Which German Romantic poet wrote the play 'The Robbers'?

Friedrich Schiller wrote the play The Robbers. Originally titled Die Räuber, the tragedy was Schiller's first dramatic play and one of the most powerful works associated with the German Sturm und Drang movement. Its plot centers on the rival brothers Karl and Franz Moor, whose conflict combines family betrayal, political rebellion, moral idealism, and revenge.

Schiller published the play in 1781, and it premiered on 13 January 1782 at the National Theatre in Mannheim. The performance made him famous almost overnight. Its emotional intensity, attacks on hypocrisy and social inequality, and fascination with freedom helped define its theatrical impact.

The play was influenced in part by Johann Anton Leisewitz's Julius of Taranto and by Christian Schubart's writing. Although Schiller is often classified chiefly with Weimar Classicism, The Robbers belongs to his earlier, more rebellious period. That is why quiz questions may describe him broadly as a German Romantic poet, even though “German playwright and poet” is the more precise label. Giuseppe Verdi later adapted the drama into the opera I masnadieri.