Wallenstein is a play by German author Friedrich Schiller, which he finished in 1799. The play consists of the parts "Wallenstein's Camp", "The Piccolomini" and "Wallenstein's Death". Often, the first two parts are merged.
The play tells the story of the eponymous general Wallenstein who fought for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Thirty Years' War. Wallenstein had raised an enormous (for this time) army of mercenaries and became so powerful that the other German princes were afraid of him.
Tropes:
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Men from many nations fight for Wallenstein. Truth in Television.
- Foregone Conclusion: The second part of the play is named "Wallenstein's Death".
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: Who's really better, Wallenstein and the emperor, or the Swedes, Protestants and Frenchmen?
- Have a Gay Old Time: "Life is earnest, art is gay." from Wallenstein's Camp (not that Camp.)
- Historical Domain Character: Most of them, except the bit characters, and Max Piccolomini.
- Love Interest: Thekla, Wallenstein's daughter, for Max Piccolomini.
- Manipulative Bastard: Terzky and Illo. They make all the officers sign a paper, swearing they'll stay loyal to Wallenstein. The paper supposedly contains a clause that they'll have to stay loyal to the emperor too, but then the officers are made drunk and get a different paper to sign, which doesn't mention the emperor.
- Mr. Exposition: Questenberg, servant of the Holy Roman Emperor. Wallenstein lampshades: "Spare us telling us from the newspapers / what we witnessed ourselves in horror!"
