Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) was born in the Große Witschgasse in Cologne. His parents were Mennonites. In 1595, probably because of their religious conviction, they fled to Utrecht and from this town they went to Amsterdam in the newly formed Dutch Republic. At the age of 23 Vondel married Mayken de Wolff. Together they had four children, of which two died at a very young age. After the death of his father in 1608, Vondel managed the silk shop the Vondels had in Amsterdam. In the meantime, he began to learn Latin and became acquainted with famous poets such as Roemer Visscher. Aroud the year 1641 he converted to Catholicism. This was a great shock to most of his fellow countrymen, because the main conviction in the Republic was Protestantism. It is still unclear why he became Catholic, although his love for a Catholic lady may have played a role in this (Mayken de Wolff had died in 1635). During his life he became one of the main advocates for religious freedom. After the fall, capture and subsequent beheading of the main leader of the States of Holland Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1617 and 1619), and the Synod of Dort (1618-1619), the Calvinists had the main religious power in the Republic. Catholicism and Arminianism weren’t allowed anymore (the cities however made very little notice of this). Vondel wrote many satires criticising the Calvinists and extolling Oldenbarnevelt. This, together with his new faith, made him a unpopular figure in Calvinist circles. He died a bitter man - though he was honoured by many fellow poets - on February 5, 1679.

Plays and poems

Joost van den Vondel is one of the greatest poets in Dutch history. While his early works extoll the triumphs of the budding Dutch nation, after his conversion from Calvinism to Catholicism his works were generally more religious.

While not all his works are of equal quality some of them belong to the greatest literature of the world, especially his Lucifer (1654).

To his most famous plays belong:

Gysbrecht van Aemstel (1637)

Joseph in Dothan (1640)

Joseph in Egypten (1640)

Peter en Pauwels (1641)

Maria Stuart of Gemartelde majesteit (1646)

Lucifer (1654)

Adam in Ballingschap (1664)

Noah, of ondergang der eerste weerelt (1667)

Lucifer and Milton’s Paradise Lost

It has often been suggested that John Milton drew inspiration from Lucifer and Adam in Ballingschap (1664) for his Paradise Lost (1667). In some respects both works have similarities: the focus on Lucifer, the description of the battle in heaven between Lucifer’s forces and Michael’s, and the anti-climax as Adam and Eve need to leave Paradise. These similarities however can be explained quite satisfactory by assuming that they both drew inspiration from the Bible and perhaps Adamus exil from Hugo Grotius. Moreover, it is to be doubted that Milton knew enough Dutch to understand the plays and in that time English translations of Vondel’s works didn’t exist. Lastly, both works differ in many points, mainly in the dialogues.

However, some similarities are striking. Consider for example both Lucifers' ambitions:

"Here may we reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell.

Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."

Milton's Paradise Lost

"Is ’t noodlot, dat ick vall’, van eere en staet berooft,

Laet vallen, als ick vall’, met deze kroone op ’t hooft,

Dien scepter in de vuist, dien eersleip van vertrouden,

En zoo veel duizenden als onze zyde houden.

Dat valle streckt tot eer, en onverwelckbren lof:

En liever d’ eerste Vorst in eenigh laeger hof,

Dan in ’t gezalight licht de tweede, of noch een minder

Zoo troost ick my de kans, en vrees nu leet noch hinder."

Vondel's Lucifer

Online texts

Lucifer

• Project Laurens Jz. Coster well-formatted html version

others

• Different works by Vondel