Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt, Germany and was instructed in Latin and other common subjects of the time by his father and private tutors. Goethe became interested in literature and writing, though he threw away most of his early literary attempts. After writing the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther at age 25, Goethe became a literary celebrity and as a result, was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimire, Carl August, eventually becoming the Duke’s main adviser. Faust, Goethe’s epic drama, would be completed in stages and only published in its entirety after Goethe’s death.