Who is melchior

The adults did this so that the boys wouldn't ask questions and doubt their ideology. The close friendship between Melchior and Moritz Steifel began at an early age. Despite the boys' differing social statuses, they remained very good friends, much to their peers' confusion. Moritz explains with horror and confusion to Melchior that he has been experiencing "sticky dreams," which Melchior reassures him are perfectly normal and happen to all boys their age.

Moritz requests a more thorough explanation, which Melchior provides in the form of a ten-page essay entitled "The Art of Sleeping With," complete with detailed illustrations of male and female genitalia. This essay circulates throughout the school. In the play, he is uninterested in how the girl is feeling, but in the musical he is fascinated by it, actively putting himself in that place for the essay.

The essay is used as evidence to get Melchior expelled after Moritz commits suicide, as the essay is seen as proof of not only Melchior's corruptions, but Melchior's 'motivation' to corrupt his peers.

Wendla and Melchior's relationship is central to the plot. As children, they often participated in community service activities together through the church, but as they grew older, opportunities to interact became very infrequent.

They are drawn together by a need to debate and question their society, and they challenge each other with their reasoning and ideas. There is a feeling of mutual understanding between them that they have not found in others.

They flirt innocently, holding hands and taking walks together. After Wendla learns that her close friend Martha is frequently physically abused by her father, she asks Melchior to beat her with a wooden switch. Melchior initially refuses, appalled by the idea of hurting her. After Wendla continues to insist, he reluctantly obliges.

At first he does not put any force into it, but he suddenly becomes enraged and beats her in earnest, leaving Wendla curled up on the ground in tears. Melchior is horrified by what he has done, and runs away. It is unclear whether or not this was a sexually motivated act of sadomasochism, though Melchior's later line, "Something started in me, when I hit you. After recovering, Wendla finds him alone in the hayloft. Melchior asks her to leave, as he cannot bring himself to face her again after knowing how badly he hurt her and, in some productions, it is implied that he had been masturbating and he doesn't want her to see him in such a state.

Wendla says that she does not blame Melchior, and that it was her fault for asking in the first place. Melchior attempts to kiss her, but she pulls away, believing that it is wrong for them to engage in such activity. Melchior persists, believing that she clearly desires him but that the morals their society has instilled in her are preventing her from reciprocating. Wendla gives in, and they ultimately have sexual intercourse.

There is a much debate over whether or not Melchior raped her. In the play, it is clear that their encounter was entirely non-consensual. However, the musical is much more ambiguous, as much of the scene is non-verbal and relies heavily on the direction and the physical actions of the actors. That being said, Melchior exploits her attraction to him and instead of letting them be equals and explore this feeling together he overpowers her.

This comes from an already stated desire by him in the play to have something he "has to fight for. In both the play and the musical, the intercourse led to Wendla getting pregnant and dying from a botched abortion. To note, in the play Melchior is later remoseful once being sent to the reformatory. He claims to know Wendla cannot forgive him and he cannot undo what he has done. He says he has taken away her freedom and that she hates him. There is no verbal equivalent of this in the play allowing for more choice from the actor.

However, stage directions suggest a similar epiphany. He doubles over, bereft. Spare piano chords-an otherworldly music begins ". In the play, Melchior is escaping his school and runs into a graveyard to see Moritz's grave. There you can read that wise men, magicians and astrologers came from the East to pay homage to the newborn king by visiting him. Like the shepherds, they followed the shining star that had just risen in the sky, which led them to the manger in the stable of the Holy Family.

The star had led them to a special birth the birth of Jesus. As members of the upper class, they were held in high regard and were able to present the child gold, incense and myrrh. By the way, Matthew did not mention the number of men. The number three was only later derived from the number of gifts. He did not even call them king and did not call them by name.

This custom has only existed since the 8th century. Much more important than the current history of the Three Holy Kings seems to be their symbolic meaning. In many cultures the number three was considered sacred and marked the divine constellations in religion and myth. Examples are the Christian Trinity , the Roman triad of Juno, Jupiter and Minerva, the Egyptian trinity of Horus, Isis and Osiris, and the division of the world into heaven, earth and hell.

The Indian philosophy of religion knows being, thinking and bliss. The three also play an important role in fairy tales and idioms. One thinks here of "having three free desires", "three brothers", "in three diabolical names" or "of all good things are three".

But let us return to the Three Kings, who are associated with the three phases of life - youth, adulthood and old age - as well as the three biblical "races" of the Chamites, Semites and Japhets as descendants of the sons of Noah. Moreover, the three wise men were already assigned to the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe around , which is reflected, for example, in the pictorial representations of icons. If we look at the encounter between shepherds, sages, ox and donkey, it is striking that the interpretations that have developed over many centuries are similar in one respect: everyone says that the shepherds and the ox stand for the Jews , and the sages and the donkey symbolize the Gentiles.

All together, however, they stand in the stable, devoted and full of peace, to pay homage to the Messiah incarnate. In light of many of today's religious wars and the struggles of the shaken crisis zones, we can therefore assume that this moment in the stable in Bethlehem was the most peaceful on earth.

And in this sense it is a great symbol of humanity's hope, whatever its faith. At that time, even as travelers on their way to Bethlehem, the Magi are still considered the patron saints of all travelers, innkeepers and pilgrims. They were never officially "canonized". Moreover, the initial letters of their names written on the front doors and on the walls of the stables should help to protect their buildings and their inhabitants from damage. The gifts of gold, myrrh and incense given to the Child Jesus also have a certain symbolism, as mentioned above.

For example, gold is interpreted as a gift worthy of a king. Myrrh is considered a medicinal plant and therefore a suitable gift for a healer. And incense is the appropriate gift for a priest. The Magi Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar have a long tradition in the church and are still celebrated today. Discover here below everything about customs and peculiarities. The custom of the games of the Three Kings follows the ancient traditions of the year , when it is said that the Saint Mary communicated with the three kings in the form of a sung dialogue.

Whether this actually happened is very controversial. What is not disputed, however, is the origin of a constantly evolving storyteller who enjoyed great popularity, especially during the 15th century. Some even say that the Game of the Three Kings Singers laid the foundation for the subsequent tradition of choral singing.

The first singers went from door to door in the 16th century. Accompanied by their teacher, schoolchildren knocked on house doors to sing the story of Jesus Christ. To the people who live in them. Later they blessed the house with a cross painted on the door.

As thanks, the children received small prizes in the form of nuts and apples. Even today, about , girls and boys go from door to door during the annual Christmas carols event. They dress up as Epiphany and collect donations for needy children around the world under the motto "Children help children". Every year the money collected goes to a different organization.

Even the custom of blessing the house has remained. To do this, the singers write the respective year on the door, in the middle of which they insert the letters C, M and B.

These three letters stand on one side for the Latin "Christus mansionem benedicat", which in the translation means "Christ bless this house".

On the other hand, it seems obvious to associate these letters with the first letters of the three royal names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. However, it is said that the special combination of letters and numbers has a certain protective effect and keeps evil away from the corresponding houses.

By the way, the three letters C, M and B were also written on parchment, tanned animal skins or papyrus in the Middle Ages. In this way, travelers and pilgrims can always carry the protective blessing. Although the recipes are very different, all cakes have one thing in common. In fact, a good luck charm in the shape of almond, coin, bean or porcelain figure is baked into the cake, making the person who finds it a family king for a day.

It is an old custom also widespread in the Netherlands and Switzerland. The 6th January is considered the day when the Magi, led by a star, arrived at the stable in Bethlehem. It is the day of Jesus' revealed divinity, the "Apparition of the Lord". By the way, the name "Day of the Three Kings" or "Epiphany" has been in use only since the 4th century. Thus, the oldest traditions found of this festival date back to the year According to the royal gifts that were presented to the baby Jesus, in some European countries the "family celebration with gifts" takes place only on this day.

This custom is common in Spain and Russia, for example. In Germany, however, the Epiphany is also the end of the Christmas period. Many families take their Christmas tree down after 6 January. According to tradition, they came to the stable immediately after the birth of Jesus Christ to worship the new king of the world. The Catholic Church venerates the "three kings" as saints.

Their feast is the Epiphany, on January 6.