The Sorrows of Young Werther

“Do I need to tell you that you who have so often endured seeing me pass from sorrow to excessive joy, from sweet melancholy to destructive passion? And I am treating my poor heart like an ailing child; every whim is granted.”

Werther sees himself as highly emotional and prone to impulsiveness. He openly admits to his disregard for managing his emotions; for him, it is a sign of his sensibility and sincerity. It also hints at his view of the superiority of children’s innocence and simplicity.

“It is better for me to see her with the eyes of her lover; perhaps she would not appear to my own eyes as she does now, and why should I ruin the beautiful image I have?”

Werther’s decision not to meet the widow loved by the farmer lad blurs the lines between emotion and aesthetics. It highlights his preference for maintaining an idealized image of the widow. Though relatively harmless in this context, the aesthetic preference for the ideal over the real raises doubts about the reliability of Werther’s portrayals of Lotte throughout the novel.

“I was one of the most afraid myself, and in pretending to be brave, to stiffen the others’ courage, I found my own courage.”

Lotte reveals her personality as she admits to fearing the thunderstorm. She is compassionate and willing to be strong for others, and as a result is one of the story’s most resilient characters. Unlike Werther, she is not carried away by emotion, nor does she evince any sign that she wants to be seen a certain way.

“It is good that my heart can feel the simple and innocent pleasure a man knows when the cabbage he eats at table is one he grew himself; the pleasure he takes not only in eating the cabbage but in remembering all those good days, the fine morning he planted it, the mellow evenings he watered it and the delight he felt in its daily growth.”

Werther compares his sense of satisfaction at Wahlheim to that of a gardener who grows his own produce, and can appreciate the work that went into it. As he romanticizes rural life, he also conveniently obscures the fact that his own vegetables come from the innkeeper’s garden.

“No, I am not deceiving myself! I can read a genuine interest in me and my fate in those dark eyes of hers. Yes, I can feel—and I know I may trust my own heart in this—Oh, dare I utter the words, those words that contain all heaven for me?—I can feel she loves me!”

Werther attempts to assure Wilhelm—and himself—that he has not mistaken Lotte’s feelings, despite evidence to the contrary. This serves as another example of Werther’s childlike prioritization of his feelings and fantasies over the reality of the situation.

“For goodness’ sake, dear Wilhelm, I did not mean you when I complained that people who urge us to be resigned to inevitable fate are unbearable […] you are right, of course. But, dear friend, with this one proviso: things in this world seldom come down to an either-or decision.”

The quote highlights the contrast between Werther and Wilhelm’s perspectives. Werther exhibits a more restless and questioning nature, while Wilhelm, at least implicitly, is more straightforward and practical. Werther is dissatisfied with either-or decisions, preferring to believe that there are exceptions to every rule. He refuses to bow to the whims of anything or anyone except himself, including what others might consider fate.

“If he thinks he has made some over-hasty or generalized or half-true statement he will not stop offering you qualifications and amendments and riders, till in the end the substance of what he has said has disappeared. On this occasion he preached a veritable sermon, and finally I ceased to listen to him, fell to brooding and suddenly placed the mouth of the pistol against my forehead.”

Werther criticizes Albert’s habit of retracting or qualifying his statements, portraying him as overly cautious. This criticism stems from Werther’s impulsive nature and desire for authenticity, which contrasts with Albert’s calculated approach to life. Werther’s decision to stop listening and put the unloaded gun to his head shows both his struggles with psychological distress and disregard for others.

“True, it is wrong to steal: but if a man goes thieving to save himself and his family from starvation, are we to pity him or punish him? Who will first cast a stone if a husband sacrifices his unfaithful wife and her worthless seducer in the heat of his righteous wrath? or if a girl abandons herself for one joyful hour to the irresistible pleasures of love?”

During their discussion on the morality of suicide, Werther supports his argument that there are situations where actions usually deemed wrong can be excused, such as this example of a family stealing to survive. However, Werther’s subsequent examples both deal with sex and infidelity, hinting at his true concerns regarding their love triangle with Lotte. The topic of discussion also foreshadows Werther’s fate at the end of the novel.

“‘Ah, you sensible people!’ I cried, with a smile. ‘Passions! Intoxication! Insanity! You are so calm and collected, so indifferent, you respectable people, tut-tutting about drunkenness and holding unreasonable behaviour in contempt.’”

Werther contrasts Albert’s composed and rational demeanor with his own impulsive and emotional nature. He holds some disdain toward those who prioritize reason over passion and sees societal norms, here represented by Albert, as stifling. This quote captures the broader themes of the book regarding the struggle to reconcile individual desires with societal norms.

“My heart’s immense and ardent feeling for living Nature, which overwhelmed me with so great a joy and made the world about me a very paradise, has now become an unbearable torment, a demon that goes with me everywhere, torturing me.”

In this quote, Goethe shows how Werther’s realization that Lotte will not return his feelings has begun to affect his life. His previous appreciation of nature has collapsed into something negative. As with his feelings for Lotte, his prior appreciation for the world has become an inescapable “torment.”

“And this glittering misery, the tedium of these awful people cooped up together here! and their greed for rank, and the way they are forever watchful and alert for gain or precedence: the most wretched and abominable of passions, quite nakedly displayed.”

This quote showcases Werther’s disdain for and disillusionment with the members of the aristocracy he meets while working for the ambassador. He perceives their outward display of wealth and luxury as a mere facade masking deep-seated unhappiness and dissatisfaction, and he condemns their pursuit of social status and rank, viewing it as shallow and ultimately meaningless.

“We spend many an hour imagining country scenes of unadulterated bliss; and then, ah! we speak of you! Often she has to pay homage to you, or rather she does not have to, she does so of her own volition, likes to hear me speak of you.”

Werther writes to Lotte about Miss von B., who serves as another object of his romantic interest and potentially a means of breaking away from his obsession with Lotte. However, this is in vain as their conversations inevitably circle back to Lotte. While Werther says that Miss von B. willingly talks about Lotte, he is consistently unreliable where she is concerned. He is likely to be projecting his feelings onto Miss von B. and interpreting her actions through the lens of his own obsession.

“‘You know my aunt,’ she began; ‘she was present, and oh! what a light she sees it in! Dear Werther, last night and this morning I had to endure a sermon concerning my acquaintance with you, and I have been obliged to hear you condemned and disparaged, and I was neither able nor permitted to say much in your defence.’”

This quote shows the repercussions of Werther’s social blunder at the party and Miss von B.’s distress over the situation. She is acutely aware of the power dynamics at play and, despite her affections for Werther, she is unable to openly defend him due to the risk it poses to her own standing and familial relationships, as revealed through her tearful confession about the criticism she has faced. While the situation shows the complexity of the aristocratic life, it only cements Werther’s disdain for all of them, including her.

“I am also disturbed to find he values my mind and abilities more highly than my heart, which is my only source of pride, and indeed of everything, all my strength and happiness and misery. The things I know, anyone can know—but my heart is mine and mine alone.”

This quote, from Werther regarding his relationship with the prince, showcases Werther’s prioritization of emotions over intellectual endeavors. His assertion that his heart is his “only source of pride” underscores his belief that his emotions define his identity and sense of self more than anything else. This conflict between his need for emotional authenticity and societal expectations regarding his education underscores Werther’s constant defiance of conventional norms.

“The eldest boy ran toward me, and his shout of joy brought his mother to us, looking extremely despondent. The first thing she said was: ‘Ah, dear sir, my poor Hans died!’”

Here, Werther’s romanticized view of the lives of the lower classes is shattered. The family he had once found so morally and aesthetically ideal has now suffered from loss. The event reflects a broader trend in the novel to show the contrast between romantic ideals and the grim realities of life, particularly for those marginalized by society.

“In the end I decided not to wear the simple blue frock-coat I had on when I first danced with Lotte any more; it had become quite unpresentable. Still, I have had a new one made, exactly like the other, down to the collar and lapels, and the very same buff waistcoat and breeches as well. But it does not feel quite right.”

This quote shows Werther’s futile attempt to recapture the past once he returns to Wahlheim. By remaking the outfit, he symbolically tries to recreate the romantic moment of his first dance with Lotte. The decision to replicate it shows his reluctance to let go of her. However, his acknowledgment that the new outfit “does not feel quite right” hints at his growing awareness of the impossibility of the situation.

“Your friends value you! You often make them happy, and your heart in turn feels it could not do without them; and yet—if you were to go, if you were to depart from this intimate circle, would they feel the void, how long would they feel the void that your loss tore open in their fate?—how long?—Oh, Man is so transient a being that even where his existence is most secure, even where his presence makes its sole true impression felt, he must fade and disappear from the memories and souls of his loved ones, soon, oh so soon!”

Werther acknowledges that he brings joy to his friends’ lives, but questions what would happen if he were to die, highlighting his fear of being forgotten or replaced. His statement captures the existential angst surrounding the inevitable loneliness of death, despite the connections created with others in life.

“I have so much, and my feelings for her absorb it all; I have so much, and without her it is all nothing.”

This quote underscores the self-absorbed attitude Werther takes throughout the novel regarding his happiness and Lotte. Despite possessing significant education, wealth, and an amount of freedom that would be envious to the people around him, all he cares about is Lotte’s unattainable affection. Because he cannot have her, he’s willing to throw everything else away.

“I wish very much that we had enough of our friend’s own testimony, concerning the last remarkable days of his life, to render it unnecessary for me to interrupt this series of preserved letters with narration.”

The quote from the end of the novel marks the departure from the epistolary style predominant in the rest of the narrative. The Editor speaks to the reader who is not the addressee of the letters. Goethe attempts to sidestep the issue of wrapping up the narrative threads when his protagonist becomes incoherent and ultimately dies at the end of the novel.

“To reach the inn, where the body had been carried, he had to pass the linden trees, and now he felt horror for the place he had loved so dearly. That threshold where the children of the neighbourhood had so often played was splashed with blood. Love and constancy, the most beautiful of human emotions, had been transformed into violence and murder.”

The Editor describes the scene after Werther realizes the farmer lad committed a murder. The linden trees he once loved are now tainted by blood, symbolizing the perversion of innocence into corruption. It also serves as foreshadowing, as that exact spot is where Werther will be buried at the end of the novel.

“You cannot be saved, unfortunate man! I well see that we cannot be saved.”

Through his projection onto the farmer lad, Werther sees a reflection of his own desperate infatuation and unattainable desires. Werther’s failure to convince others of the farmer lad’s innocence marks a final blow to his crumbling mental and emotional state. The quote encapsulates Werther’s acceptance of his inevitable demise, as he believes that neither he nor the farmer lad can be saved from the torment of their unattainable desires.

“All of these reflections prompted a profound realization, albeit one which she was not consciously aware of, that her secret heart’s desire was to keep him for herself, yet at the same time she reminded herself that she could not and might not keep him.”

The editor provides insight into Lotte’s thoughts and feelings independent of Werther’s perspective. Lotte is here an actual person with her own desires and dilemmas rather than purely the object of his obsession. She, too, cannot have what she wants, and this quote shows her conflict over her want to maintain her friendship despite knowing it is the wrong thing to do.

“Put an end to this dismal attachment to a creature who can do nothing but pity you […] Do you not sense that you are deceiving yourself and willing your own destruction? Why me of all people, Werther? I belong to another, so why me?”

Here, Lotte finally confronts Werther about his feelings toward her and tells him he needs to move on from his infatuation. Unlike him, she has a firm grasp of the reality of the situation. She acknowledges Werther’s pain but recognizes that all she can offer him is pity. Lotte’s pointed question about why he persists in pursuing someone unavailable to him challenges Werther to confront the irrationality of his desires, but ultimately goes unheeded by him.