Weingarten Season: The Broken Jug

Play by Heinrich von Kleist Required reading in the basic and advanced German courses for the Abitur exam 2026. Village judge Adam holds a trial. It concerns the sexual harassment of Eve, the daughter of a villager, and the breaking of a jug during the perpetrator's escape. It quickly becomes clear that Adam himself is guilty and is doing everything he can to lay a false trail. A judge is sitting in judgment over himself. The crime he is supposed to solve is one he has committed himself. This is clear to the audience from the very beginning. Thus, the play derives its appeal not from the outcome, but from the course of the action. While the perpetrator is known, the audience wants to see how he betrays himself and delights in the cleverness with which he is caught. How one becomes entangled in the web of one's own lies and ultimately falls, the audacity with which the patriarchy exerts its power – all of this is described by Kleist with great comedic insight, allowing us to joyfully peer into societal abysses.