As this brief sketch of Gotbe's life has not given a view of the order of his works, we shall here notices them nearly in their chrouo logical arrangement.
Werther,' which was ono of his earliest productions, was occa sioned by the suicide of a young gentleman named Jerusalem. It is written with immense power and energy, of which the flat English translation affords a very inadequate idea.
Gotz von Berlichingen ' is less a drama than a series of dramatic scenes, which give an almost pictorial view of the times of the Emperor Maximilian. The character of Martin Luther, yet a monk, the Bauerkrieg (war of the peasants), the Fehmgerlcht, or secret tribunal, are exhibited with a graphic accuracy which, considering the age of the author, is wonderful. The character of Glitz, an old German knight, who lives to see civil rights overpower the old is most interesting, while his fate excites our deepest sympathy. The characters of Adelaide, an intriguing court-lady, and Francis, an amoruus page, display great knowledge of human nature. A transla tion of this piece was one of Sir W. Scott's earliest works.
The drama of ' Egmont' is immortalised by the character of Clara, which is a most beautiful picture of feminine constancy and devotion.
These works, together with a variety of small poems, may be reckoned as the prototypes of one class of his writings. The small poems are the exact illustration of that habit which has been already noticed. A single thought, and that a very trivial one, often forma the sole subject of a lyrical piece ' • yet these thoughts are so true to nature, and are so perfectly suited to the subject, as to render these little effusions perhaps the most delightful of all his works. To the same class may be referred Clavige; a domestic tragedy, and 'Stella,' a sentimental comedy with rather an equivocal moral.
The second order of works consists of those which were written at a later period of life, the prototypes of which are classical models. 1phigenia auf Tauris' stands at the head of this class, and is univer sally admitted to breathe a more truly Greek spirit than any work of modern times. It is a master-piece of its kind; the antiquity of its aspect does not consist in a blind regard fur ancient forms, for it has not even the chorus of the ancient drama, but the very thoughts are cast in a classic mould. Professor Hermann, of Leipzig, has turned
parts of this drama into Greek. ' Torquato Tease' is another piece of the same kind, which represents the contrary positions of a poet and a man of the world. His 'Epigrams from Venice' and his 'Elegies' also bear the classic stamp, and, though frequently licentious, are excellent as being a repetition of the spirit of the Roman elegaic and amatory poets.
Three works of Gothe stand prominently forth, which it is difficult to place in any class; these are Wilhelm 5Ieister's Apprenticeship,' 'Hermann and Dorothea,' and 'Faust.' The first is a novel, which contains many valuable critical remarks (particularly on Shakspere'e ' Hamlet). but its main purpose is to exhibit the progress of a young man who, though at first ignorant of the world and filled with the most romantic ideas, ends with being an accomplished gentleman. It exhibits a wonderful insight into the springs of action, and many of the scenes give curious pictures of German life. The character of Mignon has been the origin of Sir W. Scott's Fenella Peveril of the Peak,' and of Esmeralda in Hugo's 'Notre Dame.' In some respects it is the most remarkable of Gothe's works. To English readers it is well-known by Carlyle's characteristic translation.
' Hermann and Dorothea' is a kind of idyllic epos; the subject is merely a love story in a small town ; the pictures are drawn from humble life, but the style is Homeric, and the plot artfully interwoven with the French Revolution. J. H. Voss had previously written his idyll Luise • also in hexameters, and in imitation of the Greek style; but Hegel, professor of philosophy at Berlin, ingeniously pointed out the difference between the two works, and showed that Luke' is a mere domestic Idyl, while the subject of 'Hermann and Dorothea' L9 not so exclusively confined to family life as to shut out the prospect of the important events of Europe.