clearer presentation of the whole story to the senses. I now see
that, in order to become intelligible on the stage, I must work
out the whole myth in plastic style. It was not this
consideration alone which impelled me to my new plan, but
especially the overpowering impressiveness of the subject-matter
which I thus acquire for presentation, and which supplies me
with a wealth of material for artistic fashioning which it would
be a sin to leave unused. Think of the contents of the narrative
of Bruennhilde, in the last scene of _Young Siegfried_; the fate
of Siegmund and Sieglind; the struggle of Wotan with his desire
and with custom (Fricka); the noble defiance of the Walkuere; the
tragic anger of Wotan in punishing this defiance.

"Think of this from my point of view, with the extraordinary
wealth of situations brought together in one coherent drama, and
you have a tragedy of most moving effect; one which clearly
presents to the senses all that my public needs to have taken
in, in order easily to understand, in their widest meaning,
_Young Siegfried_ and the _Death_. These three dramas will be
preceded by a grand introductory play, which will be produced by
itself on a special opening festival day. It begins with
Alberich, who pursues the three water-witches of the Rhine with
his lust of love, is rejected with merry fooling by one after
the other, and, mad with rage, at last steals the Rhine gold
from them.

"This gold in itself is only a shining ornament in the depth of
the waves (_Siegfried's Death_, Act III, Sc. i), but it
possesses another power, which only he who renounces love can
succeed in drawing from it. (Here you have the plasmic motive up
to _Siegfried's Death_. Think of all its pregnant consequences.)
The capture of Alberich; the dividing of the gold between the
two giant brothers; the speedy fulfilment of Alberich's curse on
these two, the one of whom immediately slays the other--all this
is the theme of this introductory play.

"But I have already chattered too much, and even that is too
little to give you a clear idea of the vast wealth of the
subject-matter....

"But one other thing determined me to develop this plan; viz.
the impossibility which I felt of producing _Young Siegfried_ in
anything like a suitable manner either at Weimar or anywhere