ABSTRACT
Shattered by Schiller’s death in 1805, Goethe could see no way forward: ‘Eigentlich sollte ich eine neue Lebensweise anfangen; aber dazu ist in meinen Jahren auch kein Weg mehr’. 1 He was already fifty-six. Schiller had been ten years younger and the more active element in their remarkable symbiosis — entrepreneur, combative spirit, aesthetic theorist, constructive critic and stimulator of grand undertakings, source of the ‘Bewusstsein’ needed alike for large-scale works and for carrying through a Classical programme. No wonder Goethe lost heart and cried out, in pathetic tribute to his friend’s role, ‘Wer reicht mir die Hand beim Versinken ins Reale?’ 2
