How did Friedrich Schiller’s death affect Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?

The death of Friedrich Schiller in 1805 had a profound impact on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who famously remarked that he had lost "the half of my existence".1

Following Schiller's passing, Goethe responded by concluding several major projects that had defined his middle years, including the preparation of a new collected edition of his literary works and the completion of the first part of Faust. During this somber period, Goethe also attempted to maintain the cultural standing of Weimar by seeking a successor to Schiller as the principal dramatist, though he struggled to fully appreciate the work of contemporaries like Heinrich von Kleist.2

The loss marked a transition in Goethe’s life and career, leading him to move away from the collaborative intensity of his years with Schiller and toward new, often more introspective or detached creative directions.2