Son of the imperial councillor Johann Caspar Goethe. From 1765
he studied law in Leipzig, but in bored him and he spent much
of his time in society. His lived a wild life and afther three
years he returned to Frankfurt with a hemorrhage of the lungs
and a tumor on the neck. After he recovered, in 1770 he continued
his law studies in Strasbourg.
In 1772 the son of
a preacher named Johann Jerusalem committed suicide. This event
was the inspiration for Goethe's "Die Leiten des jungen Werthers"
(1774, translated as "Sorrows of Young Werther").
In
Sep 1775 Duke Karl August invited him to Weimar, where he was
offered a permanent situation as privy councillor at the court
in 1779. This appointment resulted in a scandal, since Goethe
was no nobleman. Goethe became the friend and companion of the
Duke and was became the rising star of society in Weimar.
In
1786 he travelled to Italy for two years. This experience made
him feel like reborn. In Rome he stayed with the painter Tischbein,
with whom he also travelled in Italy.
Back in Germany
he met Christiane Vulpius in 1788. she went to live with him
and bore him five children. In 1789 Goethe became a member of
the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and in 1790 he travelled to
Italy for the second time. In Venice he studied art, but this
visit was a dissapointment for Goethe, whose love for Italy
soon cooled down.
He became the director of the new
theatre in Weimar and in that position he was more visible for
the citizens. His famous friendship with Schiller started in
1796. They first met in 1794, but after they saw each other
again in 1796 a close friendship ensued that only ended with
Schiller's death in 1805. Schiller stimulated Goethe's creativity
and the latter returned to poetry. Meanwhile, Schiller wrote
his great works "Wallenstein" and "Maria Stuart".
After
Schiller died Goethe completely lost his interest in literature
for a while. The french army ransacked Weimar in 1806 and in
these troubled days he finally married Christiane on 19 Oct
1806.
On 2 Oct 1808 he visited Napoleon, who resided
in Erfurt at the time. Napoleon told Goethe he had read Werther
about seven times and invited him to Paris. A few days later
they met again in Weimar. After Napoleon's defeat in Russia
he travelled through Weimar during the night of 15 Dec 1812
and he sent his greetings to Goethe.
Goethe was 81
years old when he completed the second part of his dramatic
"Faust" on 22 Jul 1831. He had started working on "Faust" 57
years earlier. He died in March of the next year in Weimar.
Family
• Son: Goethe, Julius August Walter
• Wife: Vulpius, Christiane
Related persons
• knew Becker-Neumann, Christiane
• was a friend of Behrisch, Ernst Wolfgang
• was a friend of Bethmann-Unzelmann, Friederike Auguste
• was a friend of Boisserée, Sulpice
• corresponded with Byron, George Noel Gordon
• has a connection with Carus, Carl Gustav
• was written about by Chamberlain, Houston Stewart
• met Constant de Rebecque, Benjamin
• was written about by Eckermann, Johann Peter
• admired Gellert, Christian Fürchtegott
• was visited by Grillparzer, Franz
• was admired by Gundolf, Friedrich
• knew Herz, Henriette
• had as physician Hufeland, Christoph Wilhelm
• was opponent of Jagemann, Caroline
• was painted by Jagemann, Ferdinand Karl Christian
• had a relationship with Kanne, Anna Katharina
• was a friend of Kauffmann, Angelica
• was painted by Kauffmann, Angelica
• was a friend of Kestner-Buff, Charlotte
• was opponent of Kotzebue, August von
• cooperated with La Roche, Karl, Ritter von
• was a friend of Lavater, Johann Caspar
• influenced Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix
• admired Milder-Hauptmann, Anna
• met Napoleon I Bonaparte
• corresponded with Neureuther, Eugen Napoleon
• corresponded with Runge, Philip Otto
• was a friend of Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von
• knew Schopenhauer, Adele
• admired Schröter, Corona
• met Schwab, Gustav
• was painted by Seidler, Louise
• was a friend of Stein, Charlotte von
• was painted by Stieler, Joseph
• knew Tieck, Johann Ludwig
• knew Varnhagen von Ense, Karl-August
• knew Varnhagen von Ense, Rahel
• supported Vulpius, Christian August
• knew Weber, Carl Maria von
• knew Willemer, Marianne von
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Events
1945/5/12: The Coffins of Goethe and Schiller are returned to the Fürstengruft in Weimar
Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel had them transported to Jena and ordered to blow them up when the allied troops would arrive. This was avoided.
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Sources
• Biografisch Worterbuch zur Deutsche Geschichte, Francke Verlag, München, 1975
• Gorys, Erhard, Thüringen, Artemis Reis- en Cultuurgids, Kok Lyra, Kampen, 1996
• Blumenfeld, Carl, Goethe, Taschen, 1986
• Goethe's Birth and Education
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