before the mind of the literary critic. There are hundreds of literary
dramas that are impossible or deadly dull upon the stage; and conversely
dramatic talent will often make an interesting play out of a succession
of scenes that lead the philosophic mind no whither. If 'Fiesco' remains
a fairly good stage-play, it is because the interest turns not upon its
ultimate import, but upon its elaborate intrigue, its exciting
situations and its general picturesqueness. The intrigue carries one
along by its very audacity, notwithstanding that in the light of reason
much of it appears rather absurd. Thus we wonder how a mere brute like
Gianettino can have become such a power in the state right under the
eyes of the wise and good Andrea, who is subject to no illusions with
regard to him. No objection can be made to Fiesco's mask of gayety and
cynicism in the first two acts, for that is historical. But was it
necessary for him to deceive and torture the wife to whom in the end he
appears loyally devoted? In any case it is clear that the exposition
should have hinted somehow at the true condition of affairs, for it is a
good old rule that while the people on the stage may disguise themselves
and befool one another as they will, the audience must be kept posted.

As it is, there is no suggestion of make-believe in Fiesco's courting of
Julia. When he exclaims in soliloquy that she loves him and he 'envies
no god', one is justified in assuming that chivalrous devotion to his
wife is not among his virtues. It is to be supposed, apparently, that he
makes love to Julia in order to be seen of men; but as a matter of fact
nothing comes of his flirtation except the torture of his wife. No one
is deceived whom it was important for him to deceive, and the whole
incident serves only to put his character in a dubious light. Is this
what Schiller intended? Did he feel that his hot-blooded Italian should
not be made too much of an idealist in his relation to women? Did he
wish it to be understood that Fiesco is honestly infatuated with the