Leonce and Lena was the second play that Georg Büchner wrote in his brief lifetime. It was intended to be seen as a romantic comedy and was in fact a very short play, being only 20 – 30 pages long.
Büchner started writing the play somewhere between 1935 and 1936, originally as an entry to a competition started by the publisher J.G. Cotta. By the time Büchner had finished writing the play and had sent it off to be considered, the competition deadline for submissions had come and gone and so his entry was returned. Büchner however took this as an opportunity to modify the play and re-write scenes/sections.
It is suggested that Büchner took inspiration for the play from works by other fellow playwrights such as As You Like It by William Shakespeare, Ponce De Leon by C. Brentano and Fantasio by Alfred de Musset.
The play tells the story of Prince Leonce and Princess Lena who have been arranged to marry each other by their parents. Leonce and Lena however have never met nor know anything about each other and therefore refuse to marry when they realise this. Coincidently they both decide to run away from their states of Popo and Pipi, obviously unaware that the other is doing this as well. Leonce runs away with his companion Valerio and Lena runs away with her Governess. By change of fate, their paths cross and they meet each other for the first time, not realising the identity of each other. Leonce is the first to fall in love with Lena who near enough proclaims said love for her instantly. Lena at first rejects him but eventually falls in love also with him and they make plans to be with each other and grow old together. This is brought to a halt though when Leonce and Lena decide to return to their states to marry who their parents had arranged for them to, obviously not knowing it is in fact each other. They return in disguise not that not only are they unaware of each other’s identity but their parents and guests also don’t know who they are at first. After the ceremony, the disguises are removed and Leonce and Lena are overjoyed to find out that they have actually married each other.
There are many characters involved in the short tale of Leonce and Lena however following are what would be considered the main ones:-
– Leonce: Prince of the state of Popo
– Lena: Princess of the state of Pipi
– King Peter: Leonce’s father and King of Popo
– Valerio: Companion to Leonce
– The Governess: companion and governess to Lena
– Rosetta: originally the girlfriend of Leonce
– Schoolmaster: a helper to the royal wedding in the third act.
Leonce and Lena would eventually go on to be the first of Büchner’s three plays to be performed in front of an audience after his death, although not for another 60 years afterwards, on the 31st May 1895.
– Charlotte