Oh, and speaking of Katte's last words, something occurred to me last night.
We've spilled quite a bit of ink on the unanswerable question of whether Katte's extremely outspoken piety at the end was genuine. We've seen that his last letter to Fritz reads like it was dictated by FW, down to the Absalom reference and the concern with predestination, and that's made me even more suspicious of Katte's sincerity.
But in addition to all the other possible motives we've adduced for Katte putting on a performance and keeping his true opinions to himself, it occurs to me that a repentant and religious Katte just plain puts FW into a better mood.
Even after a pardon for Katte is off the table, even as he's kneeling in the sand and calling on Lord Jesus as the sword swings, there is one person who potentially benefits from an FW who's in a better mood, one person for whom it might still make a difference.
So in addition to possibly hoping for a pardon, wanting to make his family/father feel better, wanting to set a good example for Fritz on doing whatever it takes to appease FW, wanting to make a good end, wanting to keep his own fears at bay and find some inner calm...Katte might just be trying to tip the royal balance in Fritz's favor.
And it might have helped. Imagine FW hearing that Fritz's BFF/boyfriend was defiant and atheist to the end. Imagine how much *more* suspicious FW would have been of Fritz and the company he kept.
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Re: Me, Myself and I: The Time Travel Edition
Date: 2020-04-22 04:56 am (UTC)We've spilled quite a bit of ink on the unanswerable question of whether Katte's extremely outspoken piety at the end was genuine. We've seen that his last letter to Fritz reads like it was dictated by FW, down to the Absalom reference and the concern with predestination, and that's made me even more suspicious of Katte's sincerity.
But in addition to all the other possible motives we've adduced for Katte putting on a performance and keeping his true opinions to himself, it occurs to me that a repentant and religious Katte just plain puts FW into a better mood.
Even after a pardon for Katte is off the table, even as he's kneeling in the sand and calling on Lord Jesus as the sword swings, there is one person who potentially benefits from an FW who's in a better mood, one person for whom it might still make a difference.
So in addition to possibly hoping for a pardon, wanting to make his family/father feel better, wanting to set a good example for Fritz on doing whatever it takes to appease FW, wanting to make a good end, wanting to keep his own fears at bay and find some inner calm...Katte might just be trying to tip the royal balance in Fritz's favor.
And it might have helped. Imagine FW hearing that Fritz's BFF/boyfriend was defiant and atheist to the end. Imagine how much *more* suspicious FW would have been of Fritz and the company he kept.
So there's that.