Faust
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
The beginning scene recapitulates Faust''s failed attempts to get at the Secret of the World with the help of science. So then he tries it with magic; however, neither the sign of the macrocosm with which Faust wants to grasp the World Spirit nor the invocation of the Earth Spirit leads to the desired success. The night meeting is disturbed by the Famulus Wagner, whom Faust desires to engage in a learned conversation. The narrow-mindedness of the famulus once more demonstrates and exemplifies the narrow-mindedness of the world, and Faust decides on suicide; however, church bells and choral music tell of the beginning Easter morning, and the recollection of his childhood years holds him back from that action. With the Easter walk, Faust realizes his split between spirituality and sensuousness; he has become a fluctuating being ; « Two souls live, oh! in my breast ». This conflict Mephisto promises to solve; however, he demands Fausts soul by way of a pledge. The pact receives by the rider demanded by Faust the character of a bet. The central action''s unity, the tragedy of love around Gretchen, is prepared in the partly witty-satirical, partly picturesque-uncanny scenes in Auerbach''s cellar and the artificial restoration of youth for Faust in the witch''s kitchen. In the whole, Gretchens meets Faust; she is the living ideal picture of the woman whom Mephisto had shown to him before in a magic mirror. To obtain the fulfilment of his passionate desire, he accepts his help in what turns out to be a fatal mistake: Gretchen''s mother intended anaesthetics prove deadly; her brother falls in the duel with Faust; and she kills their child in desperation and ends up in the dungeon. In this respect, Evil seems to assert itself as a dominating principle; nevertheless, it fails because of the force of divine love, embodied by Gretchen, over which Mephisto possesses no power.
Resumos Relacionados
- Faust
- Faust
- Faust
- Faust And Frankenstein
- Faust
|
|
