Hölderlin and the Death of Empedocles: A Mourning Play

In this video, we continue our examination of the philosophy of Empedocles by looking to how in inspired the Romantic poet and philosopher Friedrich Hölderlin. Hölderlin had a deep affection for Greek culture and attempted to merge its mythology with the flagging Christian mythos of his day. Hölderlin not only resonated with the figure of Empedocles as one who, like himself, united poetry and philosophy, but he grew fascinated by the story of his death. There was something about the sage's salto mortale from mount Aetna that stuck in Hölderlin's mind. It grew to take on a world historical significance for him, and he identified it with the outworking of fate and the rise and fall of cultures. In this video we examine some of the key themes that emerge in the three drafts of Hölderlin 's Trauerspiel (Mourning Play) on the death of Empedocles. We also examine some of the concepts underlying it that he attempted to work out in a series of essay fragments: The Tragic Ode, The General Basis of Tragic Drama, The Ground of Empedocles, and The Fatherland in Decline. David's Krell's English translation has been used throughout, though modified in some places.

You can find a corresponding essay on my blog here: http://premieretat.com/holderlins-reflections-on-the-death-of-empedocles-a-mourning-play/

The images used to create the thumbnail for this video are in the public domain. The first is the Death of Empedocles by Salvator Rosa and can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empedocles#/media/File:The_Death_of_Empedocles_by_Salvator_Rosa.jpg
The second is the Hölderlindenkmal im Alten Botanischen Garten in Tübingen and can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_H%C3%B6lderlin#/media/File:H%C3%B6lderlindenkmal_-_1881.jpg