Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (1777 – 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, and short story writer. His most successful play during his lifetime was KÄTCHEN OF HEILBRONN (1808), but he is perhaps best remembered as a playwright for his adaptation of Molière’s AMPHITRYON (1807) and for his play PENTHESILEA (1808) about the queen of the Amazons.