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.

[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.