What did Goethe think and feel about Napoleon?

What did Goethe  think and feel about Napoleon?

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a complex figure in German history, and his thoughts and feelings about Napoleon were similarly complex. On the one hand, Goethe was impressed by Napoleon's military genius and his ability to inspire his troops. He also admired Napoleon's ambition and his desire to reform the French government.

On the other hand, Goethe was also critical of Napoleon's ruthlessness and his disregard for human life. He was particularly disturbed by Napoleon's execution of the Duke of Enghien, which he saw as an act of tyranny.

In 1808, Goethe met Napoleon in person, and he was struck by Napoleon's charisma and his intelligence. However, he also found Napoleon to be arrogant and self-centered.

After the meeting, Goethe wrote a series of poems and essays about Napoleon. In these writings, Goethe expressed both his admiration and his criticism of Napoleon. He saw Napoleon as a complex figure who was both brilliant and flawed.

Here are some quotes from Goethe's writings about Napoleon:

"Napoleon is a man of destiny."
"Napoleon is a great man, but he is also a man of evil."
"Napoleon is a genius, but he is also a tyrant."
In the end, Goethe's thoughts and feelings about Napoleon were mixed. He was both impressed and disturbed by Napoleon, and he saw him as a complex figure who was both brilliant and flawed.

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a complex and ambivalent figure in German history, and his thoughts and feelings about Napoleon were no different. On the one hand, Goethe was impressed by Napoleon's military genius and his ability to inspire his troops. On the other hand, he was deeply critical of Napoleon's ambition, his disregard for human life, and his belief in his own destiny.

In his autobiography, Dichtung und Wahrheit, Goethe wrote that he was "astonished and delighted" by Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Jena in 1806. He saw Napoleon as a "world-historical figure" who was destined to change the course of history. However, Goethe's admiration for Napoleon began to wane in the years that followed. He was disturbed by Napoleon's increasingly authoritarian rule, and he was horrified by the execution of the Duke of Enghien in 1804.

In 1808, Goethe met Napoleon in person during the Congress of Erfurt. Goethe was initially impressed by Napoleon's charisma and intelligence, but he was also struck by Napoleon's arrogance and self-importance. In his diary, Goethe wrote that Napoleon was "a man of genius, but also a man of evil."

After the Congress of Erfurt, Goethe's views on Napoleon became increasingly negative. He saw Napoleon as a threat to the ideals of the Enlightenment, and he feared that Napoleon's ambitions would lead to war and destruction. In 1813, Goethe wrote a poem in which he compared Napoleon to the biblical figure of Lucifer.

In the end, Goethe's thoughts and feelings about Napoleon were a mixture of admiration and contempt. He saw Napoleon as a brilliant leader who was capable of great things, but he also saw him as a ruthless tyrant who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people.

Here are some quotes from Goethe's writings about Napoleon:

"Napoleon was a great man only because millions of men submitted to his will."
"Napoleon was not a free man; he was the slave of history."
"Napoleon was a man of genius, but he was also a man of evil."
Goethe's views on Napoleon are still debated today. Some historians agree with Goethe's assessment of Napoleon as a product of his time and place, while others believe that Napoleon was a truly great man who made his own destiny.

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a complex figure with a wide range of opinions on Napoleon Bonaparte. On the one hand, Goethe admired Napoleon's military genius and his ability to inspire his troops. On the other hand, he was deeply critical of Napoleon's ambition, his disregard for human life, and his belief in his own destiny.

In his 1822 essay Napoleon, Goethe wrote: "I have always admired Napoleon's great qualities, but I have never been able to approve of his actions. He was a man of genius, but he was also a man of evil."

Goethe met Napoleon in person in 1808, and he was impressed by Napoleon's charisma and intelligence. However, he also found Napoleon to be arrogant and self-aggrandizing. In his account of the meeting, Goethe wrote: "Napoleon was a man of great power, but he was also a man of great emptiness."

In the years after the meeting, Goethe's opinion of Napoleon soured. He came to see Napoleon as a tyrant who had brought nothing but death and destruction to Europe. In his poem The Second Part of Faust, Goethe wrote: "The great Napoleon is dead, and with him the world has lost its greatest hope."

Despite his negative opinion of Napoleon, Goethe never lost his respect for the man's military genius. In his essay Napoleon, Goethe wrote: "Napoleon was a great military leader, and he was also a great political strategist. He was able to see the big picture, and he was able to make the right decisions at the right time."

In conclusion, Goethe's opinion of Napoleon was complex and ambivalent. He admired Napoleon's military genius, but he was deeply critical of his ambition and his disregard for human life. Goethe saw Napoleon as a man of great potential who had been corrupted by power.