Translated by Joseph Mellish
Premiering in Weimar on 14 June 1800, this tragedy depicts the last days of Mary, Queen of Scots. In the plot, Mary Stuart is imprisoned in England, ostensibly for the murder of her husband Darnley, though in fact due to her claim to the throne of England held by Queen Elizabeth I. While Mary’s cousin Elizabeth hesitates over signing Mary’s death sentence, the prisoner hopes for a reprieve. After Mary finds out that Mortimer, a character created by Schiller, the nephew of her custodian, is on her side, she entrusts her life to him. Mortimer is supposed to give Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, a letter from Mary, in which she pleads for help – a precarious act as Leicester is known to support Elizabeth. After numerous requests, Mary finally gains the opportunity to meet the Queen, which ends in an acrimonious argument, caused by Mary’s unwillingness to submit entirely to Elizabeth’s wish. The argument leads to the inevitable suspicion that the cause of reprieve will not succeed.