GRILLPARZER, gril'piir-tser, FRANZ (1791 1872). An Austrian poet and dramatist, born in Vienna, January 15, 1791. His father, a lawyer, died in 1809, leaving the family needy. After a harsh schooling at home, Grillparzer stud ied law in Vienna (1807-11), without making a brilliant success. Afterwards he made himself familiar with French, English, Italian, and Span ish. In 1813 he entered Government service in the financial department; in 1833 he was put over the archives; in 1847 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences, and in 1856 he retired. In the outer life of Grillparzer there is nothing very interesting. If we add to what has been said the feet that Grillparzer was once betrothed to a lady whom he always liked and never wedded; that he visited Italy in 1819, France and England in 1838, and went to Turkey and Greece in 1843, and finally that he died in great honor on the 21st of January, 1872, we know the most striking incidents in his life.
In German literature he is a link between Goethe, Herder, Schiller, and Lessing, who helped to shape his ideals, and a more modern school. Grillparzer was catholic in his theatrical likings. The suburban theatres pleased him, but he was also a methodical student of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. In 1807-09 he wrote a drama, Blanca von Hasalien; later he turned to Goethe and Shakespeare. Die Ahnfrau, a fatalistic trag edy, was played first at Vienna (1817) and afterwards aroused enthusiasm throughout Ger many. Sappho (1818), also a tragedy, caused the critics to class Grillparzer with Zacharie Wer ner, Milliner, and Houwald. This long vexed
the poet. In 1822 followed Des Goldne Vlies, a trilogy, which fell somewhat flat. This failure Grillparzer laid to the oppressive rule of Met ternich. In Honig Ottokars Gliick and Ende the dramatist portrayed the rivalry between Rudolph of Hapsburg and Ottokar of Bohemia. For two years the censor kept this play wait ing, on the ground that it was unseemly to put the founder of the dynasty on the, stage. Thanks to the Empress, the piece was played with great success in 1824. After the cool reception of the tragedy Ein Treuer Diener seines Herrn (1828) Grillparzer held aloof for ten years. On the refusal of Wehe dem der liigt, a comedy (1838), Grillparzer was utterly disheartened. Der Traum ein Leben (1834), after La villa es sue6o, by Calderon, a dramatic tale, is played still with success in Germany. Des Meeres end der Liebe lVellen (1840) handles the theme of Hero and Leander. In 1848 the public seemed to be eager for the poet's reappearance, but he held aloof until his death. Consult: Sauer's Biographical Introduction to Grillparzer's Collected Works (Stuttgart, 1892) ; the Jahrbvch of the Grill parzer Gesellschaft (Vienna, 1890 ff.) ; Tranbe. Grillparzer's Lebensgeschichte (Stuttgart, 1884) ; A us deny persdnlichen erkehr mit Franz Grillparzer (Vienna, 1873) ; Lange, Grillparzrr, srin Leben Diehten end Denkon (Giitersloh (1894) ; Friedmann, Il dramma tedesco del nostro secolo (vol. iii.), Francesco Grillparzer (Milan, 1893).