ABSTRACT
Heinrich von Kleist belongs chronologically to the romantic generation and his work is not entirely devoid of points of contact with Romanticism. He found the concepts of truth and right, as they arise in the context of human relationships in the practical world, essentially problematic. The majority of Kleist's plots, whether invented or derived, and while they retain the 'real' quality of practical dramatic actions, still cry out to be seen as images of metaphysical issues. That of Die Familie Schroffenstein certainly falls into this category. Robert Guiskard, the Duke of the normans, is leading the siege of Constantinople. Penthesilea is Queen of the Amazons, who are, or rather have become, the 'daughters of Mars'. The format of Das Käthchen von Heilbronn contains elements not only of the 'Ritterstück' but also of the 'Märchendrama'. The 'labyrinth of the breast', to quote another Goethean expression, is Kleist's special province.
