The Sorrows of Young Werther: Book 1: Jun 16, 1771 Summary & Analysis

A gap of more than two weeks occurs between letters and Werther is forced to beg Wilhelm’s forgiveness. He suggests, though, that if Wilhelm were truly thinking, he might already know why it’s been so long since Werther wrote; Werther has met a woman, Lotte. Werther hesitates to call her an angel, as that’s what all men call their beloveds, and such a common word simply isn’t adequate to Lotte. Instead, Werther describes her as a soul possessed of equal parts goodness, tranquility, and vitality. Yet, even this praise proves insufficient: no words, it seems, are good enough to describe the woman. Werther works himself up into such a fever thinking about how to portray Lotte that, in the end, he simply runs off to see her again, mid-letter.

Having calmed somewhat, Werther proceeds to tell Wilhelm of his meeting with Lotte. Some of his newfound friends had held a ball in the country, and Lotte’s house was on Werther’s way, so they had stopped along the way to pick her up. Lotte’s Aunt had warned Werther, however, not to fall in love with Lotte: she was already engaged to Albert, of whom the aunt had spoken highly. Werther promptly forgot these sage words when he entered Lotte’s house. Her siblings—for whom Lotte had cared since the untimely death of her mother—populate the home, enchanting Werther. When Lotte arrived, however, all other thoughts flew from Werther’s head. He could scarcely concentrate. In his letter to Werther, he recalls the ensuing conversation only vaguely, relaying generalities about her “great character” and “fresh charms.”

Werther does, however, recall the books that Lotte mentions reading to her aunt. Like Werther, Lotte is an avid reader. The pair soon engage in a hearty conversation about the books they’ve read, forgetting the other passengers in the carriage. This earns them some reproachful looks, and it’s clear that at least some of the others feel this easy friendship to be untoward.

Once at the dance, Werther struggles to keep his eyes off Lotte. Soon, Lotte and Werther arrange to dance the allemande together, a waltz traditionally danced by couples, but which Lotte claims her fiancé will be happy to give up to Werther, as Albert is not a good dancer. They continue dancing together even after this initial dance, earning Lotte a well-meaning reprimand from one of her older friends. The reprimand comes simply in the form of her fiancé’s name coupled with a shaking finger. Yet, Werther seems surprised by the name Albert. Inquiring to Lotte who the man might be, her answer shocks him so badly that he collides with the dancers around him.

At this point a storm, which had threatened in the distance since Lotte and Werther first met, finally breaks, forcing the countryside ball to move indoors. Dancing is no longer possible in these cramped quarters, so the party shifts instead to a game called counting. It proves a simple game, where people sit in a circle and count as quickly as possible, picking up wherever their neighbors leave off. Any mistakes in the count are playfully punished with a box to the ear. The game leads to a general fit of laughter and frivolity, and the storm is soon forgotten.

Soon after, the party breaks up and Werther finds himself alone with Lotte. She confesses that she instigated the game because she was afraid of the storm and wanted to take her mind—and everyone else’s—off of it. The topic then switches to books, as they both recall a poem that reminds them of the strange beauty of springtime storms.