About this book
Sharp, witty and pointedly theatrical, Die Tugend auf der Schaubühne oder: Harlekins Heirath by Justus Möser is a satirical one-act that lays eighteenth‑century stage manners bare. This comedic Nachspiel stages a brisk encounter among stock figures—Herr Barthold the theatre principal, his daughter Kolombine, the mischievous Harlekin, Scapin, Isabelle, Valer and the stagehand Peter—using the conventions of commedia dell’arte to lampoon vanity, pretension and the boundary between performance and moral posturing.
Möser’s short play captures the social and theatrical climate of 1798 Germany, folding social critique into lively dialogue and theatrical farce. The text preserves period quirks—original Fraktur typography and irregular orthography—while modern transcriptions make the language accessible for contemporary listeners. As a piece of classic German literature and comedy, it blends sharp satire with stagecraft, offering insight into Enlightenment‑era debates about virtue, spectacle and public taste.
Ideal for lovers of theatre history, readers of German classical literature, and audiobook listeners who enjoy brisk, intelligent comedies, this performance delivers a compact, entertaining glimpse of historical satire and the pleasures of the stage.
