The Sorrows of Young Werther

Charlotte, better known as Lotte, is the unattainable object of Werther’s affections, and his romantic obsession with her serves as the catalyst for his self-destruction. Lotte is loving, conscientious, and devoted to her family. Following the death of her mother, she became a surrogate parent to her eight younger siblings, and her nurturing nature is apparent in the way she cares for them. She is intelligent but not artificial; appreciating the same things in arts and literature that Werther does. However, unlike him, Lotte’s appreciation for these pursuits is rooted in her contentment with life, rather than in any desire to create art. While she knows about Werther’s affection for her, she is committed to her duty toward Albert and her familial responsibilities. She hesitates to cut him out of her life entirely, even after Albert says she should do so. She is very amiable by nature and does not want to lose one of her friends despite his increasingly erratic nature. In an attempt to salvage the situation, she begs him to find someone else and forget his feelings for her. When he tries to kiss her later, she refuses and tells him she never wants to see him again. However, when he dies, she is distressed to the point of a mental health crisis, and the people around her fear for her health.

Albert is a businessman, Lotte’s fiancé and later husband, and Werther’s romantic rival. He is patient, mature, and practical, all qualities that make him a foil to the impulsive and emotionally overwrought Werther. Despite his clear awareness of Werther’s feelings for Lotte, Albert maintains a composed demeanor and extends patience and understanding toward Werther for most of the novel. His interactions with Lotte also serve as a stark contrast to Werther’s obsessive and idealized view of love and are an example of a healthy and balanced relationship. Despite his genuine friendship with Werther, Albert’s patience is tested when his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Werther’s response to the murder the farmer lad perpetuates is the true turning point in their relationship. Werther desperately attempts to convince the judge and Albert of the man’s innocence. As a result, Albert notices the parallels between the two men’s obsessive behavior toward the Widow and Lotte. Recognizing the growing danger, along with the gossip regarding the relationship between Werther and Lotte, Albert advises her to distance herself. Her reluctance strains their relationship, and he tells her to hand over his pistols when Werther asks for them. However, he still visits him when he is dying, although he does not attend his funeral.

The unnamed editor in The Sorrows of Young Werther serves as a secondary narrator and as a crucial device in the novel’s epistolary structure. While Werther’s letters provide a deeply personal account of his emotions and experiences, the Editor’s role is to contextualize and supplement these accounts. He is tasked with compiling the letters from Werther to Wilhelm and provides a frame for the story. Goethe makes clear that the Editor empathizes with Werther’s situation and his emotional hardships. In the foreword, the Editor also acknowledges the impact Werther’s story may have on the readers themselves and hopes it will help those in similar situations.

The Editor is most present at the end of the novel, where he pieces together an archive of Werther’s last days. He tempers Werther’s most destructive impulses by putting them in the context of Lotte’s feelings and offers continual reminders that Werther is not in his right mind. The Editor thus provides an objective counterpoint to Werther’s delusions, while also lending an air of authenticity to the novel by suggesting that he is merely collating a set of manuscripts.

The farmer lad is a minor character who nevertheless plays a critical role in the story as a double of Werther himself, suggesting what might have happened under different circumstances. When Werther first encounters him, the young man is working for the widow and deeply infatuated with her. However, his advances are later rebuffed, and he sexually assaults her. He is dismissed, and his obsession escalates to a dangerous level. Driven by jealousy and despair, the farmer lad murders his replacement in a desperate attempt to eliminate any rivals for his former employer’s affection. This violent act serves as a stark reminder of The Destructiveness of Unrequited Love and the lengths to which individuals may go in pursuit of their desires. Werther, in turn, sees himself in the man and projects onto him due to the similarities in their respective situations. Both are infatuated with women they cannot have. The farmer lad’s story returns at several points throughout the narrative and parallels Werther’s relationship with Lotte. When the farmer lad commits the murder, Werther jumps to his defense. In attempting to justify the man’s heinous actions, Werther is, in essence, defending his own behavior and passionate outbursts. His inability to convince the others of the man’s innocence is one of the final cracks in Werther’s own fracturing emotional and mental state. He cannot save the farmer lad, so he decides he cannot be saved, either.