The Sorrows of Young Werther: Book Two: Dec 21-22, 1772 Summary & Analysis

That night, Werther writes to Albert, requesting to borrow Albert’s pistols for a journey he’s planning to undertake. Lotte, who is there when Albert receives the note, grows pale when she hears Werther’s request, but does not stop the pistols from being lent.

Werther has made arrangements for his burial, and he requests in his suicide note that Lotte make sure they’re honored. He asks, also, to be buried in his traditional clothes: a blue coat, buff waistcoat, and boots. He orders his servants to bed early, telling them that he plans to leave on a journey before six o’clock. At midnight, he shoots himself in the head. Werther does not die immediately. Rather, his passing takes much of the following day. When she discovers his suicide, Lotte faints at Albert’s feet. She is unable to attend Werther’s funeral, and neither is Albert, as he fears that Lotte might follow in Werther’s path. No priests were present, either.