Шарлотта фон Штайн: Гёте мен Шиллердің жақын серігісінің өмірі мен тағдыры

German playwright and close friend of Goethe and Schiller

Charlotte Albertine Ernestine von Stein (also mentioned as Charlotta Ernestina Bernadina von Stein ), born von Schardt; 25 December 1742, Eisenach – 6 January 1827, Weimar, was a lady in waiting at the court in Weimar and a close friend to both Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose work and life were strongly influenced by her.

In 1758 Charlotte became a lady in waiting to Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe Weimar Eisenach, whom she served until the Duchess's death in 1807. On 17 May 1764 Charlotte married Baron Gottlob Ernst Josias Friedrich von Stein (1735–1793). It was not a marriage for love, but for social and political interests. Often Charlotte remained alone in Weimar, as her husband travelled a great deal in the service of the Duke of Saxe Weimar in Jena. From 1764 to 1773 she gave birth to seven children. Four daughters died; three boys, Karl, Ernst and Fritz, survived. After her seventh child was born, Charlotte was physically exhausted, and took a succession of cures. She was also the aunt of Amalia von Helvig, who became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

In 1774 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charlotte von Stein met in Weimar. It was the beginning of a deep friendship which lasted for twelve years. During this time she had a strong influence on Goethe's work and life. Goethe took into his house her eleven year old son Fritz (her darling), in May 1783, and took over the boy's education to her satisfaction. This period of her life might have been the happiest since she was in the center of social life and attention and met many famous personalities, e. g., Friedrich Schiller, Karl Ludwig Knebel, and Johann Georg Zimmermann. She frequently corresponded with Schiller's wife Charlotte.

In 1786 the deep friendship between Charlotte and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ended with his sudden departure to Italy without even telling her he wanted to go. Not until after 1800 did their relationship begin to normalize and even then it never became as close as before. After her husband had died in 1793 Charlotte retired from society and became more and more lonely. In 1794 she wrote the drama Dido— a literary self portrait that also depicted her disappointment about Goethe's behavior. It reflected the years from 1770 to 1790 and the situation in Weimar at that time. As depicted by Virgil, Dido (Queen of Carthage) was forsaken by her lover Aeneas who set off for Italy an obvious parallel to von Stein herself and Goethe. Charlotte von Stein died on 6 January 1827 at the age of 84.

The German poet Peter Hacks presented his play "Gespräch im Hause Stein über den abwesenden Herrn von Goethe" (A Discussion in the Stein Home about the Absent Mr. Goethe) in 1974. This monodrama became a worldwide success and is seen as a subtle analysis of the fate of Charlotte von Stein.