Go, Go, Goethe!

Who is your favorite historical figure?

Frequent readers of my blog will know exactly who my favorite historical figure is. And others will probably know, too, since I gave it away in my title.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is best known for writing Faust (Parts One and Two), but there was so much more to this 18th Century Renaissance Man. His talent, forged in the fire of the German sturm und drang movement, flowered in the full Romanticism of the Weimar Classicism movement he created with Friedrich Schiller.

Poet, writer, alchemist, theorist, and natural philosopher—all describe Goethe. He was also a puppeteer, and I suspect that this childhood pastime sowed the seeds for his talent as a theatre director. (You just have to read his ideas for actors and performance to see the connection.)

Speaking of seeding and forging, a few years back I assembled a play called Poetry and Truth (from the title of Goethe’s autobiography). It contained prose passages from his Conversations with Eckermann (compiled by his secretary), dramatic pieces from Faust and other works, and songs from Faust and other sources. I think it would be an amazing piece of entertainment, and would love to find a way to stage it.

Had you heard of Goethe before? Let me know in the comments, and please like and follow.