Hermann and Dorothea

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Hermann and Dorothea" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is an epic poem written between 1796 and 1797. Set during the French Revolutionary Wars, it tells the story of Hermann, a wealthy innkeeper's son, who falls in love with Dorothea, a refugee fleeing French occupation. Against his father's wishes for a prosperous match, Hermann pursues the compassionate young woman he met while delivering aid to displaced villagers. This idyll in hexameters contrasts the settled life of a small German town with revolutionary turmoil, exploring themes of love, duty, and civilization's foundations.