William Tell (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Friedrich Schiller
- First Published: 1804
- Type of Work: Drama
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: Fifteenth century
- Setting: Switzerland
- Genres: Drama, History play
- Subjects: Freedom, Rural or country life, Oppression, Forests or forestry, Fifteenth century, Switzerland or Swiss people, Nobility, Arms or weapons, Archery or archers
- Locales: Switzerland
Characters Discussed
William (Wilhelm) Tell, a renowned hunter of the Canton of Uri. Tell, a pacifist, avenges the oppression of the Swiss people by slaying the ruthless governor, the representative of the emperor of Austria. Tell’s skill as a marksman is tested when he is ordered by the governor to shoot an apple off the head of his son at seventy paces. Arrested despite his obedience, Tell, in another feat of daring, escapes from the boat that carries him to imprisonment, gets his crossbow, and slays the evil governor, Gessler. Returning to his home, he finds a...
[The entire page is 1083 words long]
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