Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe’s best-known works include The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) and the dramatic poem Faust (1808, 1832). In addition to writing these pivotal works of fiction, Goethe had a diverse range of interests and skills. From practicing law and studying the classics to drawing, painting, and acting as director of court theaters, Goethe applied his belief in the energetic, artistic individual to all aspects of his life. Born to intellectual, bourgeois parents in Frankfurt am Main, Goethe enjoyed a comfortable childhood and broad education. He began to study law at age 16, attending the prestigious Leipzig University. Though he practiced law for several years in Frankfurt and Wetzlar, it was the 1774 publication of The Sorrows of Young Werther that brought Goethe’s talent to the spotlight. The novel’s protagonist, Werther, is viewed as one of the first “romantic heroes,” a title he earns by committing suicide after being scorned by his married lover. Following the success of his published fiction, Goethe was at leisure to pursue some of his varied interests. He served as a member of the court, traveled to Italy, wrote for academic journals, and pursued a love interest in Christiane Vulpius. It was not until he published the first section of Faust in 1808 that Goethe again devoted a major part of his attention to writing. The second part of this masterwork appeared in 1832, just before his death on March 22 in Weimar. He is buried with fellow scholar Friedrich von Schiller in a mausoleum in the ducal cemetery.