Odyessey and Sorrows of Young Werther: Carolotte is Penelope

In Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, Werther compares himself with the suitors from Homer's Odyssey. At first his comparison seems only to be an ironic parallel. Like other instances where Werther is over-dramatic and silly in his grand metaphors, it is natural to laugh at the comparison, take little notice, and continue reading. But, in this case, the comparison has several layers of depth since Charlotte, too, has much in common with another Homerian character: …

…and sisters. Is she narcissistically using Werther as a device for living the fleeting passions of young love, the passions she had to sacrifice to fulfill her mother's wish? Questions of Charlotte's motivations are hard to answer due to the epistolary form of the novel. At the same time, they are fascinating issues that suggest Goethe has created in Sorrows of Young Werther a novel with multiple layers of ironic complexity to perplex and amuse.