Hebbel

Hebbel, FRIEDRICH, lyrical and dramatic poet, was born at Wesselburen, in Ditmarsh, 18th March 1813. After travelling in Germany, France, and Italy, he settled at Vienna in 1846, where he married the actress Christine Enghaus. He died at Vienna, 13th December 1863. His principal works are his Gedichte (2 vols. 1841-48), and several dramas, the best among them being Judith (1840), Maria Magdalena (1844), Agnes Bernauer (1855), Gygis und sein Ring (1856), and his masterpiece, Die Nibelungen (1862). Hebbel had strong dramatic talent, skill in drawing character, and command of vigorous language, but no feeling for beauty. His dramas are destitute of love and joyousness; they depict the revolt of passionate natures, the frenzied riot of evil desires, and are characterised by an almost demonic vigour of action. His collected works appeared in 12 vols. (Hamburg) in 1866-68. See Biographies by Knh (1877) and Frankl (1884), and Hebbel's Tagebücher (2 vols. 1887).