Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening

Set in 1890’s Germany, Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening explores a variety of themes ranging from love and sex, to oppression and death. A pioneering playwright of his time, Wedekind allows contemporary audiences to connect with issues that were controversial then and still very much relevant in modern society. By using such relatable motifs throughout, the play criticises the oppressive culture of nineteenth- century that people can still respond to today. In order to understand why the play continues to appeal to us, it is important to look at key themes such as sexuality, the education system and suicide, which are pertinent in the twenty- first -century.

Sex, and the oppression of sexual discovery are critical themes within Spring
As long as a boy stayed in school until he was sixteen, he would only have to spend one compulsory year in the German military, which meant absences were fewer and boys were more likely to complete their time in education . Like Moritz it was also common for students to repeat entire years of their education, the graduation age of many being twenty, it was believed that this lead to students being more prepared for the ‘real’ world. Wedekind’s representation of the education system controversially questions the freedom of the students in Spring Awakening. Arguably the play is a warning about the two extremes of education.On one hand Melchior is left to his own devices, his mother Mrs Gabor trusts his instincts gives him the freedom to find his own way. This unfortunately causes him to discover ideas and knowledge he is not necessarily ready for. Perhaps if he had more respect for authority figures,then he might have understood the consequences of giving in to his urges. On the other end of this extreme, Moritz does not trust any of his own knowledge, but rather looks to his teachers and more intelligent students for intellectual guidance. "Why do we go to school?--We go to school so that somebody can examine us!--And why do they examine us?--In order that we may fail.” (Wedekind, 2015) Moritz’s struggles with his education
Although initially it may come across extreme for a boy who has failed his exams to kill himself, this was not uncommon for the time. During the 19th century the pressures to excel in school lead to the increase of school related suicides, in fact in Prussia between 1883-1889 there were 289 suicides linked to school in some way. Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10-24 and of 15% of students polled in a nationwide survey of public and private schools reported seriously considering suicide. “The number of students who took their own lives in England and Wales rose by 50% between 2007 and 2011 – from 75 to 112”(Hattenstone, 2016). Even

though the 19th century suicides would not have received the media coverage they do today, it was still considered an ‘epidemic’. Most importantly Wedekind showed the brutal reality of depression and its causes, that unfortunately many young people still experience in modern