Nathan the Wise: A Dramatic Poem in Five Acts (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Nathan the Wise: A Dramatic Poem in Five Acts

It would seem to be almost superfluous to write a Foreword to the present edition of Lessing's immortal epic. It is so plainly a preachment, that its stirring emotional appeal should, in itself, suffice. However, living at a time when at least one half of the civilized world is engaged in a war of extermination against the other half, and when the lofty ideals which Lessing and Mendelssohn strove to inculcate are in imminent danger of being swept aside in this vortex of passion and race antagonism, it behooves us to call attention, at the outset, to the masterful plea for tolerance and brotherhood which the poet makes in this vivid and picturesque drama. It is essentially a human document, with a message as vital and purposeful in these latter days as then, when the great Reformer strove to throw off the shackles of race pride, prejudice and religious fanaticism. Indeed, it might have been written for those of us, in the present day, who are still victims of stubborn sophistry and whose patriotism is largely a compound of arrogance and unreasoning egotism.

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