In the novel Nathan the wise, Nathan the protagonist is constantly compared with other characters in the novel. It is undeterminable, whether Lessing intended to make Nathan a heroic archetype for all the other characters to aspire to. Both Nathan and the Templar are heroes in their own respect. Nathan is unlike the stereotype of his religious sect. He is rational. He uses reason as the premise for understanding life. He is tactful and considered.[money issue with Saladin] Nathan is level headed but he has powerful feeling for human beings. He is passionate with the love for his daughter. Part of the stereotype about jews are that they are selfish and greedy. Nathan is generous and unforgiving. [the Christian -jew, jew- Christian quote] He believes in the goodness of man. (185) With all these attributes, as Lessing implies by the title, Nathan is indeed a wise man.

The Templar becomes more like Nathan near the end of the play. However at the beginning of the play, there are distinguished differences between Nathan and the Templar. A comparison between Nathan and the Templar. In the novel Nathan the Wise, Nathan a wealthy Jewish merchant is the main protagonist. Nathan the wise symbolizes the equality of three great religions. Among the representatives of the three religions, Islamic (Saladin), Christian (the Templar) and Jewish(Nathan), only the Jew, lives up to the ideal of full humanity; he alone is capable of complete self­abnegation and has the courage to speak the truth even to the mighty. The fact that the main characters discovers that they are related to one another serves to underscore their common membership in the larger family of mankind. Men whose religion guides them to a life of practical humanity are thus bound to each other by brotherly solidarity and mutual tolerance. Lessing maintains that God truly manifests himself in those of human responsibility, which man performs for his fellowman.

The Templar is modest. As well as being irrational, he is also antisemitic. He is quick-tempered. However he has scruples, seen in his refusal to spy on Saladin. He has a good sense of ethic and moral. For example his numerous apology to Nathan. He is courageous and brave. He seem to be confused about life. His real attitude towards religion is more openminded dispite his prejudice of the jewish faith. Noted in his love for Rachel. He is capable of change.

In comparing two of the most important characters such as Nathan and the Templar, first we must understand the hidden messages, the plot and context of the novel.

Nathan the wise symbolizes the equality of three great religions. Among the representatives of the three religions, Islamic (Saladin), Christian (the Templar) and Jewish (Nathan), only Nathan however, lives up to the ideal of full humanity. He alone is capable of complete abjuration and has the courage to speak the truth even to the mighty. This is clearly seen in his response to Saladin's question on which is the true religion.

The fact that the main characters discover that they are related to one another has serve to underscore their common membership in the larger family of mankind. Therefore, men's whose religion guides them to a life of practical humanity are thus bound to each other by brotherly solidarity and mutual tolerance. Lessing maintains that God truly manifests himself in those of human responsibility, which man performs for his fellowman.

In the novel Nathan the Wise, all four main protagonists in the novel are compared intensely with each other. It is indeterminable whether Lessing intended to make Nathan the main and only heroic archetype for all the other characters to aspire to. Undoubtably Lessing intended to show that prejudice against an individual's creed is ludicrous, that ethnocentrism is a retrograded concept.

Both Nathan and the Templar are heroes in their own respect. Nathan is unlike the stereotype painted about Jews. His generosity is noted by all the other characters. Daya, Rachel's nurse commented on his generosity. If one was to believe the stereotype about Jews, Nathan has committed the heinous crime of defying all stereotypes. As commented by the Friar, Nathan displayed more noted Christian virtues than known Jewish attributes.

Significantly, Lessing was implying, that human goodness is a universal trait that can be found in all races, religions and cultures. This notion invalidated the concept of ethno-Centricism.

Nathan is rational. He uses reason as the premise for understanding human nature. He is tactful and considerate. For example, Nathan suggesting to the Sultan to relieve him of some of his money rather than prompting the Sultan into asking him for it is a gesture of diplomacy.

Although Nathan is level headed, he has a strong conviction for human beings. His love for Rachel is a good example of that. He believes in the goodness of man.(185) Nathan is indeed a good man. As Lessing implies by the title, Nathan is also very wise. His wisdom does not imply how successful he is as a merchant but a success in finding the true concept of happiness from philanthropy and showing a greater understanding of mankind. At first observation the Templar seems to raise a bundle of contradiction in understanding him. The Templar struggles between modesty and being anti-Semitic. His real attitude toward religion is more open-minded despite his prejudice toward Jews. He was willing to marry Rachel despite the fact that she was a non­Christian. He was able to love her despite the fact that she was a Jew. He is emotional and often irrational as well for being rational. He is quick­tempered and quick to admit when he is in the wrong.

He has scruples, seen in his refusal to do the bidding, of the Patriarch in murdering the Sultan. He has a good sense of ethics and morals. He is courageous and brave, noted in his total disregard for his own life in rescuing Rachel from the frames. The most remarkable trait of the Templar despite his good sense of the ethic and recognizing when he is wrong, is that he is capable of change.

Because of Nathan complete open-mindedness and good faith in mankind allows he is able to make friends easily. The Templar however, displays more wariness and distrust of people in general, which is often in the appearance of cynicism.

However, this vice is noted to be an asset to the Templar. His sharp sense of clarity enables him to see through the illusion of appearances to the core of reality.

Taken on a metaphysical level, the comparison between Nathan and the Templar is really a comparison between Christian and a Jew. Lessing however, expect his readers to formulate a deeper judgement in determining the true faith.

The ideal religion is no faith at all. Notice that although Nathan and the Templar have a more active role in the play, in that they appear more often than Rachel; it is Rachel is spoken about more often. Her name is mentioned throughout the entire play. Although the spotlight is often shared with other characters when she appears in a scene, it is Rachel who is the topic on everyone's mind. Rachel is symbolic of the true faith. She is the relative link that bonds Nathan the Jew with the Templar the Christian and Saladin the Arab.

Therefore, in understanding the novel Nathan the Wise it was necessary to see the connection of the characters in relation to the plot. Although this essay focused on the relationship between Nathan and the Templar, we could not neglect the role Rachel played is understanding the two.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Nathan the Wise, Minna Von Barheim, and Other Plays and Writings,

German Library : Vol.12 Peter Demetz and Hannah Arendt eds. New York: Continuum Publishing Co. 1994. Pp.175-275.

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