1769. Originally conceived as theater criticism during Lessing's tenure as dramaturg at Hamburg's German National Theater, this collection revolutionized dramatic theory. Lessing reinterpreted Aristotle's ideas about tragedy, arguing that audiences must feel empathy rather than mere terror. He championed natural, probable plots and characters resembling ordinary people—even when depicting kings. His vision challenged baroque theater's rigid conventions and helped establish bourgeois drama as a new theatrical form.