Die Mitschuldigen

work by Goethe

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June 30, 2026

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"Die Mitschuldigen," translated as "Partners in Guilt," is an early dramatic work by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, written around 1768. It is a verse comedy that explores the regrets of a woman who married the wrong man. The play emerged from Goethe's personal emotional experiences during his time studying law in Leipzig.1

This work is associated with the Sturm und Drang movement, a German literary period characterized by intense emotion and individualism, which adapted and extended Enlightenment ideas. While "Die Mitschuldigen" is not as widely known as Goethe's later masterpieces, it reflects the thematic concerns of its time, including social criticism and personal emotional turmoil.21

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Early years (1749–69)
…starting his first mature play, Die Mitschuldigen (1787; “Partners in Guilt”), a verse comedy showing a woman’s regrets after a year of marriage to the wrong man. His emotional state became hectic, and his health gave way—he may have suffered an attack of tuberculosis—and in September 1768 he returned home…
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…starting his first mature play, Die Mitschuldigen (1787; “Partners in Guilt”), a verse comedy showing a woman’s regrets after a year of marriage to the wrong man. His emotional state became hectic, and his health gave way—he may have suffered an attack of tuberculosis—and in September 1768 he returned home…
Read More