Don Carlos: A Play

"Don Carlos: A Play" by Friedrich Schiller is a drama set in the Spanish court of Philip II, focusing on love, power, and political plots. The story centers on Don Carlos, the king's son, who is wrestling with feelings of being betrayed amid a world of lies and mistrust. The play begins with Don Carlos talking to his confessor in the royal gardens, where he discusses the sadness from his relationships with his father and the queen, confessing his secret love for his mother, Elizabeth. The first act creates an atmosphere filled with the strain between family love and doing what is expected in politics, while also hinting at Carlos's growing anger with being a royal and all that comes with it, particularly the oppressive rule of his father, further complicated by the arrival of the Marquis Posa, who becomes Carlos's friend, helping him pursue freedom and fairness for those who are suffering.