Goethe
(1749-1832) was a man of prodigious and diverse gifts. The
greatest lyric
poet in the German language, the author of several novels,
of innumerable essays, translations and critical works,
of an extended
dramatic poem of 57 years' writing, and of many plays
that are still performed, Goethe also found time to make
major advances in botany, geology, anatomy, optics and colour
theory. Goethe originally studied for law, but was invited
to Weimar,
where he became the duke's chief adviser. He then spent
2 years in Italy, returning to direct the Weimar ducal theatre
and devote
himself to science and literature. The early novel Sorrows
of Werther brought him a European reputation, and
his associations with the leading figures of the day were
extraordinarily productive, notably those with Herder,
Eckermann,
Schelling,
Schiller,
Fichte,
and Hegel.
Goethe's gifts
Whence
came Goethe's astonishing
productivity? He was educated
privately by his father, learning several languages
and mixing with the varied personalities of Frankfurt's
fairs, French occupation and the crowning of the Holy Roman
Emperor. Goethe's duties at Weimar
were onerous — causing him to eventually flee to Italy
— but he was sustained by an unfailing confidence in
his gifts and opinions. Some of his most beautiful
ballads, songs
and love
poems date from this hectic period. All intellectual
matters fascinated Goethe, and he saw no dichotomy between
artistic and scientific interests. Though increasingly divorced
from court life, Goethe's was always an independent spirit
that recognised kindred aspirations in those around him,
making
Weimar an influence on artists and thinkers in Germany
and beyond.
Goethe's importance
Goethe's work pushed European literature in new directions.
His early novels belong to the Sturm
und Drang movement, but his Sorrows of Werther in fact
criticised the fashionable melancholy of the time. The classical
plays (Egmont, Iphegenia
in Tauris, and Torquato Tasso) had assimilated Shakespeare
to explore psychological concerns of a different order. Faust
builds from Marlowe pact with the devil to include broodings
on the mystery of life, a symbolism
and complexity
of his own: knowledge is sought for transcendental
understanding rather than power. The importance of Elective
Affinities, which dealt with adultery, divorce and suicide,
was recognised long after Goethe's death. Faust can hardly
be performed, but that is not true of the many plays written
throughout Goethe's life, or of those written by Schiller
under Goethe's influence. Goethe was a dominating
presence in European thought, and one that has continued
in the abundant music, operas and films
inspired by his creations.
