Civil disobedience, moral character and law. A reading of Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist

Abstract

In this work I accept as an axiom that literature is a source of reflection and teaching of law. In this regard, I use a literary account of von Kleist, Michael Kohlhaas, to ask myself about the relationship - in the German novel - between the legitimacy of a government and the action of civil disobedience. In addition, I wonder how the moral character of an agent, in this case Kohlhaas, can lead to a tragic situation.