Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gotthold-ephraim-lessing

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Gotthold Ephraim Lessing born?January 22, 1729
2. When did Gotthold Ephraim Lessing die?February 15, 1781 (age 52)
3. Where was Gotthold Ephraim Lessing born?Kamenz, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
4. Who was Gotthold Ephraim Lessing?He was a smart German writer from the 1700s who wrote plays, books, and talked about religion and reason.
5. What is dramaturgy and why did Lessing start it?Dramaturgy is a way to study and improve plays. Lessing wrote essays that explained how to think about characters, plot, and the audience, making theater better.

Enlightenment: An 18th-century intellectual and cultural movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism towards traditional authority.
Dramaturgy: The art and theory of dramatic composition and theatrical production, encompassing analysis, interpretation, and the shaping of plays.
Humanism: A philosophical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively.