Grillparzer, Franz (1791-1872), was an Austrian playwright. He often wrote about human problems set against a background of famous legendary or historical situations. He skillfully showed the deep tragic sense of the feelings of individuals oppressed by the demands and indifference of the world. Grillparzer’s plays include The Ancestress (1817), a tragedy of fate; and The Golden Fleece (three parts, 1821), an attempt to interpret Greek myths in psychological terms. He wrote several patriotic plays about the Austrian Empire.
Grillparzer was born in Vienna. After the failure of a comedy in 1838 and unhappy experiences with government censorship, he refused to publish any more plays. Some works he wrote after 1838 were published after his death.
