Faust (tragedy). Mythological encyclopedia: Heroes of myths and legends: Johannes Faust Great courtyard in front of the palace

The main theme of the tragedy "Faust" by Goethe is the spiritual quest of the protagonist - the freethinker and warlock Dr. Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for gaining eternal life in human form. The purpose of this terrible treaty is to soar above reality not only with the help of spiritual exploits, but also with worldly good deeds and valuable discoveries for mankind.

History of creation

The philosophical drama for reading "Faust" was written by the author throughout his entire creative life. It is based on the most famous version of the legend of Dr. Faust. The idea of ​​writing is the embodiment in the image of the doctor of the highest spiritual impulses of the human soul. The first part was completed in 1806, the author wrote it for about 20 years, the first edition took place in 1808, after which it underwent several author's revisions during reprints. The second part was written by Goethe in his advanced years, and published about a year after his death.

Description of the work

The work opens with three introductions:

• dedication. A lyrical text dedicated to the friends of youth who made up the author's social circle during his work on the poem.
• Prologue in the theater. A lively debate between the Theater Director, the Comic Actor and the Poet on the topic of the meaning of art in society.
• Prologue in Heaven. After a discussion about the mind given by the Lord to people, Mephistopheles makes a bet with God about whether Dr. Faust can overcome all the difficulties of using his mind solely for the benefit of knowledge.

Part one

Doctor Faust, understanding the limitations of the human mind in knowing the secrets of the universe, tries to commit suicide, and only the sudden blows of the Easter Annunciation prevent him from carrying out this plan. Further, Faust and his student Wagner bring a black poodle to the house, which turns into Mephistopheles in the form of a wandering student. The evil spirit strikes the doctor with his strength and sharpness of mind and tempts the pious hermit to experience the joys of life again. Thanks to the concluded agreement with the devil, Faust regains youth, strength and health. Faust's first temptation is his love for Marguerite, an innocent girl who later paid with her life for her love. In this tragic story, Margarita is not the only victim - her mother also accidentally dies from an overdose of sleeping pills, and her brother Valentine, who stood up for her sister's honor, will be killed by Faust in a duel.

Part two

The action of the second part takes the reader to the imperial palace of one of the ancient states. In five acts, permeated with a mass of mystical and symbolic associations, the worlds of Antiquity and the Middle Ages are intertwined in a complex pattern. The love line of Faust and the beautiful Helen, the heroine of the ancient Greek epic, runs like a red thread. Faust and Mephistopheles, through various tricks, quickly become close to the emperor's court and offer him a rather non-standard way out of the current financial crisis. At the end of his earthly life, the almost blind Faust undertakes the construction of a dam. He perceives the sound of shovels of evil spirits digging his grave on the orders of Mephistopheles as active construction work, while experiencing moments of the greatest happiness associated with a great deed realized for the benefit of his people. It is in this place that he asks to stop the moment of his life, having the right to do so under the terms of the contract with the devil. Now hellish torments are predetermined for him, but the Lord, having appreciated the doctor's merits to humanity, makes a different decision and Faust's soul goes to heaven.

main characters

Faust

This is not just a typical collective image of a progressive scientist - he symbolically represents the entire human race. His complex fate and life path are not just allegorically reflected in all of humanity, they point to the moral aspect of the existence of each individual - life, work and creativity for the benefit of his people.

(On the image F. Chaliapin in the role of Mephistopheles)

At the same time, the spirit of destruction and the power to resist stagnation. A skeptic who despises human nature, confident in the worthlessness and weakness of people who are unable to cope with their sinful passions. As a person, Mephistopheles opposes Faust with disbelief in the goodness and humanistic essence of man. He appears in several guises - sometimes a joker and joker, sometimes a servant, sometimes an intellectual philosopher.

margarita

A simple girl, the embodiment of innocence and kindness. Modesty, openness and spiritual warmth attract to her a lively mind and the restless soul of Faust. Margarita is the image of a woman capable of all-encompassing and sacrificial love. It is thanks to these qualities that she receives forgiveness from the Lord, despite the crimes she has committed.

Analysis of the work

The tragedy has a complex compositional structure - it consists of two voluminous parts, the first has 25 scenes, and the second - 5 actions. The work connects the cross-cutting motif of the wanderings of Faust and Mephistopheles into a single whole. A striking and interesting feature is the three-part introduction, which is the beginning of the future plot of the play.

(Images of Johann Goethe in the work on "Faust")

Goethe thoroughly reworked the folk legend underlying the tragedy. He filled the play with spiritual and philosophical problems, in which the ideas of the Enlightenment close to Goethe find a response. The protagonist transforms from a sorcerer and alchemist into a progressive experimental scientist who rebels against scholastic thinking, which is very characteristic of the Middle Ages. The circle of problems raised in the tragedy is very extensive. It includes reflections on the secrets of the universe, the categories of good and evil, life and death, knowledge and morality.

Final conclusion

"Faust" is a unique work that touches on eternal philosophical questions along with the scientific and social problems of its time. Criticizing a narrow-minded society living in carnal pleasures, Goethe, with the help of Mephistopheles, simultaneously ridicules the German education system, replete with a mass of useless formalities. The unsurpassed play of poetic rhythms and melody makes Faust one of the greatest masterpieces of German poetry.

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Books

• Faust. Tragedy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The tragedy of `Faust` is the life work of the great German poet I.-V. Goethe. The first sketches date back to 1773, the last scenes were painted in the summer of 1831. Doctor Faust is a historical person, a hero...
• Faust Tragedy, Goethe I.. The tragedy opens with three introductory texts. The first is a lyrical dedication to the friends of youth - those with whom the author was associated at the beginning of work on Faust and who have already died or ...

In the image of the protagonist of the tragedy "Faust", Goethe sees not only a reflection of himself, but also a man of his time, the Enlightenment period, the heyday of German culture and philosophy.

Goethe and the Enlightenment

Johann Wolfgang Goethe certainly combined all the signs of genius. He was a poet, prose writer, an outstanding thinker, an ardent supporter of romanticism. It is on it that one of the greatest eras in Germany, the Enlightenment, ends. A man of his country, Goethe was instantly accepted into the ranks of the most prominent German philosophers. His sharp style immediately began to be compared with Voltaire's.

Biography

Goethe was born in 1749 into a wealthy patrician family. The basics of all sciences were taught to him at home. Later, the poet entered the university, but this was not enough for him. He also graduated from the University of Strasbourg. After the treatise "The Sufferings of Young Werther" was published, world fame came to him.

Goethe held an administrative position for a long time under the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. There he tried to fulfill himself, to convey the advanced ideas of that century to everyone else and to serve the benefit of society. After becoming prime minister of Weimar, he became disillusioned with politics. His active position did not allow him to engage in creativity.

Italian period

The writer fell into depression and went to recuperate in Italy, the country of the Renaissance, the masterpieces of da Vinci, Raphael, the philosophical search for truth. It was there that his style of writing developed. He again begins to write short stories and philosophical narratives. Upon his return, Goethe retains the post of Minister of Culture and the work of the head of the local theater. The duke is in his friend Schiller and often consults with him in important matters of the country's politics.

Goethe and Schiller

One of the turning points in the life and work of Johann Wolfgang was his acquaintance with Schiller. Two first-class authors not only together begin to develop the Weimar classicism founded by Goethe, but also constantly push each other to new masterpieces. Under the influence of Schiller, Goethe writes several novels and continues to work on Faust, which Friedrich so wanted to see. Nevertheless, "Faust" was published only in 1806, when Schiller was no longer alive. The first part was created under the tireless surveillance of Eckermann, Goethe's personal secretary, who insisted that the tragedy be published. The second part, at the behest of the author himself, was released posthumously.

Tragedy "Faust"

It is no exaggeration to say that Faust is the main work of the poet. The tragedy in two parts was written for sixty years. According to "Faust" one can also judge how the evolution of the writer's work took place. By creating passages at certain periods of his life, Goethe concluded in this tragedy the whole meaning of life.

Doctor Faust

The poet did not invent the main plot line, he took it from folk tales. Later, thanks to the thinker himself, the story of Faust will be retold by many writers, weaving this story into the basis of their books. And Goethe learned about this legend when he was only five years old. As a boy, he saw a puppet theater. It told a terrible story.

The legend is partly based on real events. Once there lived Johann-Georg Faust, a doctor by profession. He was engaged in the fact that he traveled from city to city and offered his services. If traditional medicine did not help, he took up magic, astrology and even alchemy. Doctors more successful and famous in their environment said that Faust was a simple charlatan who could fool any naive person. The healer's students at the university, where he briefly taught, spoke of the doctor with great warmth, considering him a seeker of truth. The Lutherans called him the devil's servant. The image of Faust seemed to them in all the dark corners.

The real Faust died under very mysterious circumstances, quite suddenly, in 1540. At the same time, legends and conjectures began to be made about him.

The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy

A work about Faust is a long life journey of a person who is endowed with a special view of the world, the ability to feel, experience, be disappointed and hope. The protagonist makes a deal with the devil only because he wants to comprehend all the secrets of the world. He wants to find the elusive truth of being, to find the truth, constantly with despair seeks out more and more new knowledge. Soon he realizes that he himself will not be able to find answers to questions, he will not be able to reveal all the secrets.

For the sake of knowledge, the hero is ready to pay any price. After all, everything that is in Faust's life, everything that moves him, is a search. Goethe endows the hero with the full gamut of all existing emotions. In the work, he is either in ecstasy from the fact that he discovered a grain of new information, or on the verge of suicide.

The main task of the hero is not just to know the world, but to understand himself. The image of Faust in the tragedy "Faust" is somewhat reminiscent of His life does not revolve in a circle, does not return to its roots. He constantly goes only forward, making new discoveries, exploring the unknown. For gaining knowledge, he pays with his soul. Faust is well aware of what he wants, and for this he is ready to call the devil.

The main positive features that the image of Faust absorbed in the tragedy "Faust" are perseverance, curiosity, and goodwill. The main character not only seeks to acquire new knowledge, he wants to help others with it.

The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy also has negative qualities: the desire to gain knowledge immediately, vanity, doubts, and carelessness.

The protagonist of this work teaches that you can’t look back and regret something, you need to live in the present, look for what makes a person happy. Despite the horrendous deal, Faust lived an absolutely happy life, never regretting it until the last moment.

The image of Margarita

Margarita - a modest girl, naive in many matters, has become the main temptation for the already elderly hero. She turned the whole world of the scientist and made him regret that he had no power over time. The poet himself was very fond of the image of Margarita in the tragedy "Faust", probably identifying him with the biblical Eve, who gave the forbidden fruit to Adam.

If all the years of his life Faust relied on his mind, then, having met this seemingly ordinary girl on the street, he begins to rely on his heart and feelings. Margarita after meeting with Faust begins to change. She puts her mother to sleep in order to get on a date. The girl is not as careless as it might seem in her first description. She is proof that looks can be deceiving. Having met with Mephistopheles, the girl subconsciously understands that it is better to bypass him.

The image of Margarita Goethe took from the streets of his time. The writer often saw sweet and kind girls whom fate throws into extremes. They cannot get out of their midst and are doomed to live their lives the way the women of their family did. Striving for more, these girls are falling more and more down.

Finding her happiness in Faust, Margarita believes in a better outcome. However, a series of tragic events does not allow her to enjoy love. Her brother is killed by Faust himself, unwillingly. He curses his sister before dying. The misfortunes do not end there, and, having suffered more than they should, having gone mad, Margarita ends up in prison. In a moment of complete despair, she is saved by higher powers.

The image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust"

Mephistopheles is a fallen angel who is constantly arguing with God about good and evil. He believes that a person is so corrupted that, succumbing to even a small temptation, he can easily give his soul to him. The angel is sure that humanity is not worth saving. Faust, according to Mephistopheles, will always be on the side of evil.

In one of the lines of the work, Mephistopheles is described as a devil who previously had sharp claws, horns and a tail. He does not like scholasticism, preferring to get away from boring sciences. Being evil, it helps, without knowing it, to find the truth for the hero. The image of Mephistopheles in Faust is made up of contradictions.

Often in conversations and disputes with Faust, Mephistopheles manifests himself as a true philosopher, who watches with interest the deeds of man, the progress. However, when he communicates with other people or evil spirits, he selects other images for himself. He does not lag behind the interlocutor and supports conversations on any topic. Mephistopheles himself says several times that he does not have absolute power. The main decision always depends on the person, and he can only take advantage of the wrong choice.

Many thoughts of Goethe himself were invested in the image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy Faust. They expressed themselves in sharp criticism of feudalism. At the same time, the devil profits from the naive realities of the capitalist foundation.

Despite the superficial similarity of the demon and the protagonist, the image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust" is absolutely opposite to him in the main. Faust strives for wisdom. And Mephistopheles believes that no wisdom exists. He believes that the search for truth is an empty exercise, because it does not exist.

Researchers believe that the image of Mephistopheles in Faust is the subconscious of the doctor himself, his fears of the unknown. At that moment, when good begins to fight evil, the demon talks to the main character. At the end of the work, Mephistopheles is left with nothing. Faust voluntarily admits that he has reached the ideal, has learned the truth. After that, his soul goes to the angels.

Hero of all time

The eternal image of Faust became the prototype for many heroes of new literature. Nevertheless, he seems to complete a whole string of literary "loners" who are used to fighting life's problems on their own. Of course, the image of Faust has notes of the sad thinker Hamlet or the expressive defender of humanity, the desperate Don Quixote, and even Don Juan. Faust resembles the Lovelace most of all with his desire to come to the truth in the secrets of the Universe. However, at a time when Faust knows no boundaries in his search, Don Juan stops at the needs of the flesh.

Each of the listed characters has its own antipodes, which make their images more complete and partially reveal the inner monologue of each. Don Quixote has Sancho Panza, Don Juan has an assistant Sganarelle, and Faust fights in philosophical battles with Mephistopheles.

The influence of the work

After the publication of the tragedy about a desperate lover of knowledge, many philosophers, culturologists, researchers found the image of Goethe's Faust so fascinating that they even singled out a similar type of person, which Spengler called "Faustian". These are people who are aware of infinity and freedom and strive for it. Even at school, children are asked to write an essay, the image of Faust in which should be fully disclosed.

This tragedy had a significant impact on literature. Inspired by the novel, poets and prose writers began to reveal the image of Faust in their creations. There are hints of it in the works of Byron, Grabbe, Lenau, Pushkin, Heine, Mann, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Bulgakov.

Indeed, this mystical and gothic tragedy has found crowds of fans around the world, and the names of the heroes have become household names. In Russia, the translation of the work about the warlock, which was created for about 60 years, was carried out by Nikolai Kholodkovsky and other representatives of the literary diaspora.

In addition, the tragedy "Faust" was a favorite book that borrowed a non-trivial plot to create "The Master and Margarita". Although the author of "The Heart of a Dog" used to say that he had no prototypes, researchers agree that Satan is insanely similar to "part of that force that always wants evil and always does good" -.

History of creation

The great German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe worked on his brainchild "Faust" almost all his life, so readers trace the change in the poet's worldview under the yoke of the era, which begins in his work with "Storm and Onslaught" and ends with romanticism.

This work, which brought Goethe laurels of honor, was conceived by the author at the age of 22-23, and he finished it just before his death. Of course, the writer has other worthy works that made up the literary heritage, but it was Faust that became the pinnacle of German poetry.

The master of the word was inspired by ancient folklore; according to legend, Faust had a prototype who lived in the first half of the 16th century. The real Johann Georg Faust is a semi-legendary wandering doctor and warlock whose biography has become a burning topic for literary writings.

Therefore, Goethe is not at all an innovator, because a work called “Stories about Dr. Johann Faust, the famous sorcerer and warlock” was published back in 1587. In addition, Jacob Michael Lenz, Friedrich Maximilian Klinger and other writers relied on the image of a charlatan, and theater figures often used this character for pantomimes and puppet shows.

According to legend, the young Faust received a bachelor's degree in theology, and then began to study "practical magic" at the University of Krakow. After Johann comprehended the "elements of science", he went to wander the world, where, before the eyes of a shocked public, he pretended to be a magician and said that he was able to work miracles, as well as restore the works of ancient philosophers from the depths of his own subconscious, or.

It is quite natural that the authorities did not like the adventures of Johann, who instilled all sorts of nonsense in passers-by. Therefore, Faust was soon expelled from Ingolstadt, and then the higher authorities in charge of Nuremberg forbade "the great sodomite and necromancer Dr. Faust" to enter the city. Goethe could not help but be inspired by such a colorful character, but on the literary pages he called the main character Heinrich, and not the name of his namesake.

In the period from 1774 to 1775, Goethe wrote the work Prafaust, presenting the main character to readers as an obstinate rebel who wants to comprehend the secrets of the universe. In 1790, bookstore habitues saw an excerpt from Faust, and the first part was not published until 1808. The first part of the tragedy is characterized by fragmentary and self-sufficient scenes, while the composition of the second is a single whole.

Goethe began the second part of the tragedy 17 years later. It is worth saying that it is difficult for an unprepared reader to perceive, because Goethe plunges lovers of literature not only into an extravagant plot, but also into philosophical reflections, mystical associations and unsolved riddles. The poet shows the "spectators" the life of his contemporary society. Thus, the owner of the book feels the inseparable connection between the present and the past.

The episode "Helen", which was conceived back in 1799, was completed by the poet in 1826, and four years later Goethe sat down to write the "Classical Walpurgis Night". In the middle of the summer of 1831, shortly before his own death, the writer completed his seminal work. Further, the unsurpassed genius sealed the creation in an envelope and bequeathed to publish it only after his death: the second part of Faust was published in 1832, in the 41st volume of the Collected Works.

Image and plot

The biography of the fictional Faust is shrouded in an aura of mystery. It is known that his whole life is a relentless search. The father of the protagonist was a doctor, who instilled in his offspring an unlimited love for science.

Despite the subtleties of healing, Faust's parent could not save all the patients. During the plague, thousands of patients died every day. Then Faust turned to heaven with a prayer that God would stop the flow of death. But since the young man did not wait for help, he rejected religion and began to immerse himself in science. If you look at Faust's workroom, you can see a lamp, glass flasks, test tubes, books and chemicals.

The author introduces readers to Faust on the first pages of the work. Goethe immediately immerses readers in philosophy, in a dispute about the values ​​of mankind and considers the problematics of "heaven, earth and hell." In the first scene, the archangels, Mephistopheles, and God appear before the eyes of the bookworms. Between representatives of different instances of good and evil, a dialogue arises in which the name of Faust was first mentioned.

The ruler of heaven assures the tempter that the doctor is a faithful slave, and Mephistopheles notices the contradictory nature of the hero, giving him the following characterization:

“And he rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles, and sees a goal beckoning in the distance, and demands stars from the sky as a reward and the best pleasures from the earth.”

Then God gave Mephistopheles the opportunity to tempt Faust, believing that the young man's intuition would lead him out of any impasse. It is noteworthy that the tempter meets the doctor when he has already passed his difficult life path.

The evil spirit appeared to Faust when he was contemplating suicide, for he was disappointed in his efforts. It should be noted that Mephistopheles, like Woland, is not at all like a devil from naive folk legends. For example, in the work "The Night Before Christmas" the owner of horns and hooves does not shine with quick wits, while the ruler of hell is devilishly smart and does not appear to readers as an exceptional embodiment of evil.

Mephistopheles, who wants to emerge victorious from the bet, pushes Faust to bad deeds, but unexpectedly, the protagonist in the “moments of trials” discovers positive aspects. The first thing the debater suggests to his new acquaintance is to go to a local tavern for a feast of students. The devil hopes that Faust will spend his time idly in the company of strong drinks and forget about his research, but it is not so easy to break Faust, because this hero does not accept the society of alcohol lovers.

Then, with the help of witchcraft, the devil returns Faust to youth in the hope that the main character will succumb to romantic feelings. Indeed, the doctor falls in love with the beautiful Margarita, but even here Mephistopheles was defeated, because this hobby of the scientist is then replaced by true love.

Screen adaptations

The tragedy about the struggle between good and evil has become a favorite topic for directors, so avid moviegoers have seen more than one adaptation of the famous Faust. We list the most popular of them.

"Faust" (1926)

German film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau was inspired by the German legend and presented the public with the silent film of the same name. The plot of the film is not much different from the immortal original: Archangel Michael and Satan, who boasts that he can seduce any mortal on earth, make a bet, the subject of which is the famous alchemist Faust.

It is noteworthy that the filmmaker was based not only on the work of Goethe, but also on the work of another writer, the English poet Christopher Marlo. The leading roles went to actors Jöst Ekman Sr. (Faust) and Emil Jannings (Mephistopheles).

"Beauty of the Devil" (1950)

The Frenchman Rene Clair made a film based on Goethe's tragedy, seasoning the original plot with a free interpretation. The picture tells how the cunning Mephistopheles offers Professor Faust to get youth and beauty, and he agrees without hesitation. Now the main goal of Mephistopheles is to quickly get the soul of his patient.

The brilliant cast included Michel Simon, Gerard Philip, Paolo Stoppa, Gaston Modo and others.

"Faust" (2011)

The Russian director also kept up with the trends and impressed cinema lovers with his vision of Faust, and the creator of the film received the Golden Lion award for his creation at the 68th Venice Film Festival.

The plot revolves around the first part of the poetic work, and the audience enjoys the love line between Faust and Marguerite. Alexander Sokurov allowed such actors as Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolde Dyuhauk and Hanna Schigulla to try on memorable images.

Quotes

"Manage yourself, make a decision,
At least at the cost of destruction."

“What is known is of no use,
One unknown is needed.

“But again lack of will, and decline,
And lethargy in thoughts, and confusion.
How often is this mess
Enlightenment is coming!”

"Let the whole century alternate
Happy rock and bad rock.
In tireless all the time
Man finds himself.

“Learn to succeed honestly
And attract thanks to the mind.
And trinkets, booming like an echo,
It's a fake and no one wants it."