What is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?
{{No sources|date=August 2019}} [[File:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Josef Stieler).jpg|thumb|right|Goethe in a 1828 painting by Josef Stieler]] '''Johann Wolfgang von Goethe''' (August 28, 1749 – March 22, 1832) was a [[Germans|German]] writer, [[poet]], [[novel]]ist, and [[playwright]]. He also worked as an [[actor]], [[administrator]], [[scientist]], [[geology|geologist]], [[botany|botanist]], and [[philosopher]]. He [[influence]]d many [[19th century]] writers and thinkers. His contributions to [[science]] include his work in botany and his ''[[Theory of Colours]]''. Famous lines from his books are often quoted, and some of his phrases have become part of the [[German language]]. His poems were set to [[music]] by composers like [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Hugo Wolf|Wolf]], and [[Richard Strauss|Strauss]]. == Early life == Goethe was born in [[Frankfurt am Main|Frankfurt]], [[Germany]]. His father was well-educated and very strict. His mother was only eighteen when he was born. When Goethe was a young boy, he began to write stories and [[Play (theatre)|plays]] for his friends. ===Education=== In his youth, he learned [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Latin]] and [[French language|French]]. He studied [[law]] in [[Leipzig]] from 1765 to 1768. He also wrote some [[letter]]s that are seen as beautiful, and that showed his promise as a writer. He continued his studies in [[Strasbourg]] from 1770 to 1771. He joined other young men who wanted to change the way that Germans were writing. He thought that people like [[Johann Christoph Gottsched]] were too strict about writing poetry. Instead of the ideas of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], he wanted poets to be creative and make their own rules. ===After youth=== One man who had many new ideas was a poet named [[Johann Gottfried von Herder]]. Herder liked the plays of [[Shakespeare]] (which he had learned in German) as well as folk poetry. These ideas were exciting for Goethe, and he helped Herder to