ABSTRACT
Goethe returned to Weimar in mid-June 1788, in a slightly melancholic mood and with longings to return to Italy. To the outside world, he gave the impression of being active and full of hope, but his emotions were mixed. He had rediscovered his creative powers in Italy, yet he continued to be at odds with himself. Once again, he sought emotional stability from Charlotte von Stein, having never given up hope that she might return his love. In the Roman Elegies, Goethe rebels against the conventions he had already attacked in his poem "Prometheus". Goethe's theory of optics continues to have a strong influence, yet he himself viewed his Theory of Colours as his most important work. Goethe's view that light is an elementary natural phenomenon that is not further reducible comes closer to the modern theory of light than Newton's naive particle theory. Also noteworthy is Goethe's influence on the development of the modern optics industry.
