The summary of the contents of Goethe’s Faust offers you a detailed overview of the structure of the story, the most important scenes and possible interpretations.
- the scholar Henry Faust has dedicated his life to scientific studies and is experiencing a severe mental crisis. Because despite his knowledge he could not gain any absolute knowledge about the world.
- After a failed suicide attempt, Faust meets Mephisto and make a deal with him.
- Mephisto promises happiness and fulfillment to Faust in exchange for his soul. Faust agrees and together they embark on a journey.
- The two travel to a witches’ kitchen where Faust is rejuvenated and sexually stimulated by magic.
- Shortly thereafter, Faust meets Margaretwho he falls head over heels in love with.
- With the help of Mephisto, Faust manages to win over the girl and the two spend a night of love together, as a result of which Gretchen becomes pregnant.
- Mephisto leads Faust to the Blocksberg, where a witches’ Sabbath takes place.
- Left alone by Faust, Gretchen sees her only way out of social ostracism in the murder of her newborn child.
- In the last scene he tries to free her from the dungeon, but the girl distances herself from her former lover and places herself in the care of God, where she finds salvation.
Faust 1: Overview of the scholar and Gretchen tragedy
Faust, first prologue: dedication
- In the first prologue, the lyrical I (Goethe) tells of the process of creating the drama and the feelings it felt at the time of writing.
The lyrical self addresses the characters of the play directly and describes that although it has dealt with the subject of Faust in the past, it is now ready to finally conclude the drama. Therefore one can assume that Goethe is speaking here of himself.
Above all, he mourns his youth and thinks of his first love and the happiness he felt back then. Goethe misses this passion and thinks of his friends, some of whom have now passed away and will never hear his finished work.
Key scenes and approaches to interpretation
Dealing with the Faust material
The poem is an elegy, i.e. a lament, which was written in distichs (two-line stanzas).
Goethe reports how he already dealt with the subject of Faust in a first draft (Urfaust – ca. 1772) and now wants to complete the work.
You are approaching again, swaying figures! Which early once showed itself to the gloomy gaze.»
The poet also remembers his past and youth. Goethe misses his friends, some of whom have since passed away and can no longer listen to his Faust story.
First love and friendship come up with me; (…) They do not hear the following chants, The souls to which I sang the first;»
Goethe describes his work as a tragedy intended to represent his innermost fantasies.
My lisping song, (…) tears follow tears, The stern heart feels mild and soft; What I own I see as if in the distance, And what has disappeared becomes reality for me»
Faust, second prologue: Prelude to the theater
- A drama director, a playwright and a funny person (actor) argue about the usefulness and usefulness of a play.
- All three have different opinions and views on this, but agree that Faust, as a universal piece, represents a compromise between their approaches.
The director asks the playwright and a funny person (meaning an actor) what the meaning and purpose of a play is supposed to be. In doing so, he clearly believes that his main concern is the financial breakthrough of the play. The most important thing is that the box office is full and the more people watch the play, the better.
The playwright has a different opinion: he is concerned with the art itself and the work and passion behind it that capture the work for eternity. He describes the poet’s profession as a creative force that is even capable of uniting the gods on Olympus.
The actor, on the other hand, is all about entertainment. The audience should live in the moment and enjoy the play. The stories for the material can be derived from everyday life. The purpose of theater play and thus of actors is to win over and inspire the audience.
The director draws a line under the discussion and says that the present piece (meaning the Faust story) represents a compromise as a tragedy, since it is universal and satisfies the demands of all three interlocutors.
Key scenes and approaches to interpretation
The real theater world
The second prologue deals with the genre-specific orientation of the piece. At the same time, the poet’s own claims to the piece are discussed on the basis of the argument between the three characters. Goethe himself was a theater director, poet and actor.
Director: «Say what you probably in Germany / hope from our company?»
The three positions all have their right to exist in the real theater world. The director and the actor are more concerned with the pragmatic aspects of a play, with the poet bringing the aesthetic component to the fore.
Director: «So stride in the narrow wooden house / The whole circle of creation,»
The dialectic is considered a principle of thought that serves to understand the piece. This is meant as a paradox (deliberately – swiftly). In addition, the contrast between heaven and hell is mentioned, which includes everything in the world. Faust is considered a universal piece.
Director: «And walks with deliberate speed / From heaven through the world to hell.»
Faust, Third Prologue: Prologue in Heaven
- The three archangels praise God for his creation, only Mephisto, who suddenly appears, makes fun of man as God’s favorite creation.
- God names Faust as his godly servant, and Mephisto believes he can lead Faust astray.
- Mephisto proposes to God a bet in which he will act on Faust and thus lead him astray – God allows him to try but predicts that Mephisto will lose.
The three archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael gather in heaven and sing hymns of praise to God and his works. These are perfect and fill the angels with pride. Suddenly Mephisto also steps forward and denounces the people as rabble. He ridicules them, describing them as weak and frail beings who follow their instincts – sanity being just an illusion.
In this regard, God is visibly annoyed by Mephisto’s statements and praises the scientist Dr. Heinrich Faust as a faithful and God-fearing servant, even when he is having a minor mental crisis. God is aware that while Faust seeks scientific knowledge, he also wants to pursue his physical lust at the same time. Mephisto is unimpressed by this and even claims that he could turn Faust astray.
He then proposes a wager to God, in which he asks permission to influence Faust in order to prove to God that his faithful servant may very well turn away from him. God does not accept the wager, confident that Faust would not backslide.
God allows Mephisto to influence him as it is in the nature of the devil to goad people in negative ways. But he also predicts that Mephisto will lose in the end. This introduces the Faust plot.
Key scenes and approaches to interpretation
The religious framework of the Faust tragedy
The prologue in heaven forms the religious framework of the Faust plot.
The Lord: “Man’s activity can all too easily slacken, / He soon loves unconditional rest; / That’s why I’ll gladly concede to him the fellow, / He tempts and works, and, as a devil, has to work.»
Faust is called a servant by God. This term was also used for Moses and David in the Old Testament. Thus, it also means people chosen by God. Heinrich Faust is thus also considered a touchstone for the entire human race.
The Lord: «Do you know Faust? (…) My servant! / (…) Man is wrong as long as he strives.»
Both God and Mephisto are aware of Faust’s inner conflict. God promises Faust absolution, which can also be seen as anticipating the outcome of the tragedy.
Mephistopheles: «He demands the most beautiful stars from heaven, / And every highest pleasure from earth.»
The Lord: “Even if he serves me only confusedly now; / So I will soon lead him to clarity.»
Mephisto offers God a bet, but God does not accept it, merely allowing Mephisto to influence Faust. He justifies this by saying that Mephisto, as the embodiment of evil, is part of world events. Since he also predicts his defeat, Mephisto is already clear in the prologue as the loser of the drama.
The Lord: «Well, it’s up to you! / Pull this spirit away from its original source / And lead it, if you can grasp it / On your way down with it / And stand ashamed if you have to confess: / A good person in his dark urges / Is on the right path well aware.»
Faust 1, Scene 1: Night
- The scholar Heinrich Faust sits in his study and draws a sad conclusion about his life as a scientist – despite his efforts, he was unable to gain any real insights into the world.
- In desperation, he conjures up an earth spirit as a force of nature, but is mocked by it. This plunges Faust into even deeper despair.
- The scholar Wagner enters and, with his optimism, tries to convince Faust of the progress of science.
- After the conversation with Wagner, Faust sees suicide as the only way out of his existential crisis and wants to kill himself with a poisoned potion.
- The sudden ringing of the daffodils reminds him of his youth and he decides against suicide.
Heinrich Faust, who holds a doctorate, experiences a real mental crisis in his study. Life as a proficient scientist could not offer him true knowledge of the world, and the results of his many years of completed studies (in the fields of theology, medicine, law and philosophy) show him that he knows nothing.
He therefore wants to turn to magic and considers the sign of the macrocosm. The sign outlines the connection of all things, such as heaven, hell, planets, angels, devils, and humans. But that’s not enough for Faust. As a way out, he now sees the actual application of pagan magic, through which he would like to experience nature in its true form, and conjures up an earth spirit.
But this plunges Faust into an even deeper existential crisis, since he is apparently unable to cope with the spirit. When even the use of magic does not bring him any positive knowledge,…