Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 - 22 March 1832) was a German writer, artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. Born and educated in Frankfurt, Goethe went on to study law at Leipzig between 1765 and 1768 and it was during this time that he wrote his first play. In the next few years he would be introduced to the works of Shakespeare, which would go on ignite his interest in literature. In 1806, Goethe completed the preliminary version of the first part of his tragic play, Faust. Part two was finished in 1831 and the entire play would go on to inspire many other writers.

Goethe was one of the key figures in German literature in the 18th and 19th centuries and his scientific ideas would go on to be developed by other scientists in the 19th century such as Charles Darwin.