Wilhelm Meister

Wilhelm Meister's story concerns how he comes from a family of businessmen and desires to transcend bourgeois life. In Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, published in 1795–1796, he tries to achieve this by joining a theatre troupe and a secret society. In Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years, published in 1821 and revised substantially in 1829, he travels widely without a permanent residence.^[1][2]

Goethe chose the name Wilhelm as a nod to William Shakespeare, whose works feature prominently in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. The last name Meister, meaning Master, reflects the character's capability and active role.^[3] A recurring motif throughout both novels is Meister's fascination with the painting The King's Sick Son by Antonio Bellucci.^[4]

Meister is portrayed in various adaptations of Goethe's novels, notably as a tenor in the 1866 opera Mignon composed by Ambroise Thomas.^[5] Rüdiger Vogler played a variation of Meister in Wim Wenders' 1975 film The Wrong Move, which is loosely based on Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship but takes place in post-war West Germany.^[6]