The great German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born on August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main. Fate from early childhood put the boy in happy conditions. His maternal grandfather came from old surname and held one of the highest positions in the city. His father was rich and an educated person, mother, smart and developed woman, had a soft, cheerful and conciliatory character. The child grew up in contentment, in a happy bourgeois environment, nature endowed him with a beautiful appearance and brilliant abilities. At the age of seven or eight, Goethe already knew the ancient and new languages. The boy's initial education was taken over by his father, then home teachers were invited.
Portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Painter G. von Kugelgen, 1808-09
In 1765, the sixteen-year-old Goethe entered the University of Leipzig to study law. Staying at the university gave the young man a certain stock of factual knowledge, but he was not satisfied with the pedantry and routine that prevailed at the university. Goethe moved from Leipzig to Strasbourg (1770); but even here he is little satisfied with the study of law. He turns to medicine and natural science. Dissatisfied with science, Goethe turns to alchemy and seeks satisfaction in communication with his comrades, in their adventures. Thus, individualism, the titanic claims of a person who is not satisfied with positive science and the ordinary interests of life are features that subsequently constituted main motive period of "stormy aspirations", "Werther" and the original "Faust", are already outlined in youth Goethe. In Strasbourg, Goethe met Herder, who had a huge influence on the poet. Herder aroused in him a love for German antiquity, developed before him his ideas about the meaning national element in creativity; he also taught him to love Shakespeare and admire Strasbourg Cathedral, a majestic monument of the ancient German art. Under the influence of conversations with Herder, Goethe, probably for the first time, began to get acquainted with the traditions and legends of the past. At this time, he met with the autobiography of a medieval knight, later the hero of his famous tragedy"Goetz von Berlichingen"; At the same time, the medieval the legend of the miraculous magician Faust, - a plot with which Goethe did not part then almost all his life.
The poet's first love for Friederike Brion also belongs to the Strasbourg period of Goethe's life. Goethe in this novel, as in subsequent ones, revealed some features for which the poet was reproached even by his admirers. He could never get carried away deeply and for a long time. Breaking with the object of his love, he often broke the heart of a girl; unwillingness to bind his fate, the desire for peace, which always lived in Goethe's soul even at the moments of his most stormy hobbies - these traits, bordering on selfishness, forced him to leave Friederike. Returning to Frankfurt, Goethe creates his first major work, the tragedy " Goetz von Berlichingen" (1773), which was a vivid expression of the ideas of Sturm und Drang "a (" Storm and onslaught") and immediately brought wide fame to the author. In "Goetz" Goethe's relationship with Friederike Brion was also reflected.
Geniuses and villains. Johann Wolfgang Goethe. video film
Even louder fame was brought to the poet by the following work after Goetz: “The Suffering young Werther» (see summary and analysis). The canvas for the novel was again the poet's personal impressions: his relationship with Charlotte Buff, who replaced Frederick, and the suicide of his friend Jeruzalem. But on this canvas, Goethe embroidered such rich patterns that still remain the best monument that turbulent era of doubt and hesitation. Werther is a chosen nature, a man with titanic pretensions, a true child of Sturm und Drang, a forerunner of Faust. surrounding reality, he does not find a correspondence between her and his ideals. He is disappointed in everything: in religion, science, state and public institutions and commits suicide. Werther has lost his medieval faith, and science, to which he makes too great demands, in which he seeks answers to all questions of being, cannot answer them. This fatal discord, this painful transition from faith and doubt to a true view of science and the tasks of earthly existence, the transition that gave rise to the poetry of the so-called "world sorrow", constitutes the main motive of the greatest of Goethe's works - Faust. "Werther" came out in 1774, and made real revolution V European literature, caused a lot of imitations and was the prototype of those disappointed heroes who flooded all the then fiction.
By 1775, Goethe's third romance with Elisabeth Shenman dates back, which ended as fruitlessly as the first two. Around the same time, Goethe wrote two dramatic works; "Clavigo" and "Stella", far inferior to "Getsu". In 1770, Goethe, at the invitation of Duke Karl August, moved to Weimar. Here he divided his time between adventures undertaken with the duke and administrative labors. He was appointed minister and privy councillor, and at one time actively assisted the duke in matters of administration. Here he conceived his wonderful works: "Iphigenia in Tauris", "Torquato Tasso", "Egmont", etc. Some of them were finally processed only after a trip to Italy (1786-88), which Goethe undertook from Weimar and which had beneficial effect on his poetic development. In Weimar, Goethe became friends with Mrs. von Stein, an advanced and educated woman. Their long friendship brought many happy moments to the poet; he read his works to Madame von Stein and talked with her about questions of art. At the same time, Goethe was fond of studying the natural sciences and undertook research in geology, botany and comparative anatomy. In the latter, he was especially fortunate: Goethe was able to prove that the premaxillary bone, which was considered to belong exclusively to animals, exists in ugly cases in humans as well (it has now been proven that this bone exists in the embryonic life of every person separately from the maxillary bone, with which subsequently grows quite well).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born on August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main, a German poet, thinker and naturalist. An outstanding representative of the Enlightenment in Germany, one of the founders of modern German literature, a versatile scientist.
The son of an imperial adviser, an educated burgher, Goethe studied in Leipzig (1765-1768) and Strasbourg (1770-1771), lectured in jurisprudence and many other scientific disciplines, including medicine. In Strasbourg, Goethe met J. G. Herder and became a member of the Sturm und Drang movement. In 1775 he came to Weimar at the invitation of Duke Karl August. Ignoring the opinion of the court, Goethe entered into a civil marriage with a flower shop worker, Christiane Vulpius. He accepted the Great French Revolution with restraint, but in September 1792, at the battle of Valmy, he brilliantly defined the world-historical significance of the victory of the revolutionary troops of France: “From this day and from this place a new era begins world history". Goethe's friendship with Schiller (since 1794) was of great importance. In Weimar, Goethe directed the theater organized by him in 1791.
Early poetic works Goethe (1767-1769) gravitate towards the traditions of the Anacreontic lyric. Goethe published his first collection of poems in 1769. new period his work begins in 1770. Goethe's lyrics from the Sturm und Drang period are one of the most brilliant pages in the history of German poetry. Lyrical hero Goethe appears as the embodiment of nature or in an organic merger with it ("The Traveler", 1772, "The Song of Mohammed", 1774). He refers to mythological images, comprehending them in a rebellious spirit (“Song of the Wanderer in the Storm”, 1771-1772; Prometheus’ monologue from an unfinished drama, 1773).
The historical drama Goetz von Berlichingen (1773) reflected the events on the eve of the Peasant War of the 16th century, sounding like a harsh reminder of princely arbitrariness and the tragedy of a fragmented country. In the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), Goethe, using the form sentimental romance in letters, conveys the dramatic personal experiences of the hero and at the same time creates a picture of German reality. In the drama "Egmont" (1788), which began even before moving to Weimar and is associated with the ideas of "Storm and Onslaught", the conflict between foreign oppressors and the people, whose resistance is suppressed, but not broken, is at the center of events; the finale of the drama sounds like a call to fight for freedom.
The decade of 1776-1785 is a transitional one in creative development Goethe. The reaction to individualistic rebellion determined Goethe's thought about the need for self-restraint of the individual ("Borders of Humanity", 1778-1781; "Ilmenau", 1783). However, true to the heroic precepts of humanism, Goethe argues that man is capable of creative daring ("Divine", 1782). This is the inconsistency of Goethe's worldview. The poet could not completely escape the oppressive influence of the backward social relations. At the end of the 80s of the 18th century, the concept of the so-called. Weimar classicism - a special version of European and German enlightenment. In the idea of harmony, adopted by Goethe from I. Winckelmann and developed by Goethe and Schiller, the statement of the ideal of a harmonious personality is combined with a program of gradual reforms, the ideas of struggle are replaced by the idea of education, which ultimately meant reconciliation with the existing order (drama "Torquato Tasso", 1780 -1789, ed. 1790).
Pagan-materialistic perception ancient culture most clearly expressed in the "Roman Elegies" (1790), glorifying carnal joys. Later, in the ballad The Corinthian Bride (1797), Goethe contrasts this life-affirming paganism with the ascetic religion of Christianity. The tragedy "Iphigenia in Tauris" (1779-1786, published in 1787) was written on the plot ancient Greek myth, the idea of tragedy is the victory of humanity over barbarism.
The Great French Revolution is directly reflected in the Venetian Epigrams (1790, published in 1796), in the drama The Citizen General (published in 1793), and in the short story Conversations of German Emigrants (1794-1795). ). Goethe does not accept revolutionary violence, but at the same time he recognizes the inevitability of social reorganization. During these years he writes satirical poem"Reinecke-Lis" (1793), denouncing feudal arbitrariness. In the poem "Hermann and Dorothea" (1797), written in hexameter, in a genre close to idyll, Goethe confronts the quiet patriarchal way of the German outback and the "unprecedented movement" unfolding beyond the Rhine. Goethe's largest work of the 90s is the novel "The Years of the Teaching of Wilhelm Meister" (1793-1796, published 1795-1796). The stage hobbies of the hero appear as a youthful delusion; in the finale of the novel, he sees his task in practical economic activity.
In fact, this meant reconciliation with the backward German reality. Brightness realistic domestic scenes, the colorful images are combined in Goethe's novel with a far-fetched mysterious finale, the image of mysterious figures, etc. The autobiographical book "Poetry and Truth from My Life" (parts 1-4. ed. early period Goethe's life, before moving to Weimar, and critically assesses the rebelliousness of "Sturm und Drang". "Italian Journey" (vols. 1-3, ed. 1816-1829) is a remarkable artistic document of the era. IN family romance"Elective affinity" (ed. 1809) Goethe raises the issue of freedom of feeling, but - under the sign of renunciation and fidelity to family foundations.
The novel "Wilhelm Meister's Wandering Years" (parts 1-3, 1821-1829), already largely associated with the tradition of German romantic novel, is notable for the idea of collective labor, embodied as a naive utopia of an artisan community. Interest in the East, characteristic of romanticism, is reflected in the cycle “West-Eastern Divan” (1814-1819, published in 1819), inspired by Persian poetry. In journalism recent years Goethe, rejecting Teutonomania and the mystical side of German romanticism, welcomes the collection folk songs L. I. Arnima and C. Brentano "The Magic Horn of a Boy" (1806-1808), highly appreciates Byron's romanticism. In polemic against the nationalist tendencies that developed in Germany during and after the Napoleonic Wars, Goethe puts forward the idea of "world literature", while not sharing the Hegelian skepticism in assessing the future of art.
The tragedy "Faust" (1st part - 1808, 2nd part - 1825-1831) sums up the development of the entire European educational thought of the 18th century and anticipates the problems of the 19th century. In processing the plot, Goethe relied on folk book about Faust (1587), as well as a puppet drama. The image of Faust embodies faith in the limitless possibilities of man. The inquisitive mind and daring of Faust are opposed to the fruitless efforts of the dry pedant Wagner, who fenced himself off from life, from the people. In the process of searching, Faust, overcoming the contemplativeness of German social thought, puts forward the act as the basis of being. The works of Goethe reflected the brilliant insights of dialectics (the monologue of the Spirit of the Earth, the contradictory aspirations of Faust himself). Goethe removes the metaphysical opposition of good and evil. Denial and skepticism, embodied in the image of Mephistopheles, become driving force helping Faust in his search for truth. The path to creation passes through destruction - such is the conclusion to which, according to Chernyshevsky, Goethe comes, generalizing historical experience of his era. Gretchen's story becomes an important link in the search for Faust.
The tragic situation arises as a result of an insoluble contradiction between the ideal of a natural person, as Margarita appears to Faust, and the real appearance of a limited girl from a petty-bourgeois environment. At the same time, Margarita is a victim of social prejudices and the dogmatism of church morality. In an effort to establish the humanistic ideal, Faust turns to antiquity. The marriage of Faust and Helen is a symbol of the unity of two eras. But this unity is only an illusion - Elena disappears, and their son dies. The result of Faust's searches is the conviction that the ideal must be realized on real earth. At the same time, Goethe already understands that the new, bourgeois society being created on the ruins of feudal Europe is far from ideal. Faced with a complex set of problems of the 19th century, Goethe retains an Enlightenment optimism, but turns it to future generations when free labor on a free land becomes possible. In the name of that bright future, a person must act and fight. “Only he is worthy of life and freedom, Who goes to battle for them every day!” - this is the final conclusion that follows from Goethe's optimistic tragedy.
The death of Goethe, according to G. Heine, marked the end of " artistic period" in German literature (a concept meaning that the interests of art then prevailed over socio-political ones).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; August 28, 1749, Frankfurt am Main - March 22, 1832, Weimar) - German poet, statesman, thinker and naturalist.
“My stern went to my father
Way, physique;
In mother - temper is always alive
And to the tales of attraction ",
He wrote in one of his later poems.
Goethe's first experiments in poetry belong to the age of eight. Not too strict home schooling under the supervision of his father, and then three years of student freemen at the University of Leipzig left him enough time to satisfy the craving for reading and try all the genres and styles of the Enlightenment, so that by the age of 19, when a serious illness forced him to interrupt his studies, he had already mastered the techniques poetry and drama, and was the author of a fairly significant number of works, most of which he later destroyed.
The collection of poems "Annette", dedicated to Anna Katharina Schonkopf, the daughter of the owner of the Leipzig tavern, where Goethe used to dine, and the pastoral comedy "Whims of a Lover" were specially preserved.
In Strasbourg, where in 1770-1771. Goethe completed his legal education, and for the next four years in Frankfurt he was the leader of a literary revolt against the principles established by J.H. Gottsched (1700-1766) and Enlightenment theorists.
Eleven years at the Weimar court (1775-1786), where he was a friend and adviser to the young Duke Charles August, radically changed the life of the poet. Goethe is a tireless inventor and organizer of balls, masquerades, practical jokes, amateur performances, hunts and picnics, a trustee of parks, architectural monuments and museums - was in the very center of the court society.
He became a member of the ducal Privy Council, and later - Minister of State, in charge of laying roads, recruiting, public finances, community service, mining projects, etc. and spent many years studying geology, mineralogy, botany and comparative anatomy. But most of all he benefited from his long daily contact with Charlotte von Stein.
The emotionality and revolutionary iconoclasm of the Sturm und Drang period are a thing of the past; now Goethe's ideals in life and art are restraint and self-control, poise, harmony and classical perfection of form. Instead of great geniuses, his heroes become completely ordinary people(autobiographical book "Poetry and Truth", novels "Years of Wilhelm Meister's Teaching", "Years of Wilhelm Meister's Wanderings", a collection of lyrical poems "West-Eastern Divan").
Goethe's work reflected the most important trends and contradictions of the era. In the final philosophical work - the tragedy "Faust" (1808-1832), saturated with the scientific thought of his time - he embodied the search for the meaning of life, finding it in action. J. Beethoven, C. Gounod wrote music on the themes of Goethe's works.
Description http://ru.wikipedia.org and http://citaty.su
In the biography of Goethe, the date of birth is marked on August 28, 1749. It was on this day that the son of the imperial adviser Kasper and the daughter of the city judge of Frankfurt am Main, Katharina Elisabeth Goethe, was born. From childhood, Johan did not need anything, which he owed to his grandfather, who during his life turned from a tailor into an owner of a tavern.
Goethe's father traveled a lot and collected an impressive library, from which young Johann often read books. Once he got acquainted with the contents of a book about the mysterious warlock Johann Georg Faust, which in many years would bring him worldwide fame.
At the age of 6, he became interested in religion and wondered about the existence of God. Johan attended school for two years, after which he was transferred to home schooling, where he received a comprehensive education.
University years
In 1765 Goethe was enrolled at the University of Leipzig. Although his father's desire was to be educated as a lawyer, Goethe became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy. He liked to listen to the poems of Christian Gellert, and at drawing lessons he met Johann Winckelmann.
In his house, Goethe often arranged meetings, liked to go to the theater and play card games. In 1768, Goethe falls ill with tuberculosis and is forced to quit his studies in order to return home. On this basis, he starts quarrels with his father.
Life and art
While on sick leave, Goethe writes his first literary work- comedy "Partners". In 1770, he tries to finish his studies and goes to Strasbourg, but there he awakens an interest in chemistry, medicine and philology. There, the theologian I. Herder had a great influence on the formation of Goethe's personality.
In Strasbourg, Johann enters the "Sturm und Drang", which preached the veneration of emotions instead of reason. In the wake of this trend, he falls in love with Friederike Brion and writes her poems "Steppe Rose", "May Song" and others. However, soon the love faded and they parted.
In 1773, his play Goetz von Berlichingen with an Iron Hand was published, which brought popularity to the author in the Holy Roman Empire. A year later, he consolidates his success with the work “The Suffering of Young Werther”, in which a young man in love, without meeting reciprocal feelings, commits suicide.
In 1782, Goethe wrote the mystical ballad The King of the Forest, which tells of a mysterious creature that took the life of a sick child.
At the age of 20, Goethe began work on the main work of his life - the poem "Faust". It is unique in its structure and content, and also reflects the dynamics of the development of the author's personality. The first excerpt of the book was published in 1808, and it was published in full 24 years later. He considered the protagonist of this work the devil, who appeared in the world under the name of Mephistopheles, as part of a mysterious force that always wants evil, but is doomed to do good. This work has been translated into many languages of the world and is considered the property of world culture.
Personal life
studying short biography Goethe Johann Wolfgang, it can be noted that he was mysterious person. Some literary scholars consider the protagonist of Faust to be the prototype of Goethe.
He was popular with women and often wove love affairs. Only Christiane Vulpius succeeded in capturing him for thirty years. Goethe loved her simplicity and sincerity.
In his free time from literary creativity, the philosopher bred violets and replenished his collection of minerals.
The cause of death of the philosopher was cardiac arrest. The last words of the poet were "Please close the window." In many cities, monuments have been erected in honor of the German writer and some space objects have been named.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, a classic of world literature. Born in Frankfurt am Main, an old German city, on August 28, 1749. He died at the age of 83, March 22, 1832, in the city of Weimar.
Goethe's father, Johann Kaspar Goethe, a wealthy German burgher, served as an imperial adviser. Mother, daughter of a senior policeman, Katarina Elisabeth Goethe, nee Textor. In 1750, Johann Goethe's sister Cornelia was born. Subsequently, the parents had several more children, but, unfortunately, they all died in infancy.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von: a short biography
The cozy atmosphere, the affectionate attitude of the mother opened up a fantasy world for small child. Thanks to the prosperity of the family, the atmosphere of fun always reigned in the house, there were many games, songs, fairy tales, which allowed the child to develop in every sense. Under the strict supervision of his father, already at the age of eight, Goethe wrote German and Latin discourses on themes of moralizing. Fascinated by the beauty of nature, he even tried to summon a fantastic deity that rules over the elements.
When the French occupation, which lasted more than two years, ended, Frankfurt seemed to wake up after a long hibernation. The townspeople showed interest in the theater stage, and this also affected little Johann: he tried to write tragedies in the French style.
There was a good library in von Goethe's house, with a large number of books in different languages, which made it possible for the future writer to become closely acquainted with the literature in early childhood. He read Virgil in the original, got acquainted with the Metamorphoses and the Iliad. Goethe studied several languages. In addition to his native German, he was fluent in French, Italian, Greek and Latin. He also took dance lessons, fencing and horseback riding. A gifted young man, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose biography is very chaotic, achieved success not only in literature, but also in jurisprudence.
He studied at the University of Strasbourg, defended his thesis in law. But the legal field did not attract him, he was much more interested in medicine, later he took up osteology and anatomy.
First love and first creativity
In 1772, Goethe was sent to practice law in Wetzlar, where he was to study the judicial activities of the Roman Empire. There he met Charlotte Buff, the fiancee of I. Kestner, secretary of the Hanover embassy. Wolf fell in love with a girl, but realized the futility of his torment and left the city, leaving a letter to his beloved. Soon Goethe learned from Kestner's letter that F. Yeruzal had shot himself, who was also in love with Charlotte Buff.
Goethe was greatly shocked by what had happened, he also had thoughts of suicide. A new hobby brought him out of depression, he fell in love with the daughter of his friend, Maximilian Brentano, who was married. Goethe made great efforts to overcome this feeling. This is how The Sorrows of Young Werther was born.
While studying at the University of Leipzig, he met Kathen Scheunkopf and fell passionately in love. To win the attention of the girl, he begins to write funny poems about her. This occupation fascinated him, he began to imitate the poems of other poets. So, for example, his comedy work Die Mitschuldigen, among the poems of Höllenfahrt Christi, smacks of Kramer's spirit. Johann Wolfgang Goethe continues to improve his work, writes in the Rococo style, but his style is still barely visible.
Formation
The turning point in Goethe's work can be considered his acquaintance and friendship with Garder. It was Garder who influenced Goethe's attitude to culture and poetry. In Strasbourg, Wolfgang Goethe met the aspiring writers Wagner and Lenz. Interested in folk poetry. She enjoys reading Ossian, Shakespeare, Homer. Pursuing legal practice, Goethe continues intensive work in the literary field.
Weimar
In 1775, Goethe met the Duke of Weimar, Crown Prince of Saxony, Karl August. In the autumn of that year, he moved to Weimar, where he subsequently spent most own life. In the first years of his life in Weimar, he takes an active part in the development of the duchy. He undertook to lead the military board, road construction work. At the same time, he writes the drama "Iphigenia in Taurida" and the play "Egmont", begins to work on "Faust". Among the works of that time one can also note his ballads and "Poems to Lida".
During the French Revolution and the Franco-Prussian War, Goethe was somewhat removed from literature, his interest was natural Sciences. He even made a discovery in anatomy in 1784, when he discovered the human premaxilla.
Schiller's influence
From 1786 to 1788, Goethe traveled around Italy, which was reflected in his work as the era of classicism. Returning to Weimar, he retired from court affairs. But Goethe did not immediately come to a settled life, he went on trips more than once. He visited Venice, visited Breslau with the Duke of Weimar, took part in a military campaign against Napoleon. In 1794, he met with helped him in the publication of the magazine "Ora". Their communication and joint discussion of plans gave Goethe a new creative impetus, so their joint work Xenien appeared, published in 1796.
The bonds of marriage or another romance
At the same time, Goethe began to live with a young girl who worked in a flower shop, Christiane Vilpius. The entire public of Weimar was shocked, relationships outside of marriage at that time were something out of the ordinary. Only in October 1806 did he marry his beloved Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His wife, Christiane Vulpius, had already given birth to several children at that time, but all but Augustus, Goethe's first son, had died. Augustus and his wife Otilija had three children, but none of them married, so the Goethe line ended in 1831 when his son Augustus died in Rome.
The first significant works of Goethe can be attributed to 1773. His drama Gottfried von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand made an indelible impression on his contemporaries. In this work, Goethe presented in an unexpected perspective the image of a fighter for social equality and justice, rather typical image in the literature of the time. The hero of the work, Goetz von Berlichingen, is a knight dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the country. Therefore, he decides to start an uprising of the peasants, but when things have taken a serious turn, he retreats from him. The rule of law is established, they turned out to be powerless revolutionary movements described in the drama as willfulness and chaos. Final act: the hero finds freedom in death, his last words: “Farewell, dear ones! My roots are cut, my strength leaves me. Oh, what heavenly air! Freedom, freedom!
The reason for writing a new work "Elective Affinity" was Goethe's new hobby - Minna Herzlieb. Experiencing another mental decline, he left for Carlsbad, where he began to write a novel. He borrowed the name from chemistry, the term means the phenomenon of random attraction. Goethe showed that the action of natural laws is acceptable not only in chemistry, but also in human relations, or rather, in love. IN Everyday life everything has its special symbolic meaning, and in the novel deep philosophical reflections combined with the simplicity of everyday life.
Creativity Goethe
In the drama "Iphigenia" one can feel the strong influence of Homer. Orestes, brother of Iphigenia, and his friend Pylades arrive in Tauris. In Orestes one can see the resemblance to Goethe himself. Embraced by anxiety, driven by sinister furies, seeing hostile creatures in the Olympians, Orestes hopes to find peace in the arms of death. Iphigenia, in order to save her brother and his friend, who were sentenced to death, puts her fate in the hands of the king of Tauris, Toan. With her sacrifice, she atones for the curse placed on Tantalus and his descendants for self-will. Also, with her act, she heals her brother, as if renewing, calms his soul. As a result, Orestes acts like Iphigenia, renouncing his fate.
Perfect creation
In 1774, Johann Wolfgang Goethe wrote a novel in letters, The Sorrows of Young Werther. Many consider this creation the most perfect, giving the author worldwide fame and glory. This work describes the confrontation between the world and man, which suddenly grew into a love story. Werther is a young boy who does not agree with the burgher way of life and the laws that prevailed in Germany. Like Goetz von Berlichingen, Werther challenges the system. He does not want to become a flattering, pompous and arrogant person, it is better to die. Ultimately, romantic strong-willed a person turns out to be devastated, all attempts to defend the image of his fictional, ideal world fail.
In the "Roman Elegies" Goethe is filled with the joy of paganism, shows his participation in the culture of antiquity. Main character is content with everything that can be taken from life, there is no craving for the unattainable, there is no self-denial of one's will. The author shows all the joy and sensuality of love, which he interprets not as bringing a person closer to death, but as something that helps strengthen ties with the earth.
Torquato Tasso
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1790 wrote a drama about the collision of two different people- Torquato Tasso. The action of the drama takes place at the court of the Duke of Ferrara. The heroes are the poet Tasso, who does not want to obey the laws and customs of the court, who does not accept its customs, and the courtier Antonio, who, on the contrary, voluntarily follows these laws. All Tasso's attempts to disobey the will of the court, to show his independence, ended in failure, which greatly shocked him. As a result, Tasso recognizes the wisdom and worldly experience of Antonio: “So a swimmer grabs a rock, which threatened to break him.”
About Wilhelm
In some works, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe strives to show everything possible that people can renounce. This is love, and religion, and free will. In the work “The Years of the Teaching of Wilhelm Meister”, Goethe shows the main character, who has surrendered to the disposal of a secret alliance. The son of a wealthy burgher family, Wilhelm gave up the career of an actor, the only opportunity to be independent in a feudal environment. He considers his creative way as a willful attitude to feudal reality, a desire to rise. Finally, giving up cherished dream, showing cowardice and overcoming pride, Wilhelm enters into a secret alliance. The nobles who organized secret society, rallied people who are afraid of the revolution, any change in the established burgher life.
The struggle of the kingdom of the Netherlands with Spanish domination served as the basis for the tragedy of Egmont. The protagonist fights for the independence of the nation, leaving love experiences to the background, the will of history becomes more important than the will of fate. Egmont lets everything go its own way, and eventually dies because of a careless attitude to what is happening.
Faust
But most famous work that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote all his life is Faust. Urfaust, a kind of preface to Faust, Goethe wrote in 1774-1775. In this part, the author's intention is just being revealed, Faust is a rebel, trying in vain to penetrate the secrets of nature, to rise above the world around him. The next passage was published in 1790, and it was not until 1800 that the prologue to In Heaven appeared, giving the drama the shape we see today. Faust's plans are motivated, because of him God and Mephistopheles entered into an argument. God predicted salvation for Faust, since anyone who seeks can make a mistake.
First part
Before reaching the ultimate goal of his life, Johann Goethe prepared Faust to undergo a series of trials. The first test was the love for the sweet bourgeois Gretchen. But Faust does not want to bind himself with family ties, limit himself to some kind of framework and leaves his beloved. In deep despair, Gretchen kills a newborn baby and dies herself. So Wolfgang von Goethe shows how the desire for grandiose plans, neglect own feelings and the opinion of the people around you can lead to such tragic consequences.
Second part
The second test is the union of Faust with Helen. In the shade of outlandish groves, in the company of a charming Greek woman, he finds peace for a while. But he can't stop there either. The second part of "Faust" is especially expressive, gothic images gave way ancient Greek period. The action is transferred to Hellas, the images take shape, slip through mythological motifs. The second part of the work is a kind of collection of knowledge about which Johann Goethe had an idea in life. There are reflections on philosophy, politics, natural sciences.
Having renounced belief in the other world, he decides to serve society, devote his strength and aspirations to it. Deciding to create an ideal state of free people, he begins a grandiose construction project on land reclaimed from the sea. But some forces, accidentally awakened by him, are trying to stop him. Mephistopheles, in the guise of the commander of a flotilla of merchants, against the will of Faust, kills two old men to whom he has become attached. Faust, shocked by grief, still does not cease to believe in his ideals and continues to build a state of free people until his death. In the final scene, Faust's soul is carried up to heaven by angels.
Legend of Faust
The basis of the plot for the tragedy "Faust" was a legend common in medieval Europe. It spoke of Johann Faust, a doctor who made a pact with the devil himself, who promised him secret knowledge, with which any metal can be turned into gold. In this drama, Goethe skillfully intertwined science and artistic design. The first part of "Faust" is more like a tragedy, and the second is filled with mystery, the plot loses its logic and is transferred to the infinity of the Universe.
Goethe's biography says that he completed his life's work on July 22, 1831, sealed the manuscript and ordered the envelope to be opened after his death. Faust took almost sixty years to write. Started during the period of "Sturm und Drang" in German literature and completed during the period of romanticism, it reflected all the changes that took place in the life and work of the poet.
Disagreements of contemporaries
The poet's contemporaries treated him very ambiguously, his work "The Sufferings of Young Werther" got more success. The novel was accepted, but still some educators decided that he preaches pessimism and lack of will. Herder was already indignant about Iphigenia, believing that his student was too carried away by classicism. The writers of young Germany, not finding democratic and liberal ideas in Goethe's works, decided to debunk him as a writer who can only be loved by insensitive and selfish people. Thus, interest in Goethe would only return towards the end of the nineteenth century. Burdach, Gundolf and others helped in this, discovering the work of the late Goethe.
Until now, the creations created by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are very popular with theater and film directors, quotes from his works are relevant in our time. and the poet, thinker and statesman is of interest not only to his compatriots, but also to readers around the world.
Russian Goethe
In Russia, the first translations of Goethe appeared in 1781 and immediately aroused great interest in the writer's work. Karamzin, Radishchev and many others admired him. Novikov, in his Dramatic Dictionary, included Goethe among the greatest playwrights West. The controversy surrounding Goethe did not go unnoticed in Russia either. In the 1830s, Menzel's book translated into Russian was published, in which he gave a negative description of Goethe's work. Soon Belinsky responded to this criticism with his article. It said that Menzel's conclusions were brazen and daring. Although later Belinsky nevertheless admitted that in the works of Goethe there are no social and historical elements, acceptance of reality prevails.
An interesting biography of Goethe does not reveal all the moments of his eventful life. Many points remain unclear to this day. So, for example, from 1807 to 1811 Goethe corresponded with Bettina von Arnim. This relationship is described in Kundera's novel Immortality. Correspondence ceased after a quarrel between Bettina von Arnim and Goethe's wife, Christiane Vulpius. It is also worth noting that Johann Goethe was 36 years older than Bettina.
Heritage
Among Goethe's awards, one can single out the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of the Crown of Bavaria, first degree, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor, the Commander's Cross of the Imperial Austrian Order of Leopold. Among the legacy that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe left are photos, paintings with his image, scientific works, many monuments both in Germany and around the world. But, of course, the most significant is his literary work, at the head of which is the work of his life - Faust.
Goethe's works were translated into Russian by Griboyedov and Bryusov, Grigoriev and Zabolotsky. Even such classics of Russian literature as Tolstoy, Tyutchev, Fet, Kochetkov, Lermontov, Pasternak did not hesitate to translate the works of the great German poet.
Numerous biographers who were interested in Goethe's work noted an internal bifurcation in him. This is especially noticeable at the moment of a sharp transition from the young Johann Wolfgang, a rebel and maximalist, to a later, matured one. Late creativity Goethe inspired by experience, years of thought, filled with worldly wisdom, which is not inherent in young people.
In 1930, a congress was held in Hamburg on the history and theory of art. Reports on space and time were read, very emotional discussions were held, there were many disputes. But what was most surprising was that all the speakers constantly referred to the work of Goethe, cited excerpts from his works. Of course, this suggests that a century later, he was not forgotten. His works are popular even today, they also cause a storm of admiration. Some may like them, some may not, but it is impossible to remain indifferent.
