On Shakespeare's Day

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

2024年5月 · The Collected Works of Goethe 第 14 本图书 · Voltaire Press

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In October 1771 a twenty-two-year-old Goethe delivered a spirited address known as Zum Schäkespears Tag at his parents’ house in Frankfurt, a panegyric celebrating William Shakespeare’s genius on the occasion of the poet’s day. The speech, which remained unpublished until 1854, already shows the young Goethe breaking with neoclassical conventions and voicing the passionate individualism that would define Sturm und Drang. Its vivid tone and historical timing make it a notable early proclamation of the creative freedom that Goethe and his circle were coming to champion. For this commemorative oration, Goethe praises Shakespeare’s unbridled imagination and his human-centered dramatic art, arguing that Shakespeare transcends the rigid classical rules of the stage. Delivered on October 14 (Shakespeare’s birthday) before a small audience in Frankfurt, the text vibrates with Goethe’s youthful energy: he identifies with Shakespeare as a free spirit and urges readers to embrace authenticity over polish. Literary historians regard Zum Schäkespears Tag as an important landmark of the period’s “Shakespeare cult,” capturing the young author’s intense admiration for the English dramatist and hinting at the personal rebellion that would soon shape Goethe’s own masterpieces.

Though it circulated only in manuscript during Goethe’s lifetime, this fiery speech was eventually printed in a mid-19th-century literary journal. In hindsight it reads like a declaration of aesthetic intent by a nascent genius: Goethe marshals poetic language, classical allusions and drama-talk to turn Shakespeare into a model for bold expression. By proclaiming that art should serve the soul and not slavishly follow the ancients, the address embodies the Sturm und Drang spirit. Today it is often mentioned as a vivid curiosity – a young Goethe’s eloquent outburst that already anticipates the Romantic era’s emphasis on genius and individual will, and underlines his role in ushering a new cultural mood in German letters.

This critical reader's edition offers a fresh, modern translation of the original manuscript in Fraktur (the old German script), designed to help any curious reader delve into Goethe's works, using clear, contemporary language and straightforward sentences to bring to life his romantic ideas. It includes supplementary material providing autobiographical, historical, and linguistic context to this 18th century work- including an afterword by the translator discussing Goethe’s history, impact, and intellectual legacy, alongside an index of the philosophical concepts he explored—with a focus on Romanticism and Classicism. Included is a comprehensive chronological list of his published writings and a detailed timeline of his life, highlighting the personal relationships that profoundly influenced his philosophy.

作者简介

One of the core writers of German Romanticism, Goethe was German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic, Goethe is considered the greatest German literary figure of the modern era, next to his friend Schiller. His works, including "Faust," "The Sorrows of Young Werther," and "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship," have influenced various literary movements. NApolean, whom Goethe met, loved his novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther". Goethe also knew Hegel and Feuerbach personally. Goethe's ideas on color theory and plant morphology also contributed to the development of various scientific fields.