There are two major works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — the German polymath of the 18th and 19th centuries — that are well known and still frequently read: Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther. Both have a vivid place in the popular imagination, and more than a few stage and film productions have sought to capture something of the magic and power that each of these works exudes. Another of Goethe’s hauntingly beautiful works, Hermann and Dorothea, has not received this kind of treatment. And despite being hailed by many scholars as a work of supreme artistry, it nonetheless remains relatively unknown.
Completed in 1797, the poem is a unique fusion of epic and idyll , and it offers a mixture of pleasure and contemplation that makes it as worthy of attention as anything Goethe wrote. It speaks to nearly every aspect of human life and does so through an exquisitely crafted story — one that contains a small number of characters, and which transpires over the course of a single day. It manages to be both simple and deep, concentrated yet universal, subdued but gripping.
How Goethe is able to accomplish such a feat is quite remarkable. There are, after all, relatively few scenes of action throughout the poem’s nine sections (each of which is named after one of the ancient muses). And although it’s written in epic meter and set a few years into the French Revolution, the poem primarily features the quiet setting of a well-to-do family’s estate.
In lieu of intense action or complex narrative, Goethe propels his epic — and captivates readers — with a chorus of distinct voices from a small cast of characters. It features father, mother, and son (Hermann); two family friends, a doctor and pastor; a magistrate; and a young maiden (Dorothea). The latter two are among a large group of newly-become refugees.
The poem begins simply enough. Father and mother sit outside their porch, discussing the recent plight of fellow Germans who have fled the violence of French forces. A number of townspeople — including Hermann, the doctor, and pastor — have gone to observe this traveling band of homeless. This event, along with Hermann’s encounter with one of them, Dorothea, serves as the catalyst for nearly everything in the poem.
Indeed, Hermann — who is around 19 year of age — develops an infatuation for Dorothea, despite having interacted with her for only a brief time. Upon returning home after delivering the items to the refugees that his mother had prepared, he passionately conveys to his parents — and the doctor and pastor, who have joined the parents at their home — his profound experience. As the poem progresses, Hermann’s desire to woo Dorothea — a poor maiden from humble circumstances — stirs the ire of his father, a hard working, calculating burgher who has long desired his son to marry a bride of status equipped with a considerable dowry. Tensions mount, a plan is set to learn more about the character of the maiden, and the poem concludes in ways both surprising and not.
As far as plot goes, then, it’s quite straightforward. But the meticulous artistry and subtle brilliance of Goethe allows him to draw from his story and characters tremendously rich observations on a host of timeless matters: class, vocation, equality, family, suffering, and life and death itself.
At times, the sentiments and attitudes of the characters come out explicitly. At other times, however, things are more subtle, more nuanced. Whether or not Goethe wanted readers to expend mental energy “matching up” (so to speak) specific characters to certain political stances, ideologies, etc. — particularly with the French Revolution in mind — is a question worth considering. However, reading Hermann and Dorothea in such a manner — especially if taken too far — could too easily close one off from the multifaceted picture of humanity presented in the poem.
Indeed part of what contributes to the incredible power of the work — one might even find it a bit cathartic — is its ability to speak on so many levels. It presents a snapshot of one family experiencing a brief upheaval during a volatile time in history. And yet, transplant the characters into the 21st century during a rapturous time — and unfortunately one can readily think of many examples — and it doesn’t take an act of great imagination to see how many of the same dispositions, sentiments, concerns, and tensions would naturally arise. But to echo the warning above, distilling those voices into stereotypes, or believing them to belong to unpliable, one-dimensional personalities, diminishes what one can learn and what one can hear.
Goethe’s Hermann and Dorothea invites an open mind — a chance to become an intimate observer to not only a cast of worthy characters, but the human spirit itself.
Spectatio 