Parody as criticism: The literary life of Eulalia Meinau

This thesis examines August von Kotzebue's 1789 drama Menschenhass und Reue in regards to the role of the theater as an instrument of moral pedagogy in the late 18th and early 19th century. Kotzebue's work is examined and discussed as a parody of the burgerliches Trauerspiel, which often held moral lessons for a middle-class audience. After Menschenhass und Reue was introduced, it became the target of much criticism due to an ambiguous moral ending dealing with the forgiveness of the adulterous Eulalia Meinau. This work was later parodied by Friedrich Wilhelm Ziegler in 1791 with a sequel. Comparing Ziegler's work with a third work from Kotzebue dealing with the Meinau family establishes a moral dialogue about what should happen to the adulteress, as well as provides evidence against claims that Kotzebue felt he had not punished Eulalia enough at the end of Menschenhass und Reue.