”De modernes særlige problem”:Dramatiske helte og prosaisk verden i Goethes <i>Wilhelm Meisters læreår</i>

The article studies the role of theatre and specifically<i> Hamlet </i>in Goethe’s <i>Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship</i> (1795-96). Comparing the canonized interpretation of <i>Hamlet</i> to the novel’s own form, and relating it to developments in German theatre, literature and philosophy, the article argues that Goethe’s novel, by including <i>Hamlet</i>, offers important perspectives on the characteristics and importance of the modern novel in a radically changing world.