This is a new and accessible study of the plays of Kleist (1777-1811), an important and much-studied author whose work has been highly influential in contemporary German writing. Seán Allan examines Kleist's critique of the aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics, and offers resolutions of a number of long-running controversies in Kleist criticism. The book contains summaries of the state of research on all the plays. All quotations are given in both German and English, and full references are given to published English translations of Kleist's works as well as to the German originals.