Ernst von Pidde: Richard Wagners «Ring des Nibelungen» im Lichte des deutschen Strafrechts
Juridical Assault on Wagner's Ring
According to German author, Ernst von Pidde, the main characters in Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen are all performing criminal acts throughout the drama. According to German Law, they would all deserve severe punishment and several years of imprisonment for their vile and terrible acts.
Hoffmann und Campe Verlag, Hamburg. Zweite, vermehrte und verbesserte Auflage 1979
This goes for Alberich, Fafner, Wotan, Loge, Fricka, Siegmund, Sieglinde, Hunding, Mime, Siegfried, Hagen, Gunther, Brünnhilde, as well as several minor characters in the drama.
The editors present the author, Ernst von Pidde (1877–1966) as an expert in juridical law, who worked as a judge (Amtsrichter) in Gifhorn, Preussen from 1916 on. He is said to have been a profiled anti-Wagnerian and a passionate amateur violoncellist.
After Adolf Hitler’s Machtergreifung in 1933, von Pidde’s public activities were effectively brought to a halt, the manuscript of his daring dissertation only to be posthumously detected and published. There are indications that he may have completed it very close to his own death. In addition to discussing standard juridical works, the text contains references to famous authors of its time, such as Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, and the early Günter Grass.
One main thesis of the dissertation is that the complete plot and the art of social interaction in Wagner’s work is soaked with terrible cynicism and grave moral flaws. As such, the Ring des Nibelungen may function as a powerful, yet destructive and truly immoral inspiration for youngish people and for any lover of music theatre.
Here are some short excerpts from the conclusive juridical statement of the book (pp. 76ff), quoted here in its original German language for the sake of precision. The author’s references are to the relevant paragraphs in the current German Strafrecht:
Verwirkte Gesamtstrafen
Täter: Alberich
Delikt: Diebstahl des Ringes (§ 242); Anstiftung zur Ermordung Siegfrieds (§§ 211, 26, 28 Abs. 2)
Strafmaß: lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe
Täter: Fafner
Delikt: Verschleppung Freias (§ 239); Ermordung Fasolts (§ 211)
Strafmaß: lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe
Täter: Siegmund
Delikt: Blutschande (§ 173); Mordversuch an Hunding (§ 211, 23)
Strafmaß: Freiheitsstrafe nicht unter 3 Jahren
Täter: Brünnhilde
Delikt: Anstiftung zum «Feuerzauber» (§§ 308, 26); Anstiftung zur Ermordung Siegfrieds (§§ 211, 26, 28 Abs 2); Besonders schwere Brandstiftung (§307)
Strafmaß: lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe
The book has the ISBN number 3-455-05925-2.
I wish you a good read.