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Dramatic Works of Goethe: Comprising Faust, Iphigenia in Tauris, Torquato Tasso, Egmont, and Goetz von Berlichingen
Translated by Anna Swanwick and Walter Scott. This Elibron Classics book is a reprint of a 1850 edition by Henry G. Bohn, London.
601 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
23 people want to read
About the author
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13.3k books6,979 followersA master of poetry, drama, and the novel, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent 50 years on his two-part dramatic poem
Faust
, published in 1808 and 1832, also conducted scientific research in various fields, notably botany, and held several governmental positions.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
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August 31, 2009
Iphigenia in Tauris. OK, I read Greek plays, so this was irritating. Apparently written during the period when Goethe was infatuated with Greek plays, gods, etc. . . . and having himself always the "star" of his readings. He wrote the part of Orestes for himself to perform. The play is supposed to be about Iphigenia, not Orestes. I'd recommend reading the original Greek play and just skipping this. I'd rate this a zero!
Torquato Tasso. I appreciate the research that Goethe did on specific historic characters that he used in this play. The history is very interesting and not widely written about. The play, however, doesn't present enough of the history for the reader to understand all of the underlying ramifications and draw conclusions about the characters. As a play, not so hot. An entire play of lengthy monologues is not a play . . . it's a collection of monologues. So, the story is better, but I'd flunk it as a play. As a story, about a 3.5, As a play, about a 0.5-1. 2.25.
Goetz von Berlichingen. This has even more historical research - and more of it is presented for the reader. That's a plus. Goethe was trying to immitate Shakespeare, a highly successful playwright, in style. I would say it is a definite improvement on the first two plays, but really still doesn't succeed. And, typical Goethe, at the end, it devolves into melodrama. Worth looking at, not absolute dreck, but nothing stellar. As a story, about a 3.5. As a play, about a 2. 2.75.
The Fellow Culprits. Short comedy written, again, during the period when Goethe was writing light amusements for him and his fellows to perform and entertain the group. It's actually more like a play! Rather insipid, though. As a story, 1. As a play, 3. 2.
Torquato Tasso. I appreciate the research that Goethe did on specific historic characters that he used in this play. The history is very interesting and not widely written about. The play, however, doesn't present enough of the history for the reader to understand all of the underlying ramifications and draw conclusions about the characters. As a play, not so hot. An entire play of lengthy monologues is not a play . . . it's a collection of monologues. So, the story is better, but I'd flunk it as a play. As a story, about a 3.5, As a play, about a 0.5-1. 2.25.
Goetz von Berlichingen. This has even more historical research - and more of it is presented for the reader. That's a plus. Goethe was trying to immitate Shakespeare, a highly successful playwright, in style. I would say it is a definite improvement on the first two plays, but really still doesn't succeed. And, typical Goethe, at the end, it devolves into melodrama. Worth looking at, not absolute dreck, but nothing stellar. As a story, about a 3.5. As a play, about a 2. 2.75.
The Fellow Culprits. Short comedy written, again, during the period when Goethe was writing light amusements for him and his fellows to perform and entertain the group. It's actually more like a play! Rather insipid, though. As a story, 1. As a play, 3. 2.
Displaying 1 of 1 review