This is an abridged version of the massive play. This was abridged, cut, and translated into English for a BBC radio adaption in the 1940s.

The play itself is meant to be a closet drama - ie. its meant to be read and not exactly played and acted out on a stage in front of an audience.

It is a tremendous play and a massive and tremendous piece of work/literature. I have trouble though deciding on **** or ***1/2, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and go with ****. It's a bit deep with the satire, going into Greek mythologies (esp. in Part II) and it draws from a number of sources, some German, some classical Greek/Roman, some Shakespearean, and English. It's a hard play to wra your head around as the verse isn't aptly descriptive of the events and a large amount of 'reading between the lines' needs to be done. Overall it is a highly recommended work that should be read for no other reason than to at least acknowledge how Goethe is a great writer and to feel some sort of semblance of culture emanating from the work. ( )