Goethe's Faust description of heroes. "The general meaning of the tragedy" Faust

"Faust" is a work that declared its greatness after the death of the author and has not subsided since then. The phrase "Goethe - Faust" is so well known that even a person who is not fond of literature has heard about it, perhaps without even suspecting who wrote whom - either Goethe's Faust, or Goethe's Faust. However, the philosophical drama is not only the invaluable heritage of the writer, but also one of the brightest phenomena of the Enlightenment.

"Faust" not only gives the reader a bewitching plot, mysticism, and mystery, but also raises the most important philosophical questions. Goethe wrote this work for sixty years of his life, and the play was published after the death of the writer. The history of the creation of the work is interesting not only for the long period of its writing. Already the name of the tragedy opaquely alludes to the physician Johann Faust, who lived in the 16th century, who, by virtue of his merits, acquired envious people. The doctor was credited with supernatural powers, supposedly he could even resurrect people from the dead. The author changes the plot, supplements the play with characters and events, and, as if on a red carpet, solemnly enters the history of world art.

The essence of the work

The drama opens with a dedication, followed by two prologues and two parts. Selling your soul to the devil is a story for all time, in addition, a curious reader is also waiting for a journey through time.

In the theatrical prologue, an argument begins between the director, the actor and the poet, and each of them, in fact, has his own truth. The director is trying to explain to the creator that it makes no sense to create a great work, since the majority of viewers are not able to appreciate it, to which the poet stubbornly and indignantly disagrees - he believes that for a creative person, first of all, it is not the taste of the crowd that is important, but the idea of ​​​​the creativity.

Turning the page, we see that Goethe sent us to heaven, where a new dispute is brewing, only this time between the devil Mephistopheles and God. According to the representative of darkness, a person is not worthy of any praise, and God allows you to test the strength of your beloved creation in the person of the industrious Faust in order to prove the opposite to the devil.

The next two parts are an attempt by Mephistopheles to win the argument, namely, the devilish temptations will come into play one after another: alcohol and fun, youth and love, wealth and power. Any desire without any obstacles, until Faust finds what is worthy of life and happiness and is equivalent to the soul that the devil usually takes for his services.

Genre

Goethe himself called his work a tragedy, and literary critics called it a dramatic poem, which is also difficult to argue about, because the depth of the images and the power of Faust's lyricism are of an unusually high level. The genre nature of the book also leans towards the play, although only individual episodes can be staged on the stage. The drama also has an epic beginning, lyrical and tragic motifs, so it is difficult to attribute it to a specific genre, but it will not be wrong to say that Goethe's great work is a philosophical tragedy, a poem and a play all rolled into one.

Main characters and their characteristics

1. Faust is the protagonist of Goethe's tragedy, an outstanding scientist and doctor who knew many of the mysteries of science, but was still disappointed in life. He is not satisfied with the fragmentary and incomplete information that he owns, and it seems to him that nothing will help him come to the knowledge of the higher meaning of being. The desperate character even contemplated suicide. He enters into an agreement with the messenger of the dark forces in order to find happiness - something that is really worth living for. First of all, he is driven by a thirst for knowledge and freedom of spirit, so he becomes a difficult task for the devil.
2. "A particle of power that wished eternally evil, doing only good"- a rather controversial image of the trait of Mephistopheles. The focus of evil forces, the messenger of hell, the genius of temptation and the antipode of Faust. The character believes that “everything that exists is worthy of death”, because he knows how to manipulate the best divine creation through his many vulnerabilities, and everything seems to indicate how negatively the reader should treat the devil, but damn it! The hero evokes sympathy even from God, to say nothing of the reading public. Goethe creates not just Satan, but a witty, caustic, insightful and cynical trickster, from whom it is so difficult to look away.
3. Of the characters, Margaret (Gretchen) can also be singled out separately. A young, modest, commoner who believes in God, Faust's beloved. An earthly simple girl who paid for the salvation of her soul with her own life. The protagonist falls in love with Margarita, but she is not the meaning of his life.

Topics

A work containing an agreement between a hardworking person and the devil, in other words, a deal with the devil, gives the reader not only an exciting, adventurous plot, but also relevant topics for reflection. Mephistopheles is testing the protagonist, giving him a completely different life, and now the “bookworm” Faust is waiting for fun, love and wealth. In exchange for earthly bliss, he gives Mephistopheles his soul, which, after death, must go to hell.

1. The most important theme of the work is the eternal confrontation between good and evil, where the side of evil, Mephistopheles, is trying to seduce the good, desperate Faust.
2. After the dedication, the theme of creativity lurked in the theatrical prologue. The position of each of the disputants can be understood, because the director thinks about the taste of the public that pays money, the actor - about the most profitable role to please the crowd, and the poet - about creativity in general. It is not difficult to guess how Goethe understands art and on whose side he stands.
3. Faust is such a multifaceted work that here we even find the theme of selfishness, which is not striking, but when discovered, explains why the character was not satisfied with knowledge. The hero enlightened only for himself, and did not help the people, so his information accumulated over the years was useless. From this follows the theme of the relativity of any knowledge - that they are unproductive without application, resolves the question of why the knowledge of the sciences did not lead Faust to the meaning of life.
4. Easily passing through the temptation of wine and fun, Faust does not even realize that the next test will be much more difficult, because he will have to indulge in an unearthly feeling. Meeting the young Marguerite on the pages of the work and seeing Faust's insane passion for her, we look at the theme of love. The girl attracts the protagonist with her purity and impeccable sense of truth, in addition, she guesses about the nature of Mephistopheles. The love of the characters entails misfortune, and in the dungeon Gretchen repents for her sins. The next meeting of lovers is expected only in heaven, but in the arms of Marguerite, Faust did not ask to wait a moment, otherwise the work would have ended without the second part.
5. Looking closely at Faust's beloved, we note that young Gretchen evokes sympathy from readers, but she is guilty of the death of her mother, who did not wake up after a sleeping potion. Also, through the fault of Margarita, her brother Valentine and an illegitimate child from Faust die, for which the girl ends up in prison. She suffers from the sins she has committed. Faust invites her to escape, but the captive asks him to leave, surrendering completely to her torment and repentance. Thus, another theme is raised in the tragedy - the theme of moral choice. Gretchen chose death and God's judgment over running away with the devil, and in doing so saved her soul.
6. The great legacy of Goethe is also fraught with philosophical polemical moments. In the second part, we will look again into Faust's office, where the diligent Wagner is working on an experiment, creating a person artificially. The very image of the Homunculus is unique, hiding a clue in his life and searches. He yearns for a real existence in the real world, although he knows something that Faust cannot yet realize. Goethe's intention to add such an ambiguous character as the Homunculus to the play is revealed in the presentation of entelechy, the spirit, as it enters into life before any experience.

Problems

So, Faust gets a second chance to spend his life, no longer sitting in his office. It is unthinkable, but any desire can be fulfilled in an instant, the hero is surrounded by such temptations of the devil, which are quite difficult to resist for an ordinary person. Is it possible to remain yourself when everything is subject to your will - the main intrigue of this situation. The problematic of the work lies precisely in the answer to the question, is it really possible to stand on the positions of virtue, when everything that you only wish comes true? Goethe sets Faust as an example for us, because the character does not allow Mephistopheles to completely master his mind, but is still looking for the meaning of life, something for which a moment can really delay. Aspiring to the truth, a good doctor not only does not turn into a part of an evil demon, his tempter, but also does not lose his most positive qualities.

1. The problem of finding the meaning of life is also relevant in Goethe's work. It is from the seeming absence of truth that Faust thinks about suicide, because his works and achievements did not bring him satisfaction. However, passing with Mephistopheles through everything that can become the goal of a person's life, the hero nevertheless learns the truth. And since the work refers to, the main character's view of the world around him coincides with the worldview of this era.
2. If you look closely at the main character, you will notice that at first the tragedy does not let him out of his own office, and he himself does not really try to get out of it. Hidden in this important detail is the problem of cowardice. Studying science, Faust, as if afraid of life itself, hid from it behind books. Therefore, the appearance of Mephistopheles is important not only for the dispute between God and Satan, but also for the test subject himself. The devil takes a talented doctor outside, plunges him into the real world, full of mysteries and adventures, so the character stops hiding in the pages of textbooks and lives anew, for real.
3. The work also presents readers with a negative image of the people. Mephistopheles, back in the Prologue in Heaven, says that God's creation does not value reason and behaves like cattle, so he is disgusted with people. The Lord cites Faust as a counter argument, but the reader will still encounter the problem of the ignorance of the crowd in the pub where students gather. Mephistopheles hopes that the character will succumb to fun, but he, on the contrary, wants to leave as soon as possible.
4. The play brings to light rather controversial characters, and Valentine, Margaret's brother, is also a great example. He stands up for the honor of his sister when he gets into a fight with her "boyfriends", soon dying from Faust's sword. The work reveals the problem of honor and dishonor just on the example of Valentine and his sister. The brother's worthy deed commands respect, but here it is rather twofold: after all, dying, he curses Gretchen, thus betraying her to universal disgrace.

The meaning of the work

After long joint adventures with Mephistopheles, Faust still finds the meaning of existence, imagining a prosperous country and a free people. As soon as the hero understands that the truth lies in constant work and the ability to live for the sake of others, he utters the cherished words “Instant! Oh, how beautiful you are, wait a bit" and dies . After the death of Faust, the angels saved his soul from evil forces, rewarding his insatiable desire for enlightenment and resistance to the temptations of the demon in order to achieve his goal. The idea of ​​the work is hidden not only in the direction of the main character's soul to heaven after an agreement with Mephistopheles, but also in Faust's remark: "Only he is worthy of life and freedom, who every day goes to battle for them." Goethe emphasizes his idea by the fact that thanks to overcoming obstacles for the benefit of the people and self-development of Faust, the messenger of hell loses the argument.

What does it teach?

Goethe not only reflects the ideals of the Enlightenment era in his work, but also inspires us to think about the high destiny of man. Faust gives the public a useful lesson: the constant pursuit of truth, knowledge of the sciences and the desire to help the people save the soul from hell even after a deal with the devil. In the real world, there is no guarantee that Mephistopheles will give us plenty of fun before we realize the great meaning of being, so the attentive reader should mentally shake Faust's hand, praising him for his stamina and thanking him for such a quality hint.

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The writing

Goethe's "Faust" is one of the outstanding works of art, which, while delivering high aesthetic pleasure, at the same time reveal a lot of important things about life. Such works are superior in their value to books that are read out of curiosity, for recreation and entertainment. In works of this kind, the special depth of comprehension of life and the incomparable beauty with which the world is embodied in living images are striking. Each of their pages conceals for us extraordinary beauties, insights into the meaning of certain life phenomena, and we turn from readers into accomplices in the great process of the spiritual development of mankind. Works distinguished by such a power of generalization become the highest embodiment of the spirit of the people and time. Moreover, the power of artistic thought overcomes geographical and national boundaries, and other peoples also find thoughts and feelings close to them in the poet's creation. The book takes on worldwide significance.

A work that arose under certain conditions and at a certain time, bearing the indelible stamp of its era, remains of interest for future generations, because human problems: love and hate, fear and hope, despair and joy, success and defeat, growth and decline - all this and much more is not tied to one time. In someone else's grief and in someone else's joy, people of other generations recognize their own. The book acquires universal value.

The creator of "Faust" Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) lived in the world for eighty-two years, filled with tireless and varied activities. A poet, playwright, novelist, Goethe was also a good artist and a very serious natural scientist. The breadth of Goethe's mental outlook was extraordinary. There was no such life phenomenon that would not attract his attention.

Goethe worked on Faust for almost his entire creative life. The first idea came to him when he was a little over twenty years old. He completed the work a few months before his death. Thus, from the beginning of the work to its completion, about sixty years passed.

It took more than thirty years to work on the first part of Faust, which was first published in its entirety in 1808. Goethe did not begin to create the second part for a long time, taking up it closely in the very last years of his life. It appeared in print after his death, in 1833.

"Faust" is a poetic work of a special, extremely rare style. In "Faust" there are scenes of real everyday life, such as, for example, a feast of students in Auerbach's cellar, lyrical ones, like the hero's meeting with Margarita, tragic ones, like the finale of the first part - Gretchen in a dungeon. Faust makes extensive use of legendary and fabulous motifs, myths and legends, and next to them, whimsically intertwining with fantasy, we see real human images and quite life situations.

Goethe is first and foremost a poet. In German poetry there is no work equal to Faust in the all-encompassing character of its poetic structure. Intimate lyrics, civic pathos, philosophical reflections, sharp satire, description of nature, folk humor - all this fills the poetic lines of Goethe's universal creation.

The plot is based on the legend of the medieval magician and warlock John Faust. He was a real person, but already during his lifetime, legends began to be added about him. In 1587, the book “The History of Doctor Faust, the famous magician and warlock” was published in Germany, the author of which is unknown. He wrote his essay condemning Faust as an atheist. However, with all the hostility of the author, in his work, the true image of a remarkable person is visible, who broke with medieval scholastic science and theology in order to comprehend the laws of nature and subordinate it to man. The churchmen accused him of having sold his soul to the devil.

Faust's impulse to knowledge reflects the mental movement of an entire era of the spiritual development of European society, called the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. In the eighteenth century, in the struggle against church prejudices and obscurantism, a broad movement developed to study nature, comprehend its laws and use scientific discoveries for the benefit of mankind. It was on the basis of this liberation movement that a work similar to Goethe's Faust could have arisen. These ideas were of a pan-European character, but were especially characteristic of Germany. While England experienced its bourgeois revolution as early as the seventeenth century, and France went through a revolutionary storm at the end of the eighteenth century, and in Germany the historical conditions were such that, due to the fragmentation of the country, advanced social forces could not unite to fight against obsolete social establishments. The striving of the best people for a new life, therefore, manifested itself not in real political struggle, not even in practical activity, but in mental activity. Mephistopheles does not allow Faust to calm down. Pushing Faust to the bad, he, without expecting it himself, awakens the best sides of the hero's nature. Faust, demanding from Mephistopheles the fulfillment of all his Desires, sets the condition:

* As soon as I magnify a separate moment,
* Shouting: “A moment, wait!”
* It's over and I'm your prey
* And I have no escape from the trap.

The first thing he suggests to him is to visit a tavern where students feast. He hopes that Faust, simply put, will indulge in drunkenness and forget about his quest. But Faust is disgusted with the company of bastards, and Mephistopheles suffers his first defeat. Then he prepares a second test for him. With the help of witchcraft, he returns his youth.

Mephistopheles hopes that the young Faust will indulge in feelings.

Indeed, the first beautiful girl seen by Faust excites his desire, and he demands from the devil that he immediately provide him with a beauty. Mephistopheles helps him get to know Margarita, hoping that Faust will find in her arms that wonderful moment that he wants to extend indefinitely. But even here the devil turns out to be beaten.

If at first Faust's attitude to Margarita was only roughly sensual, then very soon it is replaced by more and more true love.

Gretchen is a beautiful, pure young being. Before meeting Faust, her life flowed peacefully and evenly. Love for Faust turned her whole life upside down. She was seized by a feeling as powerful as that which seized Faust. Their love is mutual, but, as people, they are completely different, and this is partly the reason for the tragic outcome of their love.

A simple girl from the people, Gretchen has all the qualities of a loving female soul. Unlike Faust, Gretchen accepts life as it is. Brought up in strict religious rules, she considers the natural inclinations of her nature to be sinful. Later, she experiences her "fall" deeply. Depicting the heroine in this way, Goethe endowed her with features typical of a woman in his time. To understand the fate of Gretchen, one must clearly imagine the era when such tragedies really took place.

Gretchen turns out to be a sinner both in her own eyes and in the eyes of the environment, with her bourgeois and sanctimonious prejudices. Gretchen is a victim doomed to death. Those around her could not take for granted the consequences of her love, who considered the birth of an illegitimate child a shame. Finally, at a critical moment, Faust was not near Gretchen, who could have prevented the murder of a child committed by Gretchen. For the sake of love for Faust, she goes to "sin", to crime. But this tore her mental strength, and she lost her mind.

Goethe expresses his attitude to the heroine in the finale. When in the dungeon Mephistopheles urges Faust to escape, he says that Gretchen is condemned anyway. But at this time a voice is heard from above: “Saved!”. If Gretchen is condemned by society, then from the point of view of heaven, she is justified. Until the last moment, even in the stupefaction of her mind, she is full of love for Faust, although this love led her to death.

The death of Gretchen is the tragedy of a pure and beautiful woman, because of her great love, she was involved in a circle of terrible events. The death of Gretchen is a tragedy not only for her, but also for Faust. He loved her with all the strength of his soul; There was no woman more beautiful than she for him. Faust himself was partly to blame for Gretchen's death.

Goethe chose the tragic story because he wanted to confront his readers with the most difficult facts of life. He saw his task as arousing attention to the unresolved and difficult questions of life.

The second part of "Faust" is one of the examples of literary ideas. In symbolic form, Goethe depicts here the crisis of the feudal monarchy, the inhumanity of wars, the search for spiritual beauty, labor for the good of society.

In the second part, Goethe is more interested in the task of highlighting some of the world's problems.

Such is the question of the main law of the development of life. Deeply convinced of the materiality of the world, Goethe at the same time believed that the movement of life is determined by spiritual forces. Having deeply suffered the death of Gretchen, Faust is reborn to a new life and continues to search for the truth. First we see him in the public arena.

Other writings on this work

The writing

The work opens with a lyrical dedication. The poet sadly recalls the irrevocable time of youth, when he decided to write his poem. He dedicates the introduction to the poem to the relatives and friends of his youth, to those who have already died or are far away: “You are again with me, misty visions that flashed to me in my youth for a long time ...” The poet gratefully recalls “everyone who lived that radiant noon” .

After the "Initiation" follows the "Theatrical introduction", not directly related to the plot of the poem. The director of the theater, the Poet and the Comic actor are discussing the problems of artistic creativity in a conversation. Should art serve the crowd or remain true to its high purpose? This conversation is a reflection of Goethe's own views on art.

Prologue in Heaven

In the "Prologue in Heaven" lies the plot of the tragedy. The Lord, the archangels (Raphael, Gabriel and Michael) and Mephistopheles act here. Archangels sing praises to the deeds of Gosiod, who created the Universe. They paint a picture of nature, the greatness of which cannot be comprehended by the mind: “In space, embraced by a chorus of spheres, the sun gives its voice, performing the prescribed cycle with a thunderous peal ... And with incomprehensible speed the Earth rotates below, at night with terrible darkness and bright noon dividing circle ... ” The doxology of the archangels is interrupted by Mephistopheles with his sarcastic remark: “I came to you, God, at a reception to report on our situation ...” Not everything on earth is as beautiful as the archangels just assured in their high-flown tirades. On earth, says Mephistopheles, “people are fighting, toiling”, there is “gloom, and it’s bad for a person that even I spare him for the time being.”

An argument ensues between God and Mephistopheles. For the first time, the name of the learned man Faust is heard, whom God cites as an example as his faithful and diligent servant. Mephistopheles replies that "this Aesculapius" is not like other slaves, that there is no humility and peace in him. He notes the contradictory, dual nature of Faust:

“He rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles, And he sees a goal that beckons in the distance, And he demands stars from the sky as a reward And the best pleasures from the earth, And his soul will never be sweet ...”

Mephistopheles believes that he can give Faust earthly joys that will captivate him and make him forget about high impulses for knowledge. God allows Mephistopheles to subject Faust to any temptations, to bring him down into any abyss, believing that his instinct will lead Faust out of the impasse. Mephistopheles accepts the argument, he is sure that he will win it, which will make Faust "crawl in the litter" and "eat ... shoe dust." If Faust recognizes himself as satisfied with life, his soul will be given to Mephistopheles. God grants Mephistopheles the right to fight for the scientist's soul. A grandiose scale struggle between good and evil, the sublime and the base begins.

Scene 2. "At the city gates"

On a bright festive day, a motley crowd of walking townspeople heads out of town. Faust and his assistant Wagner - a dry pedant, a "boring, limited scholar" - join the celebratory crowd. All the surrounding residents revere Faust: he and his father tirelessly treated people, saving them from illnesses. He was not afraid of either the "moral ulcer" or the plague. Ordinary townspeople and peasants greet the dock-mountain, bow to him and give way. But this sincere confession does not bring joy to Faust. He is far from overestimating his own merits. To Wagner's words that a doctor should be proud of such love of the people, Faust replies that he often treated people, never knowing later whether the treatment helped the person and whether he survived. Faust confesses to Wagner:

* “…two souls live in me, And both are at odds with each other. One, like the passion of love, is ardent And greedily clings to the earth entirely, The other, all behind the clouds, would have rushed out of the body.
* On a walk, a strange black dog is nailed to Faust and Wagner, whom Faust mistook for a werewolf:
* “In circles, reducing their coverage, He is getting closer to us. And, if I'm not mistaken, the flame behind him snakes across the land of the glades.
* Wagner reassures Faust: “You see, not a ghost - a simple dog. He grumbles, wags his tail, lay down on his belly. Everything is like a dog, and does not look like a spirit. Faust takes the dog with him.

Scenes 3 and 4. Faust's study

Faust is in his office, and again he is possessed by painful and grave doubts. At his feet is a black poodle - a dog that stuck with him on a walk. In an effort to overcome the growing anxiety, "sluggishness in thoughts and confusion", Faust takes on the translation into German of the New Testament.

* “In the beginning was the Word,” he reads in the Gospel. But the interpretation of the Greek "Logos" as "Word" does not suit him, and he tries to substitute other concepts: first "Thought", then "Force" and, finally, "Deed". "In the beginning was the Deed!" - the verse says, ”Faust exclaims, for for him to act is above all.

But then a black dog distracts him from his studies, Faust tries to drive him out of the room, but the dog suddenly “puffed up like a bubble”, grew “up and down” and eventually turned into Mephistopheles, who for the first time appears before the doctor in the guise of a wandering student. Faust is surprised: “That means what the poodle was stuffed with! Did the dog hide the schoolboy in itself? » When asked by the host about the name, the unexpected guest replies that he is “a part of the power that does good without number, wishing evil on everything ... I am a spirit who is always accustomed to deny.”

The guest condescendingly chuckles at human weaknesses, at the human lot, and admits to Faust that the world is being demolished so far by his attacks "without damage." Not getting along with the Universe as a whole, Mephistopheles harms in small things:

* “I pestered him with an earthquake, Forest fires and floods, - And at least that! I didn't reach the goal. And the sea is intact, and the mainland.

Mephistopheles wants to seduce Faust with the small joys of life and "in confirmation of a friendly feeling" to entertain him. He calls for the help of spirits; they lead a “round dance” around the doctor, sing about carnal joys, when “early early and before sunset - songs, festivities and round dances, sky, grass. And kisses recklessly ... ”Faust falls asleep under this round dance, and Mephistopheles, meanwhile, disappears. In the next scene, Mephistopheles reappears in Faust's office, but now he has "displayed gaudily." He is wearing “a tight-fitting camisole, a cape on his shoulders, a rooster feather on his hat, and a sword on the side ...” This time, right off the bat, he invites the old hermit to dispel longing and, dressed in a bright dress, “to know after a long fast what life means completeness." Faust refuses, saying that in any dress he will feel the “longing of existence”, that he “rejected life” and longingly awaits death. To this, Mephistopheles ironically remarks to him: "Death is not a visitor so hot." He persuades Faust to stop " flirting with longing", offering him his company and assuring that Faust will not have to miss him: "I will give you what the world has not seen." If the proposed pleasure captures Faust so much that he asks to stop this moment, then he will become the prey of Mephistopheles, and Mephistopheles is free to take his soul.

Faust eventually agrees to sign a pact with the devil. According to this agreement, Mephistopheles must serve Faust and fulfill all his desires until he exclaims: “Stop, a moment, you are beautiful!” Faust gives Mephistopheles a receipt signed in blood. Having sealed the contract with blood, they go on a journey - right through the air, on the widely spread cloak of Mephistopheles.

Scene 12. Garden

During the time that has elapsed between these scenes, youth has returned to Faust - thirty years have been thrown off his shoulders. Mephistopheles brought Faust into contact with a witch, who rejuvenated him by giving him a magical drink to drink and made him more receptive to sensual pleasures. Faust is now young, handsome, his blood is seething, and he knows no more hesitation in his determination to know all the pleasures of life and comprehend the highest happiness. Mephistopheles rejoices that he made him forget about his attraction to knowledge and science.

However, what temptation did the lame-footed devil come up with for his ward? One of them is called Margarita, or Gretchen. She is fifteen years old, she is a simple, pure and innocent girl. Gretchen grew up in a small town, where gossips gossip at the well, discussing everyone. Her family is not rich, although her father left a small fortune - both "a garden and a small house in the settlement." There is no maid in the house, and the girl has to do all the housework herself. Her brother is in the army, and the younger sister she nursed recently died. There is a long distance between Faust and Gretchen with her naive simplicity. But this is what captivates Faust in her. Seeing Margarita walking from the church on the street, Faust flared up with insane passion for her. In response to the offer to see her off, the girl responds with an angry refusal. And then the pimp-devil offers his services. Margarita responds to Faust with the same fiery love. They meet in the garden. Margarita picks a chamomile and, picking off the petals one by one, wonders: “She doesn’t love. Loves. No ... He loves!
Her feeling is immense, we can only guess about its depth and strength if this meek and naive girl not only becomes Faust's lover, but also subsequently lulls her mother on his advice so that she does not interfere with their dates. Faust is attracted to this young and inexperienced commoner, perhaps because with her he acquires a sense of beauty and goodness, which he previously aspired to. Love gives them bliss, but it also becomes the cause of misfortune.

Scene 19. Night. Street in front of Gretchen's house

Margarita's brother, Valentine, hears rumors that his sister, who was previously set as an example to everyone, can no longer serve as a model of morality. Passing by Gretchen's windows, Valentine accidentally bumps into Faust and Mephistopheles. Guessing that one of them is the "lover of the sisters", he rushes into the fray. At a sign from his lame-legged companion ("Be bolder, doctor! Get out the sword! Forward!") Faust gets involved in the battle. Together with Mephistopheles, they fight against Valentine, and Faust stabs his beloved's brother to death. Seeing that Valentine is hit by a sword, Faust and his leader disappear from the scene. Dying, Valentine curses his sister, calls her a whore and betrays everyone to shame.

So, Faust fled from the payback for the murder, hastening to get out of the city. What happened to Margaret since then? The unfortunate girl became a serious criminal. As it turned out, she unwittingly killed her mother, because she once did not wake up after a sleeping potion. Later, Margarita gave birth to a girl and, fleeing from people's rumors, drowned her in the river. Now, branded as a murderer and a harlot, she is imprisoned and awaiting execution. Faust learns about this misfortune and falls upon Mephistopheles with reproaches. Mephistopheles with a cold smile reflects these reproaches, but promises him to help free Margarita. Faust enters the prison where Gretchen is languishing awaiting execution.

Margaret's mind was confused. Bare-haired, barefoot, she sings a children's song in prison and shudders at every rustle. When Faust appears, she does not recognize him. Mistaking him for an executioner, she begs to be allowed to live until morning. He listens in desperation to her crazy speeches. She says something about a child who needs to be fed, asks not to lead her under the axe. Faust falls on his knees in front of her, calls her by name (“Gretchen, Gretchen!”), breaks the shackles. Finally, she realizes that she has a friend in front of her. Margaret's chains are falling. She cannot believe in her happy escape. Faust hurries her: time is short, she must run, leave the dungeon as soon as possible. But Margarita hesitates, she reproaches her lover that he has become cold to her embrace, “has forgotten how to kiss”:

* “What an indifferent you have become! Where did you lose your passion? You were mine. Who stole you?

Margarita tells Faust that she "lulled ... her mother to death, drowned her daughter in a pond." Faust again asks her to hurry: “Let's go! Trust, don't delay!" She tells Faust that there is no worse fate than "staggering around with a sick conscience, always looking out for enemies and detectives in ambush behind you!" - and refuses to follow him into the wild. He decides to take her away by force. Mephistopheles, who appeared at the door, urges Faust. They leave the prison together, without persuading Margarita to follow them. “I submit to God's judgment,” the girl says. Leaving, Mephistopheles throws that Margarita is condemned to torment. However, a voice from above says: “Saved!” Preferring martyrdom and repentance to an escape arranged by the devil, Margarita saved her soul.

Faust's last monologue (part II)

Faust is old again and feels that life is again approaching the end. Another blow awaits him - he goes blind and finds himself in complete darkness. A blind and weak old man, standing on the edge of the grave, Faust still strives to fulfill his cherished dream: to build a dam in order to win back a piece of land from the sea, which every year was flooded by the sea tide, depriving the land of fertility.

The denouement is approaching. Mephistopheles foresees the imminent death of Faust and summons lemurs, evil spirits, to prepare his grave. He hopes that Faust's soul will fall into his hands. Blind Faust hears the sound of spades, and it seems to him that it is his people who are busy building a dam. He is seized by violent joy and energy - he thinks that the cherished goal is already close. However, the blind Faust is unaware that these are not builders - evil spirits are swarming around him, digging his grave. Inspired by the idea of ​​creation, he continues to give commands: “Get up to work in a friendly crowd! Scatter in a chain where I point. Picks, shovels, wheelbarrows for diggers! Align the shaft according to the drawing!” In his mind, there is such a grandiose picture of a rich, fertile and prosperous country where “a free people lives in a free land” that he utters secret words that he would like to stop the moment.

* I would like to see on such days.
* Then I could exclaim: “A moment!
* Oh, how beautiful you are, wait a bit!
* The traces of my struggles are embodied,
* And they will never be erased.
* And, anticipating this triumph,
* I am now experiencing the highest moment.

So the fatal words are spoken. Faust falls into the arms of the lemurs and dies. Mephistopheles is already looking forward to the moment when, according to the agreement, he will take possession of his soul. However, here heavenly forces appear, and the struggle of evil spirits with angels begins. Mephistopheles curses the angels. But roses, scattered by angels and ignited by the fiery breath of demons, burn the body of Mephistopheles. Unable to withstand the struggle, the demons flee, and the angels carry Faust's soul to heaven. Faust's soul is saved.

Other writings on this work

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 are far away. “I again thankfully recall everyone who lived on that radiant noon.”

Then comes the Theatrical Introduction. In the conversation of the Theater Director, the Poet and the Comic Actor, the problems of artistic creativity are discussed. Should art serve the idle crowd, or be true to its lofty and eternal purpose? How to combine true poetry and success? Here, as well as in Initiation, the motif of the transience of time and irretrievably lost youth resounds, nourishing creative inspiration. In conclusion, the Director gives advice to get down to business more resolutely and adds that all the achievements of his theater are at the disposal of the Poet and the Actor. “In this wooden booth, you can, as in the universe, go through all the tiers in a row, descend from heaven through the earth to hell.”

The problematics of “heaven, earth and hell” outlined in one line is developed in the “Prologue in Heaven” - where the Lord, the archangels and Mephistopheles are already acting. The archangels, singing the glory of the deeds of God, fall silent at the appearance of Mephistopheles, who, from the very first remark - “I came to you, God, for an appointment ...” - as if fascinates with his skeptical charm. For the first time in the conversation, the name of Faust is heard, whom God cites as an example as his faithful and diligent servant. Mephistopheles agrees that “this Aesculapius” “is eager to fight, and loves to take on obstacles, and sees a target beckoning in the distance, and demands stars from the sky as a reward and the best pleasures from the earth,” noting the contradictory dual nature of the scientist. God allows Mephistopheles to subject Faust to any temptations, to bring him down into any abyss, believing that his instinct will lead Faust out of the impasse. Mephistopheles, as a true spirit of denial, accepts the argument, promising to make Faust crawl and "eat shoe dust." A grand struggle of good and evil, great and insignificant, sublime and base begins.

The one about whom this dispute is concluded spends a sleepless night in a cramped Gothic room with a vaulted ceiling. In this working cell, for many years of hard work, Faust comprehended all earthly wisdom. Then he dared to encroach on the secrets of supernatural phenomena, turned to magic and alchemy. However, instead of satisfaction in his declining years, he feels only spiritual emptiness and pain from the futility of what he has done. “I mastered theology, pored over philosophy, hammered jurisprudence and studied medicine. However, at the same time, I was and remain a fool for everyone, ”he begins his first monologue. Unusual in strength and depth, Faust's mind is marked by fearlessness before the truth. He is not deceived by illusions and therefore sees with ruthlessness how limited the possibilities of knowledge are, how incommensurable are the mysteries of the universe and nature with the fruits of scientific experience. He laughs at the praises of Wagner's assistant. This pedant is ready to diligently gnaw at the granite of science and pore over parchments, without thinking about the fundamental problems that torment Faust. “All the beauty of the spell will be dispelled by this boring, obnoxious, limited scholar!” - the scientist speaks in his hearts about Wagner. When Wagner in presumptuous stupidity pronounces that man has grown to know the answer to all his riddles, an irritated Faust stops the conversation. Left alone, the scientist again plunges into a state of gloomy hopelessness. The bitterness of realizing that life has passed in the ashes of empty studies, among bookshelves, flasks and retorts, leads Faust to a terrible decision - he is preparing to drink poison in order to end the earthly share and merge with the universe. But at the moment when he raises the poisoned glass to his lips, bells and choral singing are heard. It is the night of Holy Easter, Blagovest saves Faust from suicide. “I have been returned to the earth, thank you for this, holy hymns!”

The next morning, together with Wagner, they join the crowd of festive people. All the surrounding residents revere Faust: both he and his father tirelessly treated people, saving them from serious illnesses. The doctor was not frightened by either the pestilence or the plague, he, without flinching, entered the infected barracks. Now ordinary townspeople and peasants bow to him and make way. But even this sincere confession does not please the hero. He does not overestimate his own merits. On a walk, a black poodle is nailed to them, which Faust then brings to his home. In an effort to overcome the lack of will and discouragement that have taken possession of him, the hero takes up the translation of the New Testament. Rejecting several variants of the initial line, he stops at the interpretation of the Greek "logos" as a "deed" and not a "word", making sure: "In the beginning was the deed," the verse says. However, the dog distracts him from his studies. And finally, she turns into Mephistopheles, who for the first time appears to Faust in the clothes of a wandering student.

To the host's wary question about his name, the guest replies that he is "a part of the power of that which does good without number, wishing evil to everything." The new interlocutor, in contrast to the dull Wagner, is Faust's equal in intelligence and power of insight. The guest condescendingly and caustically chuckles at the weaknesses of human nature, at the human lot, as if penetrating into the very core of Faust's torments. Having intrigued the scientist and taking advantage of his drowsiness, Mephistopheles disappears. The next time, he appears smartly dressed and immediately invites Faust to dispel the melancholy. He persuades the old hermit to put on a bright dress and in this "clothes characteristic of rake, to experience after a long fast, which means fullness of life." If the proposed pleasure captures Faust so much that he asks to stop the moment, then he will become the prey of Mephistopheles, his slave. They seal the deal with blood and go on a journey - right through the air, on the wide cloak of Mephistopheles...

So, the scenery of this tragedy is earth, heaven and hell, its directors are God and the devil, and their assistants are numerous spirits and angels, witches and demons, representatives of light and darkness in their endless interaction and confrontation. How attractive in his mocking omnipotence is the main tempter - in a golden camisole, in a hat with a rooster feather, with a draped hoof on his leg, which makes him slightly lame! But his companion, Faust, is a match - now he is young, handsome, full of strength and desires. He tasted the potion brewed by the witch, after which his blood boiled. He knows no more hesitation in his determination to comprehend all the secrets of life and the pursuit of the highest happiness.

What temptations did his lame-legged companion prepare for the fearless experimenter? Here is the first temptation. She is called Marguerite, or Gretchen, she is in her fifteenth year, and she is pure and innocent, like a child. She grew up in a wretched town, where gossips gossip about everyone and everything by the well. They buried their father with their mother. The brother serves in the army, and the younger sister, whom Gretchen nursed, recently died. There is no maid in the house, so all household and garden chores are on her shoulders. “But how sweet is the eaten piece, how expensive is rest and how deep is sleep!” This artless soul was destined to confuse the wise Faust. Having met a girl on the street, he flared up with an insane passion for her. The procurer-devil immediately offered his services - and now Margarita answers Faust with the same fiery love. Mephistopheles urges Faust to finish the job, and he cannot resist it. He meets Margaret in the garden. One can only guess what kind of whirlwind is raging in her chest, how immeasurably her feeling is, if she - up to that very righteousness, meekness and obedience - not only gives herself to Faust, but also puts her strict mother to sleep on his advice so that she does not interfere with dates.

Why is Faust so attracted to this particular commoner, naive, young and inexperienced? Maybe with her he gains a sense of earthly beauty, goodness and truth, which he previously aspired to? For all her inexperience, Margarita is endowed with spiritual vigilance and an impeccable sense of truth. She immediately discerns in Mephistopheles the messenger of evil and languishes in his company. “Oh, the sensitivity of angelic guesses!” - drops Faust.

Love gives them dazzling bliss, but it also causes a chain of misfortunes. By chance, Margarita's brother Valentine, passing by her window, ran into a pair of "boyfriends" and immediately rushed to fight them. Mephistopheles did not back down and drew his sword. At a sign from the devil, Faust also got involved in this battle and stabbed his beloved brother to death. Dying, Valentine cursed his sister-reveler, betraying her to universal disgrace. Faust did not immediately learn about her further troubles. He fled from the payback for the murder, hurried out of the city after his leader. And what about Margarita? It turns out that she unwittingly killed her mother with her own hands, because she once did not wake up after a sleeping potion. Later, she gave birth to a daughter - and drowned her in the river, fleeing worldly wrath. Kara did not pass her by - an abandoned lover, branded as a harlot and a murderer, she was imprisoned and awaiting execution in stocks.

Her beloved is far away. No, not in her arms, he asked for a moment to wait. Now, together with the inseparable Mephistopheles, he rushes not somewhere, but to Broken itself - on this mountain on Walpurgis Night, the witches' sabbath begins. A true bacchanalia reigns around the hero - witches rush past, demons, kikimors and devils call to each other, everything is embraced by revelry, a teasing element of vice and fornication. Faust does not feel fear of the evil spirits swarming everywhere, which manifests itself in all the many-voiced revelation of shamelessness. This is a breathtaking ball of Satan. And now Faust chooses a younger beauty here, with whom he starts dancing. He leaves her only when a pink mouse suddenly jumps out of her mouth. “Thank you that the mouse is not gray, and do not grieve so deeply about it,” Mephistopheles condescendingly remarks on his complaint.

However, Faust does not listen to him. In one of the shadows, he guesses Margarita. He sees her imprisoned in a dungeon, with a terrible bloody scar on her neck, and grows cold. Rushing to the devil, he demands to save the girl. He objects: was it not Faust himself who was her seducer and executioner? The hero does not want to delay. Mephistopheles promises him to finally put the guards to sleep and break into the prison. Jumping on their horses, the two conspirators rush back to the city. They are accompanied by witches who sense imminent death on the scaffold.

The last meeting of Faust and Margarita is one of the most tragic and heartfelt pages of world poetry.

Having drunk all the boundless humiliation of public shame and suffering from the sins she committed, Margarita lost her mind. Bare-haired, barefoot, she sings children's songs in prison and shudders at every rustle. When Faust appears, she does not recognize him and shrinks on the mat. He desperately listens to her crazy speeches. She babbles something about the ruined baby, begs not to lead her under the axe. Faust throws himself on his knees in front of the girl, calls her by name, breaks her chains. At last she realizes that before her is a Friend. “I can’t believe my ears, where is he? Get on his neck! Hurry, hurry to his chest! Through the darkness of the dungeon, inconsolable, through the flames of hellish pitch darkness, and hooting and howling ... "

She does not believe her happiness, that she is saved. Faust frantically urges her to leave the dungeon and run. But Margarita hesitates, plaintively asks to caress her, reproaches that he has lost the habit of her, “has forgotten how to kiss” ... Faust again pulls at her and conjures to hurry. Then the girl suddenly begins to remember her mortal sins - and the artless simplicity of her words makes Faust go cold with a terrible foreboding. “I lulled my mother to death, drowned my daughter in a pond. God thought to give it to us for happiness, but gave it for trouble. Interrupting Faust's objections, Margaret proceeds to the last testament. He, her desired one, must necessarily stay alive in order to dig “three holes with a shovel on the slope of the day: for my mother, for my brother and a third for me. Dig mine to the side, put it not far away and attach the child closer to my chest. Margarita again begins to be haunted by the images of those who died through her fault - she imagines a trembling baby whom she drowned, a sleepy mother on a hillock ... She tells Faust that there is no worse fate than "staggering with a sick conscience", and refuses to leave the dungeon. Faust tries to stay with her, but the girl drives him away. Mephistopheles, who appeared at the door, hurries Faust. They leave the prison, leaving Margarita alone. Before leaving, Mephistopheles throws out that Margarita is condemned to torment as a sinner. However, a voice from above corrects him: "Saved." Preferring martyrdom, God's judgment and sincere repentance to escape, the girl saved her soul. She refused the services of the devil.

At the beginning of the second part, we find Faust, forgotten in a green meadow in an uneasy dream. Flying forest spirits give peace and oblivion to his soul, tormented by remorse. After a while, he wakes up healed, watching the sunrise. His first words are addressed to the dazzling luminary. Now Faust understands that the disproportion of the goal to the capabilities of a person can destroy, like the sun, if you look at it point-blank. The image of the rainbow is dearer to him, “which, with the play of the seven-color variability, elevates to constancy.” Having gained new strength in unity with beautiful nature, the hero continues to climb the steep spiral of experience.

This time, Mephistopheles brings Faust to the imperial court. In the state where they ended up, discord reigns due to the impoverishment of the treasury. No one knows how to fix things, except for Mephistopheles, who pretended to be a jester. The tempter develops a plan to replenish the cash reserves, which he soon brilliantly implements. It puts securities into circulation, the pledge of which is declared to be the content of the earth's interior. The devil assures that there is a lot of gold in the earth, which will be found sooner or later, and this will cover the cost of papers. The fooled population willingly buys shares, “and the money flowed from the purse to the vintner, to the butcher's shop. Half the world is washed down, and the tailor's other half is sewing new clothes. It is clear that the bitter fruits of the scam will sooner or later affect, but while euphoria reigns at the court, a ball is arranged, and Faust, as one of the sorcerers, enjoys unprecedented honor.

Mephistopheles hands him a magic key that gives him the opportunity to penetrate the world of pagan gods and heroes. Faust brings Paris and Helen to the emperor's ball, personifying male and female beauty. When Elena appears in the hall, some of the ladies present make critical remarks about her. "Slim, big. And the head is small ... The leg is disproportionately heavy ... ”However, Faust feels with his whole being that before him is the spiritual and aesthetic ideal cherished in its perfection. He compares the blinding beauty of Elena with a gushing stream of radiance. “How dear to me the world is, how full, attracting, authentic, inexpressible for the first time!” However, his desire to keep Elena does not work. The image blurs and disappears, an explosion is heard, Faust falls to the ground.

Now the hero is obsessed with the idea of ​​finding the beautiful Elena. A long journey awaits him through the depths of epochs. This path runs through his former working workshop, where Mephistopheles will transfer him to oblivion. We will meet again with the zealous Wagner, waiting for the return of the teacher. This time, the scientist pedant is busy creating an artificial person in a flask, firmly believing that "the former survival of children is an absurdity for us, handed over to the archive." Before the eyes of a grinning Mephistopheles, a Homunculus is born from a flask, suffering from the duality of his own nature.

When at last the stubborn Faust finds the beautiful Helen and unites with her and they have a child marked by genius - Goethe put Byron's traits into his image - the contrast between this beautiful fruit of living love and the unfortunate Homunculus will come to light with special force. However, the beautiful Euphorion, the son of Faust and Helen, will not live long on earth. He is attracted by the struggle and the challenge of the elements. “I am not an outsider, but a participant in earthly battles,” he declares to his parents. He rushes up and disappears, leaving a luminous trail in the air. Elena hugs Faust goodbye and remarks: “The old saying comes true on me that happiness does not get along with beauty ...” Only her clothes remain in Faust’s hands - the bodily disappears, as if marking the transient nature of absolute beauty.

Mephistopheles in seven-league boots returns the hero from harmonious pagan antiquity to his native Middle Ages. He offers Faust various options on how to achieve fame and recognition, but he rejects them and tells about his own plan. From the air, he noticed a large piece of land, which is annually flooded by the sea tide, depriving the land of fertility. Faust has the idea to build a dam in order to “recapture a piece of land from the abyss at any cost.” Mephistopheles, however, objects that for now it is necessary to help their familiar emperor, who, after a deception with securities, having lived a little to his heart's content, faced the threat of losing the throne. Faust and Mephistopheles lead a military operation against the enemies of the emperor and win a brilliant victory.

Now Faust is eager to begin the implementation of his cherished plan, but a trifle prevents him. On the site of the future dam stands the hut of the old poor - Philemon and Baucis. Stubborn old people do not want to change their home, although Faust offered them another shelter. In irritated impatience, he asks the devil to help deal with the stubborn. As a result, the unfortunate couple - and with them the guest-wanderer who dropped in on them - suffers a ruthless reprisal. Mephistopheles and the guards kill the guest, the old people die of shock, and the hut is occupied by a flame from a random spark. Experiencing once again bitterness from the irreparability of what happened, Faust exclaims: “I offered me change with me, and not violence, not robbery. For deafness to my words, curse you, curse you!”

He is feeling tired. He is old again and feels that life is coming to an end again. All his aspirations are now focused on achieving the dream of a dam. Another blow awaits him - Faust goes blind. It is enveloped in the darkness of the night. However, he distinguishes the sound of shovels, movement, voices. He is seized by violent joy and energy - he understands that the cherished goal is already dawning. The hero begins to give feverish commands: “Get up to work in a friendly crowd! Scatter in a chain where I point. Picks, shovels, wheelbarrows for diggers! Align the shaft according to the drawing!”

Blind Faust is unaware that Mephistopheles played an insidious trick with him. Around Faust, not builders are swarming in the ground, but lemurs, evil spirits. At the behest of the devil, they dig a grave for Faust. The hero, meanwhile, is full of happiness. In a spiritual outburst, he utters his last monologue, where he concentrates the experience gained on the tragic path of knowledge. Now he understands that it is not power, not wealth, not fame, not even the possession of the most beautiful woman on earth that bestows a truly supreme moment of existence. Only a common deed, equally needed by everyone and realized by everyone, can give life the highest fullness. This is how the semantic bridge is stretched to the discovery made by Faust even before the meeting with Mephistopheles: "In the beginning there was a deed." He understands that "only the one who has experienced the battle for life deserves life and freedom." Faust utters intimate words that he is experiencing his highest moment and that "a free people on a free land" seems to him such a grandiose picture that he could stop this moment. Immediately his life ends. He falls down. Mephistopheles looks forward to the moment when he will rightfully take possession of his soul. But at the last minute, the angels carry away Faust's soul right in front of the devil's nose. For the first time, Mephistopheles loses his temper, he goes on a rampage and curses himself.

Faust's soul is saved, which means that his life is ultimately justified. Beyond the edge of earthly existence, his soul meets the soul of Gretchen, who becomes his guide to another world.

Goethe finished Faust just before his death. “Forming like a cloud”, according to the writer, this idea accompanied him all his life.