born Aug. 28, 1749, Frankfurt am Main
died March 22, 1832, Weimar, Saxe-Weimar
German poet, novelist, playwright, and natural philosopher.
In 1773 Goethe provided the Sturm und Drang movement with its first major drama, Götz von Berlichingen , and in 1774 with its first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther , an extraordinarily popular work in its time, in which he created the prototype of the Romantic hero. In 1775 he accepted an appointment at the ducal court at Weimar, where he would remain the rest of his life; his presence would establish Weimar as a literary and intellectual centre. His poetry includes lyrics in praise of natural beauty and ballads such as "The Elf King" (1782) that echo folk themes. Many early works were inspired by a series of passionate loves. Contact with classical Greek and Romantic culture during an Italian sojourn helped shape his plays, including Iphigenie auf Tauris (1787), Egmont (1788), and Torquato Tasso (1790), and the poems in Roman Elegies (1795). From 1794, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1795–96) is often called the first {{link=bildungsroman">bildungsroman ; it was followed many years later by Wilhelm Meister's Travels (1821–29). His chief masterpiece, the philosophical drama Faust (Part I, 1808; Part II, 1832), concerns the struggle of the soul for knowledge, power, happiness, and salvation. Goethe also wrote extensively, if idiosyncratically, on botany, optics, and other scientific topics. In his late years he was celebrated as a sage and visited by world luminaries. The greatest figure of German Romanticism, he is regarded as a giant of world literature.