HEBBEL, FRIEDRICH. - German dramatist, b. at Wesselburen in Holstein on 18 March 1813, d. at Vienna on 13 Dec. 1863. He lived in straitened circumstances, which fostered in him a spirit of violent rebellion against all; he studied fitfully at Heidelberg and enjoyed a measure of serenity only after his marriage to the actress Christine Enghaus. He wrote lyrics and comedies, but his name is linked with his tragedies, which reflect the tormented life of the poet.
Even his first tragedy Judith (1841) at once brought him great renown for the portrayal of characters bearing the stamp of the author’s extraordinary personality. Equally tragic are Maria Magdalene, a bourgeois drama, and the historical drama Agnes Bernauer, in which, with his customary force, he depicts the tragic passion of Albert of Wittelsbach for a commoner. These were followed by Genoveva and Herodes und Mariamne.