Faust

Today Goethe is best remembered for his magnum opus, Faust, a two-part drama still considered one of the world's greatest works. Goethe is also celebrated for many of his poems, including the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and novels like The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Faust is one of the original German legends, but Goethe's take on German's hero naturally took a more epic, global view. Instead of a story of simple Christian morality, Goethe's Faust is replete with philosophy, ancient history, and medieval poetry and literature, creating a much more dramatic, nuanced tale.