Nathan the Wise

Fire holds two symbolic meanings in Nathan the Wise, which point to its dualistic significance: Fire has both the power to destroy and the power to purify and lead to a new beginning. Certainly, fire is at times described as something fearful and destructive. Remarking on the house fire that nearly killed Recha just before the start of the play, Recha states, “[I]t is a dreadful death, to burn” (25). The most outstanding example of this is when the Patriarch essentially condemns Nathan to apostasy, or death by burning at the stake, as a punishment for raising Recha as a Jew despite her Christian birth. The Templar tells the Patriarch about this situation in hypothetical terms, not even calling out Nathan by name, but the Patriarch’s harsh refrain, “[T]he Jew shall burn” (100), is still gratuitous and recalls Recha’s earlier remark.

The opening premise of the play is that Recha nearly perished in a house fire and was only saved at the last minute, miraculously, by the Templar. “From the smoke and flame,” the play states, the Templar “suddenly appeared. In his strong arms / He held her safe” (23).