Life of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who loved from August 28, 1749, to March 22, 1978, was
known to the world for his great literary works. Born in Frankfurt am Main to a
well-to-do middle-class family, Goethe was educated by his father who withdrew from
public service in order to make sure that Goethe got a proper education.
When Goethe was sixteen-years-old, he began his studies in Leipzig. There he wrote
his earliest poems and plays. Under the influence of Johann Gottfried von Herder,
Goethe learned of Shakespeare in 1770. In 1771, Goethe received a licentiate in
law at Strasbourg. For the next four years, he practiced law with his father. During this
time period, Goethe came to literary fame. In 1775, he was brought to the ducal
court of Karl Augustus in Saxe-Weimar, where Goethe held many high positions and
spent almost all of the remainder of his life.
From 1786-1788, Goethe traveled in Italy where he recognized that he was an artist
and decided to devote the rest of his life to writing. After returning to Weimar,
he was alienated from the court society. Goethe married the young Christiane Vulpius
in 1806 to legitimize their son born in 1789, even though many of his friends disagreed
with the relationship.
When Goethe withdrew from public life, he produced his best literary and scientific
achievements (1794-1805). He worked until his death at the age of 82.
Works by Goethe:
Goetz of Berlichingen 1773
The Sorrows of Young Werther 1774
Collection of previously published works 1787-90
Iphigenie auf Taurus 1787
Torquato Tasso 1790
Reynard the Fox 1794
Roman Elegies 1795
Bildungsroman 1795
Hermann and Dorothea 1798
Faust (Part 1, 1808; Part 2 1832)
Elective Affinities 1809
West-Eastern Divan 1819
Wilhelm Meister's Travels 1821
Taken from Grolier's Encyclopedia (CD-ROM) 1995 ed.