"The general meaning of the tragedy" Faust. Faust Goethe

Mephistopheles- one of the central characters of the tragedy - is very ambiguous in terms of meaning. M., on the one hand, embodies that world of impure, “devilish” power, with which Faust enters into an agreement, hoping to quench his thirst for immense knowledge and pleasure. However, M. also embodies "evil" as the source of contradiction, the beginning of anxiety, dissatisfaction, as an incentive to action. At the same time, M. is associated with the denial of everything inert, false in social institutions and in people's opinions, all the satirical elements in Faust. Finally, wanting to take possession of Faust's soul, M. constantly interferes in his actions, distorts one or another of his intentions, which often leads to a tragic outcome (so, along with Faust himself, M. is undoubtedly one of the culprits in the death of Margarita). Already in the "Prologue in the sky" is defined special meaning M. in tragedy. The Lord God gives him permission to test Faust in order to awaken him to activity (“Out of laziness, a person falls into hibernation. / Go stir up his stagnation, / Turn around before him, languish and worry ...”). But in the same prologue, the lips of the Lord God predicted the final defeat of M. in the competition for the soul of Faust. In the first part of the tragedy, M. appears to Faust in a moment of spiritual turmoil and cruel doubts. He certifies himself as "a part of the power of that which is without number / Creates good, wishing evil to everything." This is the spirit of absolute negation. Having concluded an agreement with Faust, M. begins to tempt him. At first, he takes him to Leipzig, to the cellar, to a violent student feast, where M. mocks the feasting rude people. Then - to the witch's kitchen, where a fiery potion is being prepared, which should rejuvenate Faust and awaken in him a revelry of instincts. This scene, where the witch's assistants are animals, is replete with obscenities, but also with outright political allusions: the animals, the witches' assistants, carry M. a crown split in two and jump with its fragments. Soon, it is M. who arranges the acquaintance of Faust with Margarita. In the second part of the tragedy, as the scene of Faust's activity expands, M. even more often changes his appearance, acting in a variety of roles. As before, he plays the role of a sarcastic denier, mocking everything outdated and inert; in those cases when he acts as an assistant to Faust, he again - as in the first part - often and maliciously distorts his will. Initially, Faust and M. find themselves at the court of the emperor, M. becomes the court jester. To replenish the empty treasury, he proposes to the emperor to issue paper money under the fantastic security of underground riches and treasures. Then he takes part in the search Trojan Helen, experiencing various adventures in the world mythological creatures of antiquity and, having assumed the guise of the ugly Phorkiada known from ancient myths, guards the peace of the couple in love - Faust and Helen - in a secluded castle. The role of M. in the fifth, final act of the tragedy is peculiar. When Faust receives a maritime region as a gift from the emperor, which he planned to turn into a flourishing country, M., taking advantage of his trust, begins to impudently manage here. M. shamelessly engaged in robbery and piracy; he plays a particularly sinister role in the fate of an elderly married couple - Philemon and Baucis. Faust offers them new lands, wants to move them to another place, while M.'s henchmen, breaking into the old people's hut, force them out. Old people die, their hut burns to the ground. The final episodes of the second part are painted with tragic irony. Blinded and decrepit, Faust still dreams of draining the swamps, of great deeds, but M. (this time the overseer supervising the work) orders the lemurs, his henchmen, not to erect an embankment, but to dig Faust's grave. After the death of Faust, M. finally tries to take possession of his soul, but the choir of angels announces the justification of Faust.

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 period of Enlightenment, heyday German culture and philosophy.

Goethe and the Enlightenment

Johann Wolfgang Goethe certainly combined all the signs of genius. He was a poet, prose writer, 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 publication of the treatise "Suffering young Werther”, 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 turning points in the life and work of Johann Wolfgang was an acquaintance with Schiller. Two first-rate 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 puppet show. 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 with great warmth about the doctor, 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 in ecstasy from the fact that he discovered a grain new information then 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.

Main positive features, which absorbed the image of Faust in the tragedy "Faust", is perseverance, curiosity, goodwill. 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 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 Margaret 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 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.

The image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust"

The image of Mephistopheles in Goethe's tragedy "Faust" is quite clearly characterized. Let's take these lines as an example:

Part of the strength of that which is without number
He does good, wishing evil to everything.
I am a spirit always accustomed to deny.

Mephistopheles denies scholasticism, that is, divorced from real life knowledge:

Theory, my friend, is dry,
But the tree of life is green.

Mephistopheles can control fire:

Do not take possession of the region of fire,
There would be no place for me.

Faust himself put it this way about his guest:

So here it is, your work is venerable!
Not getting along with the universe as a whole,
Are you harming her?

The appearance of Mephistopheles also looms quite clearly:

Civilization tells to go forward;
Now progress is with itself and the devil moved.
The people forgot about the spirit of the north,
And, you see, I threw the horns, and the tail, and the claws.

Mephistopheles denies the divine likeness of people, seeks to prove to the Lord that from the temptations Faust will forever remain in the power of evil. He confidently enters into an argument with the Lord, without any fear of losing it:

Let's see. Here is my hand
And soon we will be in the calculation.
You will understand my triumph
When he, crawling in the litter,
The dust from the shoe will eat.

Mephistopheles developed for himself unshakable truths about the universe and about people. He is not capable of comprehending the "universe in its entirety", and does not understand why he is part of a force that does good against his will. Mephistopheles destroyed Faust's illusions, not realizing that this was how he brought him closer to the truth. Mephistopheles in this tragedy is an intellectual and philosopher who knows people's weaknesses and knows how to play on them. He makes many remarks about the human race:

God of the universe, man is
As it has been since time immemorial.
It would be better if he lived a little, do not light up
His you are a divine spark from within.
He calls this spark of reason
And with this spark, cattle live by cattle.

Mephistopheles has several guises: among revelers he is a wit, who loves to perform merry verses, for the emperor he is a magician and a master of entertainment, and with Faust he is a philosopher-mentor, and a servant, and a pimp, and a bodyguard. With representatives dark world: devils, spirits and witches, he also knows how to easily find mutual language. Mephistopheles is not omnipotent, and this can be understood at the beginning and at the end of the tragedy: “I am not omniscient, I am only tempted”, “Think, friend: not everything is subject to me!”. The fact that he could not release Margarita from prison proves that the whole world does not obey him. .

Goethe puts his reflections on the decaying feudal society and the capitalist society that came to replace it into the mouth of Mephistopheles. In the "Imperial Palace" scene, Mephistopheles suggests that the emperor issue paper money against the security of underground treasures, which, according to the law, "belong to Caesar." Underground treasures, symbolizing the productive forces of the country, remain untouched, which means that armed tax collectors will continue to rob the people. Paper money, as a symbol of the transition to a capitalist society, cannot but fall in price with such inaction of the state, but the emperor does not care much, he gives paper money to those close to him. And this proves that the capitalist world is no better than before.

Mephistopheles is as extraordinary as Faust, but they are antipodes, because Faust seeks to reach the depths of wisdom, Mephistopheles is sure that there is nothing there. The first yearns for searches, and the second is fed up with what he observes on earth.

Some researchers believe that Mephistopheles is the second "I" of Faust, that is, the bodily embodiment of his subconscious. exposed internal conflict Faust: stay alone, absorbed in your problems and passions, or give up your interests and help other people. It is where good fights evil. When Faust knew the ideal, he said: “A moment you are fine, stop, wait!”. And the achievement of the ideal is death. In nature, one cannot realize an ideal, one can only strive for it. Faust's soul is carried away by angels, Mephistopheles, who believed in the "finiteness" of life, was put to shame.

Perhaps, in addition to the image of Mephistopheles, you will be interested in other works on this topic.

The tragedy of I. V. Goethe "Faust" was written in 1774 - 1831 and belongs to the literary direction of romanticism. The work is the main work of the writer, on which he worked for almost his entire life. The plot of the tragedy is based on the German Legend of Faust, the famous warlock of the 16th century. Particular attention is drawn to the composition of the tragedy. The two parts of "Faust" are contrasted: the first shows the doctor's relationship with the spiritually pure girl Margarita, the second shows Faust's activities at court and marriage to the ancient heroine Elena.

main characters

Heinrich Faust- a doctor, a scientist disillusioned with life and science. Made a deal with Mephistopheles.

Mephistopheles– evil spirit, the devil, bet with the Lord that he could get the soul of Faust.

Gretchen (Margarita) - beloved Faust. An innocent girl who, out of love for Heinrich, accidentally killed her mother, and then, going crazy, drowned her daughter. Died in prison.

Other characters

Wagner - student of Faust who created the Homunculus.

Elena- an ancient Greek heroine, beloved of Faust, from whom her son Euphorion was born. Their marriage is a symbol of the combination of ancient and romantic beginnings.

Euphorion - the son of Faust and Helen, endowed with the features of a romantic, Byronic hero.

Martha- Margarita's neighbor, a widow.

Valentine- soldier, brother Gretchen, who was killed by Faust.

Theater Director, Poet

Homunculus

dedication

Theatrical introduction

The director of the theater asks the Poet to create an entertaining work that will be interesting to absolutely everyone and will attract more viewers to their theater. However, the Poet believes that "the splattering of vulgarities is a great evil", "talentless crooks are a craft".

The director of the theater advises him to move away from his usual style and more resolutely get down to business - “to deal with poetry in his own way”, then his works will be really interesting to people. The director provides the Poet and the Actor with all the possibilities of the theater in order to:

“In this boardwalk - a booth
You can, as in the universe,
Having passed all the tiers in a row,
Descend from heaven through the earth to hell.

Prologue in the sky

Mephistopheles comes to the Lord for reception. The devil argues that people "illumined by God's spark" continue to live like animals. The Lord asks if he knows Faust. Mephistopheles recalls that Faust is a scientist who "rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles," serving God. The devil offers to bet that he will "beat off" the Lord Faust, exposing him to all sorts of temptations, to which he agrees. God is sure that the scientist's instinct will lead him out of the impasse.

Part one

Night

Cramped gothic room. Faust is sitting awake reading a book. The Doctor reflects:

"I mastered theology,
I pored over philosophy,
jurisprudence hollowed
And studied medicine.
However, at the same time, I
I was and still am a fool.

And I turned to magic,
So that the spirit at the call appears to me
And he discovered the secret of being.

The doctor's thoughts are interrupted by his student Wagner, who suddenly enters the room. During a conversation with a student, Faust explains: people really do not know anything about antiquity. The doctor is outraged by Wagner's arrogant, stupid thoughts that man has already grown up to know all the secrets of the universe.

When Wagner left, the doctor reflects that he considered himself equal to God, but this is not so: "I am a blind worm, I am the stepson of nature." Faust realizes that his life is "passing in dust" and is about to commit suicide by drinking poison. However, at the moment when he brings a glass of poison to his lips, a bell ringing is heard and choral singing– angels sing about the Resurrection of Christ. Faust abandons his intention.

At the gate

Crowds of people walking, including Wagner and Faust. The old farmer thanks the doctor and his late father for helping to "get rid of the plague" in the city. However, Faust is ashamed of his father, who during his medical practice for the sake of experiments gave people poison - while treating some, he killed others. A black poodle runs up to the doctor and Wagner. It seems to Faust that behind the dog "a flame snakes across the land of the glades."

Faust's workroom

Faust took the poodle with him. The doctor sits down to translate German New Testament. Reflecting on the first phrase of the scripture, Faust comes to the conclusion that it is translated not as “In the beginning was the Word”, but “In the beginning was the Deed”. The poodle begins to play around and, distracted from work, the doctor sees how the dog turns into Mephistopheles. The devil appears to Faust in the clothes of a wandering student. The doctor asks who he is, to which Mephistopheles replies:

“Part of the strength of that which is without number
He does good, wishing evil to everything.

Mephistopheles laughs at human weaknesses, as if knowing what thoughts torment Faust. Soon the Devil is about to leave, but the pentagram drawn by Faust does not let him in. The devil, with the help of spirits, puts the doctor to sleep and disappears while he sleeps.

The second time Mephistopheles appeared to Faust in rich clothes: in a karamzin camisole, with a cape on his shoulders and a rooster feather on his hat. The devil persuades the doctor to leave the walls of the office and go with him:

"You will be comfortable here with me,
I will fulfill any whim."

Faust agrees and signs the treaty in blood. They go on a journey, flying straight through the air on the Devil's magical cloak.

Auerbach cellar in Leipzig

Mephistopheles and Faust join the company of merry revelers. The devil treats those who drink wine. One of the revelers spills a drink on the ground and the wine catches fire. The man exclaims that it is hellfire. Those present rush at the Devil with knives, but he induces a "dope" on them - it begins to seem to people that they are in a beautiful land. At this time, Mephistopheles and Faust disappear.

witch's kitchen

Faust and Mephistopheles are waiting for the witch. Faust complains to Mephistopheles that he is tormented by sad thoughts. The devil replies that he can be distracted from any thoughts by a simple means - the conduct of an ordinary household. However, Faust is not ready to "live without scope". At the request of the Devil, the witch prepares a potion for Faust, after which the doctor's body "gains heat", and the lost youth returns to him.

The outside

Faust, seeing Marguerite (Gretchen) on the street, is struck by her beauty. The Doctor asks Mephistopheles to set him up with her. The devil replies that he just overheard her confession - she is innocent, as Small child, so evil spirits no power over her. Faust sets a condition: either Mephistopheles arranges their date today, or he will terminate their contract.

Evening

Margarita thinks that she would give a lot to find out who the man she met was. While the girl leaves her room, Faust and Mephistopheles leave her a gift - a jewelry box.

On a walk

Margarita's mother took the donated jewelry to the priest, as she realized that it was a gift from evil spirits. Faust orders to give Gretchen something else.

Neighbor's house

Margarita tells her neighbor Marta that she has found a second jewelry box. The neighbor advises not to say anything about the find of the mother, starting to put on jewelry gradually.

Mephistopheles comes to Martha and informs about the fictitious death of her husband, who left nothing to his wife. Marta asks if it is possible to get a paper confirming her husband's death. Mephistopheles replies that he will soon return with a friend to testify about the death, and asks Margarita to stay too, since his friend is "an excellent fellow."

Garden

Walking with Faust, Margarita tells that she lives with her mother, her father and sister have died, and her brother is in the army. The girl guesses on a camomile and gets the answer "Loves". Faust confesses his love to Marguerite.

forest cave

Faust is hiding from everyone. Mephistopheles tells the doctor that Margarita misses him very much and is afraid that Heinrich has cooled off towards her. The Devil is surprised that Faust so easily decided to give up on the girl.

Martha's Garden

Margarita shares with Faust that she really dislikes Mephistopheles. The girl thinks that he can betray them. Faust, notes the innocence of Margarita, before which the Devil is powerless: “Oh, the sensitivity of angelic guesses!” .

Faust gives Marguerite a sleeping pill so she can put her mother to sleep, and they manage to be alone longer next time.

Night. Street in front of Gretchen's house

Valentine, Gretchen's brother, decides to deal with the girl's lover. The young man is upset that she brought shame upon herself by an affair without marriage. Seeing Faust, Valentine challenges him to a duel. The doctor kills the young man. Until they are noticed, Mephistopheles and Faust hide, leave the city. Before his death, Valentine instructs Margarita, saying that the girl must protect her honor.

The cathedral

Gretchen attends a church service. Behind the girl, an evil spirit whispers to her that Gretchen is responsible for the death of her mother (not woken up from a sleeping pill) and her brother. In addition, everyone knows that a girl carries a child under her heart. Unable to withstand obsessive thoughts, Gretchen faints.

Walpurgis Night

Faust and Mephistopheles watch the coven of witches and sorcerers. Walking along the fires, they meet a general, a minister, a wealthy businessman, a writer, a junk witch, Lilith, Medusa and others. Suddenly, one of the shadows reminds of Faust Margaret, the doctor imagined that the girl was beheaded.

It's a nasty day. Field

Mephistopheles tells Faust that Gretchen has been begging for a long time and is now in prison. The doctor is in despair, he reproaches the Devil for what happened and demands that he save the girl. Mephistopheles notices that it was not he, but Faust himself who ruined Marguerite. However, after thinking, he agrees to help - the Devil will put the caretaker to sleep, and then take them away. Faust himself will have to take possession of the keys and lead Margarita out of the dungeon.

Prison

Faust enters the dungeon where Marguerite is sitting, singing strange songs. She lost her mind. Mistaking the doctor for an executioner, the girl asks to put off punishment until the morning. Faust explains that her lover is in front of her and they need to hurry. The girl is glad, but takes time, telling him that he has grown cold to her arms. Margarita tells how she lulled her mother to death and drowned her daughter in a pond. The girl is delusional and asks Faust to dig graves for her, her mother and brother. Before her death, Margarita asks for salvation from God. Mephistopheles says that she is condemned to torment, but then a voice is heard from above: “Saved!” . The girl is dying.

Part two

Act one

Imperial Palace. Masquerade

Mephistopheles in the form of a jester appears before the emperor. In the throne room begins State Council. The chancellor reports that the country is in decline, the state does not have enough money.

Walking garden

The devil helped the state solve the problem of lack of money by turning a scam. Mephistopheles put into circulation securities, the pledge of which was gold located in the bowels of the earth. The treasure will someday be found and will cover all expenses, but so far fooled people are paying with shares.

dark gallery

Faust, who appeared at court as a magician, informs Mephistopheles that he promised the emperor to show the ancient heroes Paris and Helen. The Doctor asks the Devil to help him. Mephistopheles gives Faust a directional key that will help the doctor enter the world pagan gods and heroes.

Knight's Hall

The courtiers await the appearance of Paris and Helen. When an ancient Greek heroine appears, the ladies begin to discuss her shortcomings, but Faust is fascinated by the girl. The scene of the “abduction of Helen” by Paris is played out before the audience. Having lost his composure, Faust tries to save and keep the girl, but the spirits of the heroes suddenly evaporate.

Act two

gothic room

Faust lies in his old room motionless. The student Famulus tells Mephistopheles that the now famous scientist Wagner is still waiting for the return of his teacher Faust, and is now on the verge of a great discovery.

Medieval laboratory

Mephistopheles comes to Wagner, who is at the clumsy instruments. The scientist tells the guest that he wants to create a person, because, in his opinion, "the former children's survival for us is an absurdity, handed over to the archive." Wagner creates Homunculus.

The homunculus advises Mephistopheles to take Faust to the Walpurgis Night festival, and then flies away with the doctor and the Devil, leaving Wagner.

Classic Walpurgis Night

Mephistopheles lowers Faust to the ground, and he finally comes to his senses. The Doctor goes in search of Elena.

Act three

In front of the palace of Menelaus in Sparta

Landed on the coast of Sparta, Elena learns from the housekeeper Phorkiada that King Menelaus (Helen's husband) sent her here as a sacrifice for sacrifice. The housekeeper helps the heroine escape death by helping her escape to a nearby castle.

Castle courtyard

Helen is brought to Faust's castle. He reports that the queen now owns everything in his castle. Faust sends his troops against Menelaus, who is coming at him with a war, who wants to take revenge, and he takes refuge with Elena in the underworld.

Soon Faust and Helen have a son, Euphorion. The boy dreams of jumping so that "inadvertently reach the sky with one swoop." Faust tries to shield his son from trouble, but he asks to be left alone. Having climbed a high rock, Euphorion jumps from it and falls dead at the feet of his parents. The grieving Elena tells Faust: "The old saying comes true on me, That happiness does not get along with beauty" and, with the words "take me, O Persephone, with a boy!" hugs Faust. The woman's body disappears, and only her dress and veil remain in the man's hands. Elena's clothes turn into clouds and carry Faust away.

act four

Mountain landscape

To the rocky ridge, which was previously the bottom of the underworld, Faust swims up on a cloud. A man reflects on the fact that with the memories of love, all his purity and “the best essence” are gone. Soon, on seven-league boots, Mephistopheles flies to the rock. Faust tells Mephistopheles that his greatest desire is to build a dam on the sea and

"At any cost at the abyss
Reclaim a piece of land."

Faust asks Mephistopheles for help. Suddenly, the sounds of war are heard. The devil explains that the emperor they helped earlier is in a difficult situation after exposing a deception with securities. Mephistopheles advises Faust to help the monarch return to the throne, for which he will be able to receive a seashore as a reward. The Doctor and the Devil help the Emperor win a resounding victory.

act five

open area

To old people, loving married couple Baucis and Philemon are visited by a stranger. Once the old people have already helped him, for which he is very grateful to them. Baucis and Philemon live by the sea, there is a bell tower and a linden grove nearby.

Castle

The aged Faust is indignant - Baucis and Philemon do not agree to leave the seashore so that he can realize his idea. Their house is exactly on the spot that now belongs to the doctor. Mephistopheles promises to deal with the old people.

Deep night

The house of Baucis and Philemon, and with it the linden grove and the belfry, were burnt down. Mephistopheles told Faust that they tried to drive the old people out of the house, but they died of fright, and the guest, resisting, was killed by the servants. The house caught fire accidentally from a spark. Faust curses Mephistopheles and the servants for deafness to his words, since he wanted a fair exchange, and not violence and robbery.

Large courtyard in front of the palace

Mephistopheles orders the lemurs (grave ghosts) to dig a grave for Faust. Blinded Faust hears the sound of shovels and decides that it is the workers who make his dream come true:

"Put a boundary to the fury of the surf
And, as if reconciling the earth with itself,
They are erecting, the rampart and embankments are being fixed.

Faust orders Mephistopheles to "recruit workers here without counting," constantly reporting to him on the progress of work. The Doctor thinks that he would like to see the days when free people work in free land, then he could exclaim: “A moment! Oh, how beautiful you are, wait a bit!” . With the words: “And anticipating this triumph, I am now experiencing the highest moment,” Faust dies.

Position in the coffin

Mephistopheles is waiting for Faust's spirit to leave his body so that he can present him with their blood-backed pact. However, angels appear and, pushing the demons away from the doctor's grave, carry the immortal essence of Faust into the sky.

Conclusion

Tragedy I. In Goethe's "Faust" is philosophical work in which the author reflects on eternal theme confrontation in the world and man of good and evil, reveals the issues of human knowledge of the secrets of the world, self-knowledge, touches on issues of power, love, honor, justice, and many others that are important at any time. Today, Faust is considered one of the pinnacles of German classical poetry. The tragedy is included in the repertoire of the world's leading theaters and has been filmed many times.

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G.M. Vasilyeva

Osiyano

Only a word amid earthly anxieties,

And in the Gospel of John it says,

that the word is God.

N. S. Gumilyov

In man there is the innermost, highest, spiritual degree. Or, so to speak, the secret (intimum), which is primarily or most closely influenced by the divine.

Of the angelic topoi for Goethe, the favorite is Easter. Goethe used the image as a way to religiously consecrate and express what is sacred in itself. Faust knows himself sub specie divinitatis, in full accordance with the ideal of theoria, which aims not to understand the nature of things, but to strengthen the contemplative in wise ignorance. There is a synthesis of Christianity with spontaneous pagan ecstasy. The Christian and pagan principles, in a certain sense, set a certain “non-uniform” rhythm, which tunes one to a certain rhythmic curve. Apotropaic formulas, that is, conspiracies against corruption, are introduced into the fabric of the text, forming a chain of rebuses. Metaphorical formulas are like spells. Goethe called himself a pagan. This should not be understood in the sense that at some point in his life he consciously renounced his belief in God. It is simply "ancient" to monotheism and any positive religion. In his spirit, the material has been accumulated, from which the peoples in a long development will create their dogmas and cults.

The battlefield in tragedy will be religion, because only here the truth reaches such heights where its distortion is truly terrible. Everything happens in secluded tightness, which is for Faust a place and a symbol of gathering himself, overcoming what in Hegel's philosophy is called "bad" or "negative" infinity. This is the result of experience. Faust turns to the usual motives of contemptus mundi, the sorrows of the human lot from birth to death. An exercise in the spirit of contemptus mundi belongs to a person who knew the Bible well and felt keenly that he was a "contemptible sinner." Here the maxims of Job and Ecclesiastes again appear, and the question “Ubi sunt?” reappears, which, however, Goethe enriches with new reflections. Faust's gospel "clarifications" are a kind of shifter of the changing time of history, and they "play out" another important problem of the real and the potential and their synthesis in the work. Without the first, the historicity of the text collapses, without the second, the integrity of the perception of what is described. These are arguments of the “neocratic” persuasion. This refers to Plato's view of the name as a word, which should reflect the essence of things, set out by Plato in the dialogue "Cratylus". And

It is a monosyllabic word (Wort, Sinn, Kraft, Tat) that is easiest to perceive as an indivisible monad, as a manifestation of the most “primordial” potentialities of the language. Monosyllabic words often serve as designations for equally primordial realities (life and death, firmament and abyss, spirit and flesh). There is a repetition of symmetrical formulas, what is called an "echo structure": "Im Anfang war." Words are not points of some taxonomy, listed one after another, but sources of concepts. They are a variant of hidden comparison, cases of correlating the identification of phenomena. One overshadows the other. A deadpan stately tone is different from nervous eloquence. The most grammatical warehouse of Hebrew speech, transferred to the Greek, and from there to the German Bible, is also sustained. There is a completely natural and completely legitimate development of the cultural space of the European, Judeo-Christian civilization.

“But, ah! Where is the inspiration? / The flow in the chest has dried up, is silent. / Why is inspiration so brief / And again the thirst torments us? / Well, experience does not occupy, / How to deal with our lack: / We are again looking for grace / And we are again thirsty for revelation, / Which is the strongest / Flames in the Gospel. / Can't wait to read the source, / So that one day, with good heart, / The holy original I was able to / Translate into my German. / It is written: "In the Beginning was the Word!" / Here I stumble. How can I be? / How high should I appreciate the Word? / I must translate again, / Kohl is overshadowed by heavenly power. for the Feeling to create everything? / It should stand: “There was a Force in the Beginning!” / I write down, knowing in advance, / That the translation is no good again. / Suddenly I see the Spirit advice and boldly / I write: “In the Beginning there was a Deed!” my G.V.).

There is no contradiction between the content of Faust's words and the content of the biblical idea, but there is a lack of internal coincidence; the matter is not about the same thing. There are thoughts as seductive as they are shallow, and they must be avoided precisely because Goethe sometimes criticizes them. Faust experiences, hears and says not the opposite, but something else. Everything that is in heaven and on earth, laid down from the beginning by the Eternal and arranged in six creative days, all this is revealed to the attention of Faust.

The concept of "Beginning" was used by Goethe as one of the Urworte (first words). As Goethe writes in his Testament: "Das Wahre war schon langst gefunden, / Hat edle Geisterschaft verbunden, / Das alte Wahre, fas es an!". What was "in the Beginning" or even just "before"? Of course, such a formulation of the priority problem cannot be recognized as correct. A practical task always comes to the fore: what follows from the fact that A precedes B, how and on what it is reflected, how it predetermines the structure, semantics and function of A and B in their up to date. Practical task is focused not so much on the question of origin, but on the question of the consequences that follow from it. In any case, the question of what was “really” is not always a tribute to naive empiricism. Sometimes he generally calls not for any specific decision, but for choosing the path to it. This is not a recollection of biblical events, not a commentary, not an interpretation of what has already been written, but the further course of the story. Goethe's Bible is sacred history, open, as in the Beginning, an unsatisfied prophecy of salvation. Grammar is the basis of thought. Grammar, the main coordinates of which are the Name and the Verb, the thought of the thing and the thought of the action. In "Faust" the verb of the imperative mood prevails, a verb similar to the one that sounds at the beginning of the Book of Genesis - or in the episodes of the gospel miracles: "I want, be cleansed!".

It is not the very fact of the discrepancy with the original that is interesting, but the nature of the semantic digressions. The appearance of words is predestined, their sounds are interconnected. Their mobility is already conditioned by preliminary reflection, according to which they must rush into the purity of combinations. Even "surprises" are provided: they are invisibly placed and participate in the rhythm. Each phrase lives its own independent life. Behind every expression lies a process of formalization and concentration. Only results are given. Completeness makes them infallible, like dogmas. Faust affirms and defines. He is the geometer of life: he measures, puts into formulas and estranges. This is the rhythm that is found in the evolution of the universal drama, having passed through successive stages: from matter to life, from life to spirit, from spirit to matter, into which the spirit “throws” in order to harden, having already comprehended and subdued it. This is the rhythm of the chemical drama, in which synthesis and analysis give rise to each other in turn. The rhythm of a physiological drama, in which, obeying the sequence of systole and diastole, life is pushed to the periphery and returns to boil again. This is the rhythm of the biological drama, in which a higher organism grows out of the cell, led by hunger and love to re-creation.

These relations can be built as "opposite", but, however, referring to some kind of unity on a more high level, or, conversely, as "consensually identifying". Goethe actualizes the motif of convergence, conformity, sympathy, agreement, friendship (cf. mythopoetic in its origins, but still preserved in early philosophical and early scientific concepts, for example, among Ionian natural philosophers and even in later "mystical" versions scientific theories idea of ​​friendship of elements, elements, their mutual sympathy and affinity). Emphasis on the idea of ​​separation would lead to the oblivion of the balancing idea of ​​wholeness and the emergence of meanings that develop the theme of skinnedness. The pathetic emphasis falls on the "Word". The word is the place of application of forces. At the beginning of creation there is chaos, but the Word hovers over it and creates the universe out of it. Neither the experience of centuries, nor the labor of generations exists for the poet: he must do everything from the beginning.

He will express his vision of the world, which has not yet been, in words that have never sounded before. Of course, Faust remembers that the Greek poesis means "doing." The cause of man can be understood both as "what makes a man" and as "what makes a man". Of course, poetry is not the only thing of man. But what we will lose if we lose this work is the fullness of the image of man and the image of humanity, the man who does and the man who is being done.

We are talking about one rather modest and, of course, legitimate issue. Already the first line of the Book of Genesis "In the beginning God created." testifies that God was infinitely free when he approached Creation. God gave His freedom to Creation, each particle of which "holographically" repeats Him in this respect. Freedom, glory, creativity vertutes cardinales (speaking in Catholic). True, this is not the whole poet. Goethe is not alien to vertutes theologis. But the “natural Goethe,” in other words, the Goethe created by European humanism, lives by these covenants: freedom, glory. Musical-rhythmic excitement is clearly expressed in Goethe's characterization of the poet as a creature in whom "eternal melodies move in the members" ("dem die ewigen Melodien durch die Glieder sich bewegen").

In a series of clear oppositions and antitheses, with the help of which Faust expresses his preferences, the case was connected with the temptation of the word. When Faust needs to oppose the strength of deeds to the insignificance of words, he leans towards the teachings of traditional morality and speaks in favor of deeds, finding a very appropriate support: it is undesirable for a noble person to give preference to eloquence, the temptation of skillful weaving of words. Only one mode of action is not subject to deception, when a person acts without breaking away from himself. Only death, consistent with the speeches, does not allow them to crumble into empty words. She is a seal that confirms and strengthens that which, being enclosed in verbal matter alone, is not strong enough. Death becomes a point that gives meaning to the phrase, a defining feature, the highest oratorical act. It not only accompanies speech, like a gesture, but gives it an irreversible immobility. Only then can one affirm that speech was a deed already at the moment when the first word was uttered.

In the understanding of the era, ultima verba is not just a spiritual testament. They are already marked with the seal of direct contemplation of the blessed. The subject of the wager of Faust and Mephistopheles is also the word (Augenblick, moment). The main condition of the transaction is connected with the word, which Faust must keep in the depths of his consciousness. And is it possible to unincarnate the world in any other way than through the word. If the world was created by a word, then by a word it can be destroyed. A. Mayer in his study of "Faust" (1931) shows that in the center of Goethe's work is the drama of consciousness that has lost touch with the word. Distrust of the word, rejection of it leads to a break with spirituality, to turning to the Cause, which has been torn away from the word. Death befalls Faust just for betraying the truth of the word. A researcher who would like to prove the similarity of Mephistopheles' play with the effects of Baroque "wit", his linguistic estrangement from the Baroque category of "meraviglia" would also offer his own conceptual dictionary. Mephistopheles wants to shine at any cost, to amaze the audience with virtuoso linguistic effects. Such a study would be interesting, especially because of Goethe's desire to motivate the construction of additional layers of text with one linguistic figure or metaphorical turn.

Sinn is a difficult word to translate: "sensitivity", but in the sense of "susceptibility", moreover, susceptibility as a specific, not a general property. We can talk about new, acquired "susceptibility" to the phenomena of life, which previously went unnoticed. In the Karamzin period, a rather successful expression "subtle (or tender) feelings" was found for this concept. Unfortunately, it is hopelessly compromised by ironic usage. In Latin, feelings of affectiones: inclinations, disposition, affection. We do not have a word that would completely convey the meaning of Latin, just as there is no word in Latin that would convey what we now mean by feelings of the soul. Therefore, let us place our translation of Sinn (“In the Beginning, the Feeling was...”) among the “Dubia”, that is, among the “doubtful”. The German word Sinn is broad enough in its meaning to be secularized relatively easily and non-violently. It from time immemorial characterizes a serious mood, a concentrated disposition of the mind and heart. In Russian, such a word not only does not exist, but cannot exist in the entire structure of Russian vocabulary, which, as a rule, strictly distinguishes between terminological expressions of the religious sphere in the most traditional sense. A process of "linguistic" secularization is taking place, weathering the confessional content, but using for its own purposes the flavor of the confessional culture. In fact, Goethe never engaged in that school metaphysics, which is oriented towards the idea of ​​a pure, complete in itself, procedurally verified, methodically developed thought. Some final formula never covered its own content. There is always an excess energy in thought, which requires a new definition, a new move and turn, a new repetition. Thought, that which constantly restrains itself, has infinite outlines and must replenish itself with very slow steps.

The impression of tension and strength, Kraft, is created by sensations of heaviness and flight. Mephistopheles promises to release Faust from the weight that was bending him to the ground. And now Faust straightened up, came to life and became light. The meaning of the name Faust turns out to be much more specific and complete. It was about the increase not only of physical mass, matter, but also of a certain internal fruit-bearing force, spiritual energy and the external form of light and color, connected with it and about it, informing about it. The innocence of an adult can easily degenerate into naivety. Innocence as a heavenly state, as ignorance of the difference between good and evil, is not strength. The primitive sojourn of the soul before the fall must not be confused with the purity of the heart enlightened in trials. We are talking about the guilt of a thinking and dreaming head, which receives a well-deserved punishment from brute force, which actually appeared to fulfill its unconscious order. So Magic power appears at the behest of an unreasonable sorcerer apprentice in Goethe's ballad.

The personality is healed (restored into the whole) by the personality (the whole). In heaven, all power belongs to Divine truth. Angels are called powers because of their acceptance of this Divine truth. Holiness appears like a doctor, like a doctor, like a great diagnostician. There is an expansion of the landscape of man along the vertical: upwards, into the realm of Paradise, or the Kingdom of God, or holiness. In the familiar field classical literature it is also a fantastic scenery. In Dante, Petrarch, the saint is actor, and holiness is a real dimension, a human need (for Petrarch this is already a duty). The "vices" portrayed by Goethe have a heavenly genealogy. Sin in the strict sense is committed before the face of heaven, in Paradise, as for the first time. The saint has nothing to do at the beginning of the tragedy. He left the world, where the main interest is fate and character. Neither the first nor the second is no longer essential for the saint. He is not subject to fate.

And in "Faust", as in the Greek tragedy, we are talking about the "romance" of a person with fate. At the end of the tragedy, a special kind of memory will arise: the memory of Paradise as an ever-active force. The poet puts Faust in the perspective of uncertainty and small magnitudes. It opens up such abysses, in comparison with which a person is infinitely small. Depicting the “choir of blessed babies” in the finale, Goethe extracts new sounds of seraphic phonetics from German verse. Bliss is understanding, wisdom, love and goodness. Singing, monotony (as linguists say) did not emphasize any details, a single thought, did not place logical accents, went in a continuous voice stream. A new vision of life emerged and even new way breathing "reverse", or "internal". It corresponds to the state of the embryo in the mother's womb (it is interesting that the higher meditative states are described in a similar way in yoga and Chinese Taoism).

bible and national culture: Interuniversity collection of scientific articles B 595 / Perm.un-t; Rep. ed. N. S. Bochkareva. Permian