n  the  third  act  the  king  would  become  madly  suspi-
ious  and  resolve  upon  his  son's  death.  Then  there
.'as  to  be  a  gleam  of  hope  :  the  ambition  of  Carlos
/ould  awaken  and  begin  to  prevail  over  his  love,
ifhile  Posa  would  divert  the  king's  suspicion  to  himself
nd  fall  a  sacrifice  to  friendship.  Then  a  new  danger
i^ould  arise  :  the  king  would  discover  Don  Carlos  in  a
eeming  '  rebellion ',  and  decree  his  death.  The  dying
leclaration  of  Carlos  would  prove  his  innocence  and
'  It  is  printed  in  SSmtliche  Schriften,  III,  180.
The  Original  Plan  iSi

the  king  would  be  left  alone  to  mourn  the  havoc  he
had  wrought  and  to  punish  the  conspirators  who  had
deceived  him.
This  sketch  promises,  it  will  be  observed,  not  a
political  tragedy,  but,  as  Schiller  himself  afterwards
phrased  it,  a  '  domestic  tragedy  in  a  royal  household  '.
