William Tell

William Tell by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

When I think of William Tell, the first thing that comes to mind is Rossini's Overture. Then I see an apple shot off a head. And that is about it. This play is based on the William Tell legend. Rossini's opera was in turn based off this play. In it William Tell does shoot an apple off of his son's head. He was promised that doing so would be the only way to preserve his life. However, the leader that made the promise then realizes that he is too dangerous to have around, so he imprisoned him. However, he is asked to guide the ship over rough seas. He does so, but then uses the opportunity to escape. He later uses a well-placed shot to kill the leader as he is traveling. This foments a revolution. At the end, the emperor his shot by one of his relatives. Tell does not agree with this, but does talk with him as he visits and asks him to atone for his action. I got lost in some of the convoluted parts, but the apple scene was quite clear.