Danton’s Death

play by Büchner

Also known as: “Dantons Tod”

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June 25, 2026

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"Danton's Death" is a play by German dramatist Georg Büchner, written in 1835. The play is a drama of the French Revolution and is noted for its deep pessimism. It focuses on Georges Danton, a prominent leader in the Revolution, who is depicted as being distraught by the bloodshed he helped to initiate. The play explores Danton's internal conflict and his eventual opposition to the Reign of Terror, which ultimately led to his own execution by guillotine on April 5, 1794. Büchner's work, influenced by Shakespeare and the Sturm und Drang movement, was ahead of its time, combining naturalism with visionary power.12

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Georg Büchner
His first play, Dantons Tod (1835; Danton’s Death), a drama of the French Revolution, is suffused with deep pessimism. Its protagonist, the revolutionary Danton, is shown as a man deeply distraught at the bloodshed he had helped unleash. Leonce und Lena (written 1836), a satire on the nebulous…
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His first play, Dantons Tod (1835; Danton’s Death), a drama of the French Revolution, is suffused with deep pessimism. Its protagonist, the revolutionary Danton, is shown as a man deeply distraught at the bloodshed he had helped unleash. Leonce und Lena (written 1836), a satire on the nebulous…
Read More