Faust By Goethe (1749 1832) Essay Example For Students

Faust By Goethe (1749 1832) Essay Faustby Goethe (1749 1832)Type of Work:Allegorical poetic dramaSettingGermany; eighteenth centuryPrincipal CharactersFaust, a scholar who is offered knowledgeby the DevilMephistopheles (Mephisto, the Devil),the great Satanic tempterGretche (Margaret), a young woman whofalls in love with FaustMartha, Gretchens neighbor and friendPlay OverveiwIn heaven, while angels sang praises toGod and his grand creations, heaven and earth, Mephistopheles entered andbegan to complain about the lot of man on earth. The sinister Mephistochided God for having given man just enough reason to make him more brutishthan any brute. God asked his adversary if there wasnt anything worthwhileabout His creation. No, Lord, answered Mephistopheles. I find it stilla sorry sight. They argued for some time, until they finally agreed toa wager: with Gods permission, Mephisto would attempt to lure the soulof a certain scholar-alchemist named Faust (who serves you most peculiarly)down with him to hell; God maintained that Faust would and could be saved,despite his proud reliance on reason and sorcery rather than faith. Meanwhile, on earth, Faust sat at the deskin his dusky den and lamented all of his learning: I have studied philosophy,jurisprudence and medicine, and worst of all theology, and here I am, forall my lore, the wretched fool I was before. Hence I have yielded to magicto see whether the spirits mouth and might would bring some mysteriesto light. Little by little his melancholy grew. How horribly idle hislife had been; reading and thinking were all he had, never knowing thejoy of doing. One Easter morning, Wagner, one of Faustsstudents, convinced the professor to travel with him to the city to joinin the festivities. As Faust and Wagner walked and talked, Faust expressedhis indescribable discontent: Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast,and one is striving to forsake his brother. Faust wept openly, beggingin prayer that a spirit to be sent to lead him to distant lands. Then,even as Wagner cautioned his mentor not to call upon evil spirits, Faustnoticed a black dog following them. He picked up the skinny stray poodleand carried it home. Alone at his desk, Faust opened his Bibleand began his studies. The dog, however, would not stop darting about thehouse, barking and growling . Eventually the poodle scurried behind thestove, and when he emerged, he had taken the form of Mephistopheles. The sly Mephisto would answer the scholarsinquiries only through riddles, explaining that he was part of that forcewhich would do evil evermore, and yet creates the good; I am the spiritthat negates. Faust, though, finally divined that he was speaking withthe Devil. The two bantered back and forth until Faust could stay awakeno longer. As he drifted into sleep, the Devil left, promising to returnthe following day. The tempter arrived at dawn, dressed asa nobleman. He implored Faust to don the same attire so that he too couldfeel released and free,/ and you would find what life could be. But Faustwas too world-weary to even imagine happiness. Death is desirable, andlife I hate, he groaned. In an attempt to release Faust from thismelancholy, Mephisto now offered to be his slave. Faust was wary: Andfor my part, what is it you require? Not safely is such servant takenon. Mephisto then presented a proposition: . .. You shall be the Master,and I Bond,/ and at your nod Ill work incessantly;/ but when we meet beyond,/then you shall do the same for me. Faust, whose two souls had finallytorn completely asunder, agreed to the bargain: .,Beyond to me makes littlematter It is from out this earth my pleasures spring. . .Off they flew on the evil ones magic cloak. Japan Essay ThesisFaust inquired of Care what it was she wanted. Is Care a force you neverfaced? she taunted. Haughtily, Faust replied, Whatever I might crave,I laid my hands on . I stormed through life. But still he had to admitthat some inexplicable inner hunger had never been satisfied; and thusCare alone, of the four sister spirits, was able to gain entry into hissoul. The human being is, his life long, blind, she said. Thus, Faustus,you shall meet your end.But as precious sight was being drawn fromhis dying eyes, suddenly it was as though Faust could finally truly see. He called in excitement to his laborers to set forth and complete the workof draining the remaining tidal swamps, so that he might give all the reclaimedlands to his people. This is the highest wisdom that I own, / the bestthat mankind ever knew, he cried, as he raced about blindly. Yes this I hold to with devout insistence,Wisdoms last verdict goes to say:He only earns both freedom and existenceWho must reconquer them each day. Then, in joy, Faust died. Mephisto rose up, and gloated at his formermasters ultimate, inevitable defeat and at the wretched fate that awaitedall men: Why have eternal creation, / when all is subject to annihilation?/Now it is over. What meaning can one see?But just as Mephisto reached to take theprize he had won, a host of angels descended and distracted him while Faustssoul escaped; it was the Devil who would taste defeat. Though Faust hadsinned, even so he had struggled towards growth, knowledge, and transcendence. Whoever strives in ceaseless toil/ Him we may grant redemption. the seraphssang. Then, with the Devil still raging, theangelic chorus flew into heaven, bearing off Fausts immortal part.CommentaryThe legend of Faust is older than Goethesversion, dating back to the early years of Christianity. The English poetChristopher Marlowe wrote his own version of the play several centuriesbefore Goethes Faust appeared. Later, Wagner would use Goethes lengthyyet brilliantly written poetic production as the text for an opera. One idea animates Goethes Faust. Allhuman souls are called to exist and struggle within a constant state ofbecoming, a lifelong striving towards greater and greater realms of knowledge,action and feeling; and those who stay true to this call, even when theystumble into excesses and error will not go unrewarded by God. In fact,it is by right the Devils place to blind man, to the end that man mightcome unto God:Man all too easily grows lax and mellow,He soon elects repose at any price,And so I like to pair him with a fellowTo play the Deuce, to stir, and toentice.