Andreas Gryphius (german: Andreas Greif; 2 October 161616 July 1664) was a German poet and playwright. With his eloquent
sonnets, which contains "The Suffering, Frailty of Life and the World", he is considered one of the most important
Baroque poets of the
Germanosphere. He was one of the first improvers of the
German language
German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...
and
German poetry.
Gryphius was born and raised in Glogau (
Głogów),
Duchy of Głogów
The Duchy of Głogów ( pl, Księstwo głogowskie, cs, Hlohovské knížectví) or Duchy of Glogau (german: Herzogtum Glogau) was one of the Duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian Piasts. Its capital was Głogów in Lower Silesia.
Histor ...
,
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...
. At the age of 33, he married Rosina Deutschländer, with whom he had six children, Christian, Constantin, Anna Rosine, Theodor, Maria Elisabeth, and Daniel.
Life
Early life
Andreas Gryphius was the son of Paullus Gryphius, a respected
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...
man and a Lutheran archdeacon of Glogau, originally from
Uthleben and Paullus' third wife, Anna (née Eberhardin), who was 32 years younger than her husband, the daughter of a businessman from
Fraustadt
Wschowa (pronounced , german: Fraustadt) is a town in the Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland with 13,875 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Wschowa County and a significant tourist site containing many important historical monuments.
His ...
, the councilor Jonas Deutschländer the Elder (died in 1661) and Anna Sachse. He was born in Großglogau (
Głogów). The family name was originally "Greif" and had been
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
ised to "Gryphius" by Andreas' paternal great-grandfather (Peter Greif von Heringen). Left early an orphan and driven from his native town by the troubles of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
, he received his schooling in various places, but notably at Freistadt (Polish:
Wschowa), where he enjoyed an excellent classical education.
Career in poetry
In 1634 he went to
Danzig (Polish:
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
) where he met professors
Peter Crüger and
Johann Mochinger at the Danzig Gymnasium, who introduced Gryphius to the new German language poetry. Crüger had for years close contacts to
Martin Opitz, who became known as 'father of German poetry'. Greatly influenced by Crüger, he is the only one Gryphius dedicated poems to. Gryphius wrote Latin language poetry, German poems and sonnets.
The same year that Gryphius arrived, the printer
Andreas Hünefeld
Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...
published
Martin Opitz's ''Buch von der deutschen Poeterey'' (Book of German Poetry). The same publisher printed Opitz's translation ''Tetrastichen des Pibrac'' (Tetrasticha of Pibrac, or four verse) and ''Antigone''. Among Gryphius' benefactors was the city's secretary
Michael Borck
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, who wrote a German version of the life of Jesus Christ. Borck's illustrated book is still at the
Gdańsk library. Coming from war riddled Silesia, taking refuge at the big international harbor and a
Polish city, greatly stimulated Gryphius. In 1635 he published his second epos of ''
Herodes'', ''Dei Vindicis Impetus et Herodis Interitus''. He dedicated this to the city state council.
In 1636, while still in Danzig, he published the ''Parnassus renovatus'' in praise of his mentor and patron, the eminent
jurist Georg Schönborner
Georg may refer to:
* ''Georg'' (film), 1997
*Georg (musical), Estonian musical
* Georg (given name)
* Georg (surname)
* , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker
See also
* George (disambiguation)
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* G ...
(1579–1637). Later the same year Gryphius became the tutor of Schönborner's two sons, on Schönborner's estate near Freystadt, in Silesia (today,
Kożuchów, Poland).
[Monath (1966), p. 242.] A highly educated scholar, Schönborner held various government administrative posts and by that time had been honored by
Emperor Ferdinand II with the title of
Imperial Count Palatine (Hofpfalzgraf).
[Palm, Hermann (1879).]
Gryphius, Andreas
, in: ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie''. Vol. 10. Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot. p. 73–82; here: pp. 74–75. Online version retrieved 2017-05-28. On 30 November 1637, Schönborner recognized Gryphius's poetic talent by bestowing upon him the title of ''poeta laureatus'' and master of
philosophy, as well as a patent of nobility (of which Gryphius, however, never made use).
Schönborner died less than a month later, on 23 December 1637.
[Palm (1879), p. 75.]
While staying with Schönborner, Gryphius completed his first collection of poems, ''Sonnete'' ("Sonnets"), which was published in 1637 by Wigand Funck in Lissa (today
Leszno, Poland), and is also known as the ''Lissaer Sonettbuch'', after the town. The collection of 31
sonnets includes some of his best known poems, such as "Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas", later titled "Es ist alles eitel" (All is vanity), about the effects of war and the transitoriness of human life; "Menschliches Elende" (Human misery); and "Trawrklage des verwüsteten Deutschlandes" (Lament of devastated Germany).
In 1632, he had witnessed the pillaging and burning of the Silesian town of
Freystadt by Swedish troops, and immortalized the event in his poem ''Fewrige Freystadt''. Also in 1637 he went to continue his studies at
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
, where he remained for six years, both hearing and delivering lectures. Here he fell under the influence of the great Dutch dramatists,
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (16 March 1581 – 21 May 1647) - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright who lived during the Dutch Golden Age in literature.
Life
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, often abbrevia ...
and
Joost van den Vondel, who largely determined the character of his later dramatic works.
In 1635 with the ''Prager Frieden'' (
Peace of Prague), the
Habsburgs took control over in Silesia again and persecuted Protestants and closed their churches. In 1638 Paul Gryphius, the brother of Andreas, received a position as Superindendant at
Crossen an der Oder (Krosno Odrzańskie) in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...
from the Elector
Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg. Paul was for several years banned from Silesia for of being a Protestant, and Andreas dedicated and sent him several poems for the start of his new position.
Travel and dramatic work
After travelling in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and South
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, Gryphius settled in 1647 at
Fraustadt
Wschowa (pronounced , german: Fraustadt) is a town in the Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland with 13,875 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Wschowa County and a significant tourist site containing many important historical monuments.
His ...
, where he began his dramatic work, and in 1650 was appointed syndic of
Glogau, a post he held until his death. A short time previously he had been admitted under the title of ''The Immortal'' into the
Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft ("Fruitbearing Society"), a literary society, founded in 1617 by Ludwig, prince of
Anhalt-Köthen on the model of the Italian academies.
Gryphius grew up during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
and witnessed the destruction of large parts of Germany, which had lasting effects for centuries. Not yet an adult himself, he saw the child of a benefactor (Crüger) die, and prepared another (Schönborner) for his approaching death. It is therefore not surprising that some morbid disposition, and his melancholy temperament, fostered by the misfortunes of his childhood is largely reflected in his lyrics, of which the most famous are the ''Kirchhofsgedanken'' ("Cemetery thoughts", 1656). His best works are his comedies, one of which, ''Absurda Comica, oder Herr Peter Squentz'' (1663), is evidently based on the comic episode of
Pyramus and
Thisbe in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...
''. ''Die geliebte Dornrose'' (1660), written in
Silesian dialect, contains many touches of natural simplicity and grace, and ranks high among the comparatively small number of German dramas of the 17th century. ''Horribilicribrifax'' (1663), founded on the ''
Miles Gloriosus'' of
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the ...
, is a rather labored attack on pedantry. Besides these three comedies, Gryphius wrote five tragedies. In all of them the tendency is to become wild and bombastic, but he had the merit of at least attempting to work out artistically conceived plans, and there are occasional flashes both of passion and of imagination. His models seem to have been
Seneca and
Vondel
Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still mos ...
. In ''Carolus Stuardus'' (1657) he dramatised events of his own day, namely the death of King