Why did The Sorrows of Young Werther cause moral controversy?

The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sparked significant moral controversy primarily because its protagonist, a sensitive and artistic young man, chooses to end his life by suicide after suffering from unrequited passion and a profound sense of world-weariness.

As the defining novel of the Sturm und Drang movement, the work gave voice to the intense, restless discontent of its generation. By presenting the suicide of a sympathetic hero as a response to his inability to reconcile his inner, poetic ideals with the rigid demands of the everyday world, the novel challenged societal conventions. The depiction of such a self-destructive act—driven by an individualistic, passionate rebellion against both the middle class and the aristocracy—was viewed by many contemporaries as a dangerous glorification of despair, leading to widespread moral concern regarding the influence the book might have on its readers.12