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By Georg Melchior Kraus – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is one of the most famous German writers to have lived. His most famous work is the novel Sorrows of Young Werther published in 1774.

Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was not only a writer but also a physicist, biologist, polymath, pictorial artist and statesman.

He had his big international break as a playwright when he turned 25. Goethe’s most famous scientific work was published in 1790.

Most German philosophers and composers that became famous borrowed and drew inspiration from his work.

His writing was described as classical in the 18^th century. He remains to be the representative of the Romanticism movement as well as Weimar Classicism.  

Check out more facts about Goethe below.

1. His first poem was in English

Goethe did not just write in German. He also published English poems. This was among his first writings.

His writing skills started when he was young. Goethe always wanted to be a poet although he was not certain he would write in English.   

2. Goethe loved science too

By Angelica Kauffmann -Wikimedia

Goethe was a polymath and extended his skills and knowledge beyond literature. He was interested in science, colour theory and plant morphology.

One of the largest mineral collection in Europe was owned by Goethe. He got these from exotic destinations that he visited.

Other than being an influence in literature, Goethe greatly influenced the science world. He published the Theory of Colours in 1810.

Together with Alexander von Humboldt, they studied anatomical issues in the 1790s. Goethe had a collection of 17,800 rock samples.

3. Goethe’s trip to Italy was a new awakening

Goethe loved to travel for inspiration, he was motivated by his father who loved to travel too. He travelled to the Italian peninsula and Sicily between 1786 to 1788.

This travel was quite significant to his philosophical and aesthetic development. Works by Johann Joachim provoked Goethe’s interest in classical art in ancient Greece and Rome.

He met with Angelica Kauffman and Johann Heinrich; they became friends. While on his trip to Sicily, Goethe got to experience Greek architecture. He found it to be quite simple, unlike Roman architecture.

Goethe documented the first year of his trip to Italy, the rest were not documented. Many speculated about his activities during those undocumented years. It is believed that he spent it in Venice.  

4. Goethe studied law but did not practice

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Goethe went to Leipzig University to study law between 1765 to 1768. He became licenced to practise law in 1771. Unfortunately, he did not agree with the judicial rules.

In his attempt to defend his clients, as per his rules, he got reprimanded for a year. In 1772, he went back to practise law and also wrote his novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther that was published in 1774.

After the success of his novel, Goethe took up writing full-time. While in Leipzig, Goethe met with a beautiful lady, Anna Katharina.

He wrote her a love poem in the Rococo genre. Goethe disposed of most of his works after he became interested in works by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Christoph Martin Wieland.

5. He was privately tutored by his father

Goethe’s parents saw how talented he was that they got him, private tutors. He was tutored in Latin, Greek, French, Italian, English and Hebrew.

Other lessons that Goethe learnt were dancing, riding and fencing. His father believed that his children should get the best of what he never got.

When he turned 17, Goethe could fluently speak Greek, French, Italian, Latin and Hebrew.

Goethe was more interested in drawing but became more interested in literature. His devotion to playwrighting also grew and he held puppet shows at his home.

6. He loved literature more

Goethe had a liking for theatre and drawing but his heart was in literature. He spent most of his time reading works written by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and Homer.

His first collection of poems, Annette, was published anonymously in 1770. As a child, he memorised the five books of Moses as well as the Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Goethe used these moments to travel through imagination to the eastern regions.

7. Goethe was engaged to several women

Ulrike von Levetzow – Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Other than his love for literature and art in general, he loved the ladies too. He had several mistresses as well as fiancés.

Goethe’s first marriage was when he turned 57to his long-time girlfriend, Christiane Vulpius. They were parents to a 17-year-old son.

His novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, was about his lover Lotte. It brought him so much fame that he had to travel incognito.

In 1776, he had a close relationship with Charlotte von Stein, who was older and married. He, unfortunately, left town without telling her, this left Charlotte heartbroken.

8. Goethe’s illness rocked his relationship with his dad

By Joseph Karl Stieler – Wikimedia

During his stay in Frankfurt, Goethe fell ill. He had several relapses in the following years and it greatly affected his relationship with his father.

His mother and sister took care of him. He later left for Frankfurt to finish his studies at the University of Strasbourg.  

in 1775, Goethe was named the Grand Duke after meeting with Karl August, the Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

9. Goethe was great friends with Friedrich Schiller

Three years after moving to Frankfurt, Goethe met with one of the most outstanding German poets, Friedrich Schiller.

He loved the style that Friedrich used in his playwrights. For this reason, he ensured that Weimar’s theatre premiered every play that Friedrich published.

In 1794, Friedrich Schiller reached out to Goethe and they collaborated in several projects until Friedrich’s death in 1805.

10. He became the Duke’s confidant

Leonard G. and Anita J. – wikimedia

Other than serving in an official capacity for the Duke, Goethe was also his close friend and confidant. He spent the first decade at Weimar to study as well as acquire other soft skills needed to successfully carry his Duke duties.

Goethe served as a prime minister and the principal representative of the Duchy for two and a half years.