History Creator / JohannWolfgangVonGoethe

Goethe died in 1832 in Weimar. His last words were (allegedly), "More light!"

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe[[note]]For the benefit of English-speakers, his name is pronounced (roughly) "'''Yo'''-hawn '''Volf'''g'''uhng''' phone '''Gö'''tuh" -- not "Go-eth".[[/note]] (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) is to German what Creator/DanteAlighieri is to Italian, Creator/WilliamShakespeare is to English, Creator/{{Miguel de Cervantes}} to Spanish, and Creator/AlexanderPushkin to Russian: the most important author of his language. The quintessential UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker. He was a German [[RenaissanceMan poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic]].

[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:244:Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler]]

Although mostly known for his literary works, Goethe also [[RenaissanceMan dabbled in many fields of science]]. For example, he discovered the incisive bone, though others had discovered it independently before him. He studied botany extensively and declared "alles ist Blatt" (all is leaf). He also disagreed with Newton's theory of colour and came up with his own, and then could never figure out why [[CreatorsPet nobody agreed that it was his greatest work]]. He did, however, sell this theory (or seemed to) to the itinerant exiled UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}}n independence activist and revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, whom he met and told "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted." As Goethe's theory was that the primary colors were yellow, blue, and red, this led Miranda to create a yellow, blue, and red flag for his movement, and this flag was retained (through Miranda's sometime protégé UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar), with variations, for Venezuela, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}.

-->--'''Johann Wolfgang von Goethe''', from ''Distichs'' (translation by Edgar Alfred Bowring)

-->--'''Johann Wolfgang von Goethe''', ''L'Envoi''

--'''Johann Wolfgang von Goethe''', ''L'Envoi''

[[caption-width-right:244:Mehr Licht!]]

->''Das also war des Pudels Kern!''
->''So that was the poodle's core!'' - frequently quoted divorced of its context (Mephistopheles had disguised himself as a poodle)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) is to German what Creator/DanteAlighieri is to Italian, Creator/WilliamShakespeare is to English, Creator/{{Miguel de Cervantes}} to Spanish or Creator/AlexanderPushkin to Russian: the most important author of his language. The quintessential UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker.

For the benefit of English-speakers, his name is pronounced (roughly) "'''Yo'''-hawn '''Volf'''g'''uhng''' phone '''Gö'''tuh" -- not "Go-eth". Born in 1749 in Frankfurt am Main, Goethe rose to fame with the drama ''Theatre/GotzVonBerlichingen'' and the novel ''Literature/TheSorrowsOfYoungWerther''. Werther, the hero of the latter story, even was a role model for many young people of Goethe's time, many of them adopting his signature yellow waistcoat and his philosophy. This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that the story ends with Werther's suicide. The oft-repeated claim that the book caused a suicide epidemic among young men lacks solid evidence, and is probably greatly exaggerated.

Although mostly known for his literary works, Goethe also [[RenaissanceMan dabbled in many fields of science]]. For example, he discovered the incisive bone, though others had discovered it independently before him. He studied botany extensively and declared "alles ist Blatt" (all is leaf). He also [[DidntThinkThisThrough disagreed with Newton's theory of colour]] and [[ShownTheirWork came up with his own]], and then could never figure out why [[CreatorsPet nobody agreed that it was his greatest work]]. He did, however, sell this theory (or seemed to) to the itinerant exiled UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}}n independence activist and revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, whom he met and told "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted." As Goethe's theory was that the primary colors were yellow, blue, and red, this led Miranda to create a yellow, blue, and red flag for his movement, and this flag was retained (through Miranda's sometime protégé UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar), with variations, for Venezuela, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}.

----

Although mostly known for his literary works, Goethe also [[RenaissanceMan dabbled in many fields of science]]. For example, he discovered the incisive bone, though others had discovered it independently before him. He studied botany extensively and declared "alles ist Blatt" (all is leaf). He also [[DidntThinkThisThrough disagreed with Newton's theory of colour]] and [[ShownTheirWork came up with his own]], and then could never figure out why [[CreatorsPet nobody agreed that it was his greatest work]]. He did, however, sell this theory (or seemed to) to the itinerant exiled UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}}n independence activist and revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, whom he met and told "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted." As Goethe's theory was that the primary colors were yellow, red, and blue, this led Miranda to create a yellow, red, and blue flag for his movement, and this flag was retained (through Miranda's sometime protégé UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar) for Venezuela, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}.

Although mostly known for his literary works, Goethe also [[RenaissanceMan dabbled in many fields of science]]. For example, he discovered the incisive bone, though others had discovered it independently before him. He studied botany extensively and declared "alles ist Blatt" (all is leaf). He also [[DidntThinkThisThrough disagreed with Newton's theory of colour]] and [[ShownTheirWork came up with his own]], and then could never figure out why [[CreatorsPet nobody agreed that it was his greatest work]]. He did, however, sell this theory (or seemed to) to the itinerant exiled UsefulNotes/{{Venezuelan}} independence activist and revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, whom he met and told "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted." As Goethe's theory was that the primary colors were yellow, red, and blue, this led Miranda to create a yellow, red, and blue flag for his movement, and this flag was retained (through Miranda's sometime protégé UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar) for Venezuela, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}.

Although mostly known for his literary works, Goethe also [[RenaissanceMan dabbled in many fields of science]]. For example, he discovered the incisive bone, though others had discovered it independently before him. He studied botany extensively and declared "alles ist Blatt" (all is leaf). He also [[DidntThinkThisThrough disagreed with Newton's theory of colour]] and [[ShownTheirWork came up with his own]], and then could never figure out why [[CreatorsPet nobody agreed that it was his greatest work]].

[[caption-width-right:244:[[FamousLastWords Mehr Licht!]]]]

Goethe died in 1832 in Weimar. His [[FamousLastWords last words]] were (allegedly), "More light!"

Goethe also traveled to Italy. During his time, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Germans loved]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Italy]]! He became one of the most well-documented people of all time; he was so famous so early that nearly everyone who met him wrote about him in detail, loads of his correspondence has been preserved and practically every scrap he ever wrote has been published: the standard modern Hamburg Edition of his works runs to ''11,000 pages''.

Goethe also traveled to Italy. During his time, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Germans love]][[strike:[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff d]]]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Italy]]! He became one of the most well-documented people of all time; he was so famous so early that nearly everyone who met him wrote about him in detail, loads of his correspondence has been preserved and practically every scrap he ever wrote has been published: the standard modern Hamburg Edition of his works runs to ''11,000 pages''.

* ''Venezianische Epigramme'' (''Venetian Epigrams'') -- A collection of witty epigrams inspired by Goethe's time in Venice, something of a Sequel to the ''Elegies''. They range over a variety of subjects in a mood of cheerful cynicism and are sometimes [[HotterAndSexier amazingly filthy and very funny]] often in [[BiTheWay unexpected ways]]; characteristically, Goethe wrote whatever came into his head but was careful not to publish the really filthy ones.

* "[[SorcerersApprenticePlot Der Zauberlehrling]]" ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice") -- Non-German speakers might know this story better with [[Disney/{{Fantasia}} Mickey Mouse as the apprentice]].

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) is to German what [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante Alighieri]] is to Italian, Creator/WilliamShakespeare is to English, Creator/{{Miguel de Cervantes}} to Spanish or Creator/AlexanderPushkin to Russian: the most important author of his language. The quintessential UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) is to German what [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante Alighieri]] is to Italian, Creator/WilliamShakespeare is to English, [[Literature/DonQuixote Miguel de Cervantes]] to Spanish or Creator/AlexanderPushkin to Russian: the most important author of his language. The quintessential UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is to German what [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante Alighieri]] is to Italian, Creator/WilliamShakespeare is to English, [[Literature/DonQuixote Miguel de Cervantes]] to Spanish or Creator/AlexanderPushkin to Russian: the most important author of his language. The quintessential UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker.

Unlike what one would expect from famous German writers at the time, Goethe was relaxed about including lots of rude and dirty jokes in his works. ''Götz von Berlichingen'', a biographical piece about a famous soldier, is known as the play in which the main character speaks the line ''"Tell him that he can lick my arse!"'' (Indeed, the subject of the play is said to have ''invented'' the insult - Goethe merely quoted him. Also note: "Lick my arse" is roughly equivalent to "kiss my ass" in English; it's the phrase [[Creator/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] used in his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leck_mich_im_Arsch famously and childishly rude canon in B-flat minor]], and Mozart actually jokes about Goethe in it.)