Born August 28 1749 in Frankurt am Main Germany, Goethe was a prolific writer and thinker known for his poetry, plays and scientific works. He lived a significant portion of his life in Weimar, a wealthy semi-city state in the Holy Roman empire. During his adolescent years he studied law in Leipzig, but left without a degree due to an unrequited love. This instigated an emotional turmoil in Goethe, festering into his first play “Die Mitschuldigen” in 1787. “Die Mitschuldigen” told the story of a young woman who regrets her decision after marrying the wrong person. This would become a theme in Goethe’s life, falling in love with those he could not be with and agonizing over the pain of unrequited love. His next work “Die Leiden des jungen Werthers” or “The Sorrows of Young Werther” became an instant hit.
Later on in his life, Goethe traveled extensively and delved in and out of law, science, alchemy, statesmanship, critic and even a director. In 1791 Goethe took a management position in the Weimar Court Theater, where he quickly set to rebuild the theater. During this time, Goethe had a number of plays produced which were written by his contemporary and friend Freidrich Schiller. Their friendship would produce a litany of poetry and influential thought on classicism, romanticism and aethestics, pushing the two to become prominent thinkers of what is now considered German classicism.
Goethe took a mistress named Christine Vulpius, whom he later married after 18 years and had a son named Julius August Walter. He died in 1832 by what was assumed to be heart failure. He is buried alongside Schiller in Weimar Historical Cemetery.
