The Broken Jug by Heinrich von Kleist
"The Broken Jug," a play by Heinrich von Kleist, is a comedic yet incisive exploration of justice, authority, and human folly set in a small Dutch village. The narrative unfolds in a courtroom where Judge Adam, in a disheveled state and with an injured leg and face, is preparing for a crucial inspection by Counselor Walter. The chaos escalates as a broken pitcher becomes the focal point of a trial, with accusations flying between characters who are embroiled in a web of romantic entanglements and deceit.
As the courtroom drama unfolds, it becomes evident that the judge himself is entangled in the scandal, having attempted to seduce Eve, the daughter of Marthe Rull, while a third party's identity remains shrouded in mystery. The situation is further complicated by a series of absurd misunderstandings and the judge's desperate attempts to maintain his authority. Ultimately, the play highlights the absurdity of the judicial process and the fragility of reputation, culminating in Eve’s revelation of the truth, which leads to the judge's hasty retreat from the courtroom. "The Broken Jug" serves as a reflection on the complexities of human nature and the often ironic pursuit of justice.
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The Broken Jug by Heinrich von Kleist
First produced:Der zerbrochene Krug, 1808; first published, 1811 (English translation, 1839)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Farce
Time of plot: Late eighteenth century
Locale: A village in the Netherlands
Principal characters
Adam , the village judgeWalter , a counselor-at-lawLicht , the clerk of the courtMarthe Rull , a villagerEve , her daughterRuprecht , Eve’s suitorBrigitte , Ruprecht’s auntVeit Tumpel , Ruprecht’s father
The Story:
Licht, clerk of the court of Huisum, a village near Utrecht in the Netherlands, appears in the courtroom one morning to prepare for the day’s proceedings. He discovers Adam, the village judge, in a generally disreputable state, nursing a badly lacerated face and an injured leg. When he asks the judge how he came to be in such a condition, he receives a highly questionable story about an altercation with a clothesline and a goat. Licht, sensing that there was some philandering involved, hints as much to Adam, but the judge naturally denies the clerk’s suggestions.
There are more important matters to discuss. A peasant passing through Holla, a neighboring village, hears that Counselor Walter, of the High Court at Utrecht, has inspected the courts in Holla and is preparing to come to Huisum on a tour of inspection this very day. This is serious business, particularly when Adam learns that in Holla both the clerk of the court and the judge were suspended because their affairs were not in order; the judge almost succeeded in killing himself when he tried to hang himself in his own barn. Needless to say, Adam’s affairs are in no better shape than those of his unfortunate neighbors. Before he can get his clothes on and make an attempt to restore order, however, a servant comes to announce the arrival of Counselor Walter. Adam tries to defer immediate action by telling an even more unlikely story about his accident and begging that the inspection be delayed. Licht is calmer, however, and insists that Adam receive the counselor.
At the height of the chaos, Adam, discovering that he cannot find his wig, is informed by a spying servant girl that he came home without it after eleven o’clock the night before. He naturally denies this claim and tells the servant girl that she has lost her mind; he suddenly remembers that the cat kittened in his wig and therefore he cannot use it. The girl is sent to borrow a wig from the verger’s wife, after being reminded not to mention the matter to the verger himself. Before the girl can return, Counselor Walter appears, expressing regrets that he was not able to announce himself in advance and assuring Adam and Licht that he knows matters will be only tolerably in order but that he expects little more. He then demands that the court proceedings get under way, just as the servant girl returns, bearing the calamitous news that she could not borrow a wig. Though it is highly irregular for a judge to sit without his wig, Counselor Walter insists that the petitions begin, wig or no wig.
When the doors open, Marthe Rull and her daughter Eve charge in, accompanied by Veit Tumpel and his son Ruprecht; all are in a high state of agitation over a broken pitcher. Marthe accuses Ruprecht, who is engaged to marry Eve, of breaking the pitcher, but Ruprecht denies doing so. Eve is having a mild case of hysterics because she is about to lose Ruprecht, who swears that he never wishes to see her again and keeps calling her a strumpet. Marthe vociferously demands that justice be done because she feels that Eve’s good name was destroyed along with the pitcher.
In the middle of this confusion, Adam, wigless, appears in his robes to open his court; he is visibly shaken at the scene before him. Eve pleads with her mother to leave well enough alone, while Adam tries unsuccessfully to talk with Eve about a piece of paper. Counselor Walter finally insists that court begin. Marthe, brought to the stand, accuses Ruprecht of breaking the pitcher. He denies the charge and demands that she prove her accusation. Adam agrees completely with Marthe and tries to dismiss the case, but the counselor will not let him. The trial proceeds.
As the evidence is presented, it comes out that the pitcher was broken at eleven o’clock the night before. Marthe heard voices coming from Eve’s room and rushed in to find the pitcher smashed, Eve in tears, and Ruprecht standing in the middle of the room. Ruprecht is the obvious suspect, but according to him a third party was present whom he cannot identify. According to Marthe, Eve, too, admitted that there was a third party in the room, but she refuses to identify him. When Ruprecht finally takes the stand, he testifies that he came to make a late call on Eve and found her near the gate to her house with another man. He watched until they went to Eve’s room; then, overwhelmed by fury, he rushed after them and broke down the door, smashing the pitcher just as someone jumped out the window and got caught in the grapevine. He seized the door latch and beat the culprit over the head with it, in return receiving a handful of sand in the face. He thinks the man is the village cobbler, but he cannot be sure.
Adam is quite anxious to assign the blame to the cobbler and thereby prevent Eve from giving testimony, but his attempts are unsuccessful. When Eve takes the stand, she clears Ruprecht of smashing the pitcher but refuses to identify the third party.
There was, however, another participant in the evening’s affair—Brigitte, Ruprecht’s aunt. She appears in court with a wig that is identified as Adam’s and a story of having seen the devil leave Eve’s house around eleven o’clock the night before. She followed the tracks in the snow the next morning in order to find the devil’s abode, and the tracks led to the judge’s very door. Adam, declaring that this account has nothing to do with the case, proceeds to sentence Ruprecht.
The judge’s decision prompts Eve to confess the whole story. It seems that Adam told Eve that Ruprecht would be drafted and sent to India but that he had the power to save Ruprecht from this fate; he forged a certificate that Eve went to her room to sign. He took the occasion to try to seduce her, at which time Ruprecht burst in, smashed the pitcher, and beat Adam, who jumped out the window. Before the whole story comes out, however, Adam runs off to escape a beating. The only person left unsatisfied is Marthe, who plans to take her pitcher to the High Court in Utrecht and demand justice.
Bibliography
Doctorow, E. L. Foreword to Plays by Heinrich von Kleist, edited by Walter Hinderer. New York: Continuum, 1982. Doctorow discusses the farcical nature of The Broken Jug. The translation in this volume remains true to nineteenth century colloquial English, which imparts a rustic tone to the play.
Fischer, Bernd, ed. A Companion to the Works of Heinrich von Kleist. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 2003. Collection of essays analyzing various aspects of Kleist’s work, including its themes of death, violence, and revenge and its challenge to Enlightenment Humanism.
Fordham, Kim. Trials and Tribunals in the Dramas of Heinrich von Kleist. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Analyzes the various sorts of trials that occur in The Broken Jug and Kleist’s other plays. Fordham demonstrates how these trials enable powerful people to manipulate the proceedings, seeking not truth and justice but their own version of order.
Greenberg, Martin, trans. The Broken Jug. In Five Plays by Heinrich von Kleist. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1988. Excellent translation of The Broken Jug into colloquial English that successfully brings out the coarse and bawdy sense of humor of the original. The volume also contains a fine introduction to the plays.
Griffiths, Elystan. Political Change and Human Emancipation in the Works of Heinrich von Kleist. Rochester, N.Y.: Camden House, 2005. Griffiths demonstrates how Kleist’s works offered a response to four major political and philosophical issues in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Prussia: the relationship of national culture to the state; education and social reform; the theory and practice of war; and the administration and delivery of justice.
Maass, Joachim. Kleist: A Biography. Translated by Ralph Manheim. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1983. A light treatment of the writer, written in an anecdotal, humorous style. Discusses the psychological torment of Kleist’s characters. Presents a succinct analysis of Adam’s corrupt but likable character.
McGlathery, James M. Desire’s Sway: The Plays and Stories of Heinrich von Kleist. Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press, 1983. Refers to The Broken Jug as a sexual comedy. Cleverly interprets Adam’s various statements as expressions of his sexual fantasies.
Reeve, William C. Kleist on Stage: 1804-1987. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1993. An excellent reference source for a history of productions of Kleist’s plays. Gives an account of various interpretations of The Broken Jug and discusses the merits of actors who have played the part of Adam.