Miss Sara Sampson
- Sir William Sampson.
- Miss Sara, whose daughter.
- Mellefont, lover of Miss Sara.
- Marwood, Melle fonts old mistress.
- Arabella, a young child, the daughter of Marwood.
- Wait Well, an old servant of Sampson.
- Norton, servant of Mellefont.
- Betty, the girl Sara.
- Hannah, the girl Marwood.
- The innkeeper and some secondary characters.
Miss Sara Sampson by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is the first bourgeois tragedy of modern German literature. It appeared and was premiered in 1755.
Content
Act 1: Exposure
Scene of the play is an inn in England. First, the father of Lady Sara travels with his servant. He comes to retrieve Sara. The virtuous Miss Sara Sampson is with her lover, Mellefont, fleeing to France. There they want to marry. While Sara is pushing for marriage, Mellefont doubts internally. He delayed the departure, under the pretext of waiting for the inheritance of a cousin that is to get him. The legacy is it though only on condition that he married a cousin, but he hates, but since this aversion is mutual, have become the relatives and he agreed to the heritage simply to share.
Act 2: The act of Marwood
The fugitive couple are both the ( sensitive ) Father of the Bride (Sir William Sampson ) and the former lover Melle Fonts ( Marwood ) on the track. Marwood wants to win him back, but not out of true love, but out of a wounded sense of honor. First they tried it with confidentiality. Later, she tries to soften Mellefont by the presence of their daughter, Arabella. This seems to work, at least leaves Mellefont the room to break away from Sara.
But later, at just a little - come to himself - he returns. He has decided to stay with Sara and wants to take his daughter. But since Marwood shows its true face: you tried to stab Mellefont what you do not succeed. As a final list it requires Mellefont from the permission to confront his new lover under a false name.
Act 3: reconciliation with the Father
Sir William, who knows the whereabouts of the couple of Marwood, launches the first turning point in the plot. He wrote a letter to his daughter in which he forgives both of them and asks them to return to Him. When Sara receives the letter, she hesitates at first, but read it after long discussions with Sir William's servant Wait Well. First encounter between Sara and Marwood. Everything seems that a positive resolution of the situation possible. So would "Miss Sara Sampson " can also be a touching comedy, the piece but by the scheming Marwood to tragedy.
4 Lift: The hesitation Melle fonts and the meeting of rivals
The first three scenes of the fourth act to show the audience that Mellefont in truth the wedding hesitant precludes than previously thought. In the fourth act of the beginning of the end begins: Marwood encounters her rival Sara. During a highly dramatic conversation in which Sara their ' morals ' sets out to Marwood reveals her true identity and must disclose. Shocked Sara flees and falls into a brief fainting.
5 Lift: Tragic end
At first everything seems to dissolve into thin air. Although Sara has doubts as Marwood told her about Arabella. Having, however, asked her lover to task, she forgives him and even offering to Arabella raise as her own child. But in the course of the first scenes of the fifth act, the health of Sarah deteriorated. The cause of her physical weakness is initially pushed to the consequences of powerlessness, but soon it must be noted that Sarah Marwood has been poisoned.
Angry hurries Mellefont for help. Sir William, who has been watching this, recognize in the reaction Melle fonts whose true love. At the deathbed is forgiven: Sir William forgives the two lovers. Sara forgive Marwood and asks her father to take care Melle fonts and his daughter. The Father is itself plagued by feelings of guilt, so that he consents immediately and forgives.
In view of Sara's generosity and her father is not able Mellefont, to take revenge on Marwood. However, he also can not find the strength to forgive yourself and stabbed himself. But Sir William following the last wishes of his daughter and takes Arabella on.