Interesting read. The real Goethe also had some nice lines. There was also a link to "Shakespeare in German" (http://german.about.com/od/literature/a/Shakespeare.htm) on the site you mentioned. Did you know that Germany has the world's oldest Shakespeare Society?

That link suggests "the beginning of the end" is from Shakespeare - do you know which work? I only know it from Churchill, and assumed it was his.

I am still searching. http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cetag/1dshakes.htm confirms "the beginnig of the end" but does not give a source.