Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. Schiller was a foremost German dramatist and a major figure in German literature's Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) period. Both physical and spiritual freedoms were issues in his work; the psychology of people in crisis often a theme in his plays.

Schiller is best known for his Broadway plays Don Carlos (New Amsterdam Theatre) and Mary Stuart (Fifth Avenue Theatre). Other works include his Off-Broadway play Intrigue and Love (Bouwerie Lane Theatre) and regional plays Wallenstein, a trilogy made up of Wallenstein's Camp, The Piccolomini, and Wallenstein's Death (Sidney Harman Hall), The Maid of Orleans (Connelly Theater), and The Robbers (New Diorama Theatre).

Notable written works include On the Aesthetic Education of Man, History of the Revolt of the United Netherlands, and Ode to Joy, which was later used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony.