Heinrich von Kleist

The marquise is a widow with two children who lives with her father, the commander of a fortress. During a war, the Russians attack and conquer the fortress. While trying to escape, the marquise is assaulted by a group of Russian soldiers but saved by their captain, Count F, who behaves like a gentleman and personally protects her. When the marquise's father finally surrenders, the count allows him to rejoin his daughter, and the count's superior, a general, outraged by the behavior of the soldiers, orders the perpetrators to be executed and allows the family to leave the fortress and settle in their country estate. Some time later they receive the news that the count has been killed and, before dying, invoked the name of his beloved, Julietta, which is precisely the marquise's name. The marquise doesn't feel well and compares her illness to the distress of a pregnant woman. One day, after the war has ended, the count surprises them: he shows up very alive and asks to marry the marquise, claiming that the whole time he has been obsessed with her. He wants to marry her immediately, although they only met once for a few minutes, and claims he is on his way to an important assignment in Italy. The marquise's father hesitates and asks him to travel to Italy and visit them again on his return, so they have time to think about it. The count, however, is stubborn and prefers to remain with them and risk military punishment for refusing his military assignment. The father convinces him by promising that Giulietta will not marry anyone else, something easy to promise because Giulietta has no intention of remarrying. The count finally leaves for Napoli. While he is away, Giulietta's illness increases and she is eventually forced to see a doctor. The doctor simply tells her that she is pregnant. Giulietta feels insulted and kicks him out. Giulietta confides in her mother, swearing her innocence, but her mother begins to suspect that Giulietta is hiding something. To prove her innocence, Giulietta volunteers to be examined also by a midwife. The midwife confirms the diagnosis: Giulietta is pregnant. Now her mother is furious, convinced that Giulietta had an affair. Her father bans Giulietta from the house and Giulietta moves to the house she inherited from her husband. That's when Giulietta decides to publish the announcement in the newspaper. This proves to her father that she is innocent: the father now believes that she was raped while sleeping. Meanwhile, the count returns. Informed of the events, he believes that Giulietta is innocent and still wants to marry her. The count sneaks into Giulietta's house and tells her as much in person, but she is horrified that the count is obviously going mad: who would marry a woman who is pregnant of someone else? A man answers Giulietta's announcement: he is willing to confess being the father and promises to show up in person. The father now is suspicious again: he suspects that this is a ploy to make him forgive Giulietta. Her mother decides to test Giulietta: she tells Giulietta that a humble servant of the house confessed being the one who got her pregnant. Giulietta's reaction proves that she truly doesn't know who the father is. Giulietta's mother takes Giulietta back home and tells Giulietta's father how Giulietta's innocence has been assessed beyond any doubt. They now wait for the man who has truly admitted being the father. The man who shows is... the count! (Hence he had raped her the night he saved her from the soldiers, committing himself the brutal act that he had prevented them from committing). Again, he asks to marry Giulietta. (Hence he is honestly in love and eager to be forgiven). Her mother wants Giulietta to accept but Giulietta now hates the count and refuses. Eventually the parents convince Giulietta to get married with a signed contract according to which the count will have none of the rights of the husband and all of the duties. Hence, Giulietta and the count live apart. Hence, the count provides for the baby when he is born and appoints Giulietta the sole heir of his fortune. Giulietta's mother keeps inviting the count to the house and eventually Giulietta comes to accept him. They celebrate a second wedding and she explains to him that she would not have viewed him as such a devil if she had not first considered him such an angel.