Nathan the Wise

In Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, a wise Jewish merchant named Nathan is drawn into a web of secrets, family ties, and religious debate. When the Muslim sultan Saladin asks him which faith is true, Nathan answers with a parable that has echoed for centuries. This play, Lessing's final masterpiece, argues for tolerance and humanity over dogma.

First published in 1779, Nathan the Wise is a dramatic poem in five acts. It brings together a Jewish merchant, a Muslim sultan, a Christian templar, and others whose lives become entangled. The play combines suspense, humor, and philosophical debate, and its central image of the three rings remains one of literature's most memorable pleas for mutual respect.

This edition is for general readers, students, and book clubs. It includes the complete text in William Taylor's translation with a short introduction from an earlier edition, a new introduction, a character guide, a summary, themes, a glossary, and discussion questions. No prior knowledge of the period is needed.