Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was Germany’s greatest poet and writer. His novel The Sorrows of Young Werther made him famous across Europe, and he was also involved in politics as a minister of the Duchy of Weimar. He is also known for his scientific studies in botany and the theory of colors.
His play Faust, which he worked on throughout his life, tells of the scholar Faust, who despairs of learning and makes a pact with the devil Mephistopheles. Part Two, completed in 1832 just before his death, features the homunculus, an artificial human created in a flask through alchemy, which made the name widely known.
