Charlotte von Stein
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Charlotte von Stein (December 25, 1742 - January 6, 1827) was a lady-in-waiting in Weimar and a close friend to both Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe whose work and life was strongly influenced by her.
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[edit] Her childhood
Charlotta Ernestina Bernadina von Stein was born as “von Schardt” in Eisenach on December 25, 1742. Her parents were Hofmarschall Johann Wilhelm Christian von Schardt and Concordia Elisabeth von Schardt. While her father was a wasteful eccentric, her mother who had had Scottish ancestors was said to be very quiet and dutiful. Her parents moved to Weimar when Charlotte was yet a little child and she was prepared for working as a lady-in-waiting. Her education included literature, art, singing and dancing. They said that Charlotte was unobtrusive, witty, graceful and dutiful like her mother was. There are four things she spent most of her time on:
- Society (according to her “profession”)
- Taking cures (she had a weak constitution)
- Literature/Theater/Art (as a part of her social life; her own efforts were not that good)
- Animals (she had various, e.g. cats, dogs and doves)
[edit] Profession and family
In 1758 Charlotte became a lady-in-waiting to Duchess Anna Amalia whom she served until her death in 1807. On May 17, 1764, Charlotte married Baron Gottlob Ernst Josias Friedrich Freiherr von Stein (1735-1793). This was not a marriage out of love, but they got married for social and political interests. Often Charlotte remained alone in Weimar because her husband had to travel much serving the duke of Jena-Weimar. From 1764 to 1773 she gave birth to seven children: the four daughters died, three boys (Karl, Ernst, Fritz) survived. After her seventh child was born she had to take several cures as she was physically exhausted.
[edit] Charlotte and Goethe
In 1774 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charlotte von Stein met in Weimar. It was the beginning of a deep friendship which lasted for twelve years. During this time she had a strong influence on the work and the life of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This period of her life might have been the happiest since she was in the centre of social life and attention and met with many famous personalities, e.g. Friedrich Schiller, Karl Ludwig Knebel and Johann Georg Zimmermann.
[edit] Loneliness and death
In 1793 the deep friendship between Charlotte and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ended with his sudden departure to Italy without him even telling her he wanted to go. Not until after 1800 did their relationship began to normalize and even then it never became as close as before. After her husband had died in 1793 Charlotte retired from society and became more and more lonely. In 1794 she wrote the drama Dido which was a literary self-portrait. It reflected the years from 1770 to 1790 and the situation in Weimar at that time. Charlotte von Stein died on January 6, 1827 in the age of 85.
[edit] Afterlife
The German poet Peter Hacks presented his play "Gespräch im Hause Stein über den abwesenden Herrn von Goethe" (A Discussion in the Stein Home about the Absent Mr. Goethe) in 1974. This monodrama became a worldwide success and is seen as a subtle analyses of the fate of Charlotte von Stein.
