Faust
FAUST (German Faust) -
1) hero folk book"The story of Dr. Johann Faust, the famous sorcerer and warlock", printed in Frankfurt am Main by Johann Spies (1587). F. - historical person, information about this figure has been preserved very numerous. He lived in the first half of the 16th century and, according to some sources, he was really a doctor, according to others - a master. Johann Faust is mentioned by Luther's colleague, Melanchthon; there are memories of his stay in Salzburg, as well as evidence of his learning, various talents, about practicing black books, magic and witchcraft. All these facts were reflected in the image of F. folk book. His story was told in such a way that the impact of the book was edifying. F.'s parents were good Christians and God-fearing people, but the son did not inherit piety and humility from them. Studying theology, F. did not disdain practicing witchcraft. His mind was “quick, inclined and committed to science. At the same time, he had a bad, absurd and arrogant head ”That’s why F. set out to find out more than ordinary people to comprehend "all the depths of heaven and earth." With the help of all sorts of spells, F. decided to call the devil to help him achieve the impossible. “Curiosity, freedom and frivolity won”, and he came to the Spesser forest, where he managed to meet the devil. The next day, the devil came to F.'s home to find out what this scientist, not satiated with knowledge, wants from evil spirits. F. puts forward his own conditions, the main of which is that the devil should always be subject to him and fulfill any desire, so that all the secrets of “this world”, and not only this, but also other worlds (hell and paradise), reveal to him in full. The devil agrees to all the conditions and concludes a contract for twenty-four years, after which the body and soul of F. will be at the disposal of the servants of hell. The contract was signed in blood, and now the devil faithfully serves the master. The stories of the devil (in the folk book he is called Mephistopheles) about hell and all the horrors of the underworld frighten F. In rare moments of a dissolute life, he is visited by regret about the deal, but entertaining adventures, power over people, success in astrological studies distract from thoughts of a terrible end. The devil does not allow F. to marry, for marriage is a Christian matter, but on the other hand, all the women who liked him are at his service, and F. sins, indulging in carnal pleasures. The devil gives the hero the ability to fly above the ground; with the help of spells, F. fulfills an old dream - he calls from the past Helen of Troy, who has a son from F. - Justus Faustus. As the term allotted to him by the devil approached, F. began to lament about his unrighteous life. On the last day, F. gathers students, feasts with them and says goodbye forever - the next morning, students find his torn corpse. Since its inception, the folk book has been processed many times for theatrical performances. In the Age of Enlightenment (before the appearance of Goethe's Faust), the image of F. is interpreted as a type of scientist who improves his mind and strives to learn as much as possible. The edification of a folk book is lost, for example, in Friedrich Müller (The Life and Death of Doctor Faust, 1776) and in Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's novel The Life, Deeds and Death of Faust (1791), where the character acquires the features of a "stormy genius" close to the emerging romanticism.
Lit .: Zhirmunsky V.M. The story of the legend of Faust // The legend of Dr. Faust. M., 1978.
2) The hero of the tragedy of the English playwright XVI "Sw. K. Marlo "The tragic story of the life and death of Dr. Faust" (1589-1592) became the first dramatic incarnation of the hero of a folk book. F. of Marlowe's tragedy is in many respects similar to his literary predecessor, but the playwright differently comprehends the three main problems contained in the image of F. - the problem of choosing "good" and "evil", the problem of "honest" and "dishonest" knowledge and the problem of "salvation souls." F. at the beginning of the play criticizes "limited", in his opinion, the teachings of Aristotle, medicine, law and religion. In his thirst for personal omnipotence and power, he turns to the books of "necromancers" and "sorcerers". Marlo introduced into the play the "angel of good" and the "angel of evil", each of which critical moments tries to win over F. to his side. In contrast to the folk book at the end of the play, F. utters a great tragic monologue addressed to God. He tries to beg for salvation for his soul, but his soul is too burdened with the sin of a "double" pact with the devil. The image of F. in the interpretation of Marlo became the basis for numerous puppet comedies staged in Germany up to mid-nineteenth century. G. Heine characterized Marlo's "Faust" as " brilliant creation, not only in content, but also in the form of which the puppet comedies obviously followed. For the first time the tragedy of Marlowe was staged after the death of the author, in 1994, in London by the troupe of the Lord Admiral. The role of F. was performed by the best tragic actor of the troupe Alleyn, dressed "in a red robe with a cross on his chest." In this costume, his portrait was repeatedly reproduced on the engravings that adorned later editions of Marlowe's Faust.
Lit.: Dedeyan C. Le theme de Faust dans la litterature europeene. Paris, 1954.
3) The hero of the tragedy I.V. Goethe "Faust" (part I - 1806, part II - 1825-1831). The source of the image of F. in addition to the folk book was the legend of Simon the magician. Saw Goethe and views puppet theater, where the story of a warlock who sold his soul to the devil and was carried away at the end was often played out earthly path to the underworld. Goethe's F. has little in common with his prototypes. This is a grandiose, all-encompassing figure, not a man of the Middle Ages, but a man of the Renaissance. It is not for nothing that subsequently the whole culture of the new time O. Spengler will be defined as "Faustian". F. is a hero who has realized himself as an outstanding person. That is why he, dissatisfied with his life, disappointed in the possibilities of science, seeks to know the infinite, a certain absolute. At the same time, this is an active nature: it is no accident that F. offers his own version of the translation of the opening phrase of the Bible: not “in the beginning was the word”, but “in the beginning was the deed”. F. becomes the subject of God's experiment on man, because he is outstanding, he dares to know the unknown, he is marked with the seal of the chosen one. Mephistopheles says about F .: “He is eager to fight and loves to take on obstacles, and sees a goal that beckons in the distance, and demands stars from the sky as a reward and the best pleasures from the earth, and for a century he will not be sweet with his soul, no matter what the search for brought." Such an inhabitant of the earth, of the world below, is not indifferent to God. The Almighty believes that Mephistopheles' experiment will fail, and the devil will not be able to prove, using the example of F., that man is an insignificant creature, the creator's mistake. Mephistopheles comes to F. when he is in despair, on the verge of suicide, and only awakened spring nature, blissful singing took his hand away from the vial of poison. F. is old and wants to start life over. Then he will probably be able to understand the meaning of life and bring benefits, which for his long life he could not bring, although he has authority, recognition. F. is ready to resort to any witchcraft, turn to anyone in order to gain the possibility of a new knowledge of the world, his aspirations are limitless, he is fearless - and therefore goes to an agreement with Mephistopheles. The terms of the agreement are simple: when F., who is always striving for something inaccessible, is eternally dissatisfied, recognizes this or that moment of his life as a beautiful, apex moment, the moment of achieving all desires, he will become the prey of the devil. The first temptation offered to him, wild life, but F. quickly leaves Auerbach's cellar: the company of drunkards is not for him. The second temptation is love: Mephistopheles returns F. youth, believing that sensual pleasures will forever distract his ward from lofty aspirations. The history of relations with Margarita is devoted to the first part of the tragedy. Mephistopheles miscalculated again, and although Gretchen's love for F. turned out to be disastrous for Gretchen, F. himself did not behave as the devil expected. Having experienced joy mutual love, F. begins to get bored, but does not admit it even to himself. The murder of Margarita's brother accelerates the denouement: F. must flee, and his beloved, whom he involved in fornication and, thanks to the assistance of Mephistopheles, made the unwitting murderer of his own mother, is imprisoned and sentenced to death. F. wants to help her (all locks and locks obey the devil), but Margarita is distraught and refuses to run. In the second part, F. must experience the temptation of power, beauty, deed. With Mephistopheles, he finds himself at the emperor's court and proposes some financial innovations. Then, striving for absolute beauty, he asks with devilish charms to summon the Beautiful Elena to him. Mephistopheles turned out to be powerless to control the pagan world, and F. turns to some Mothers who live in a mysterious world for help. F. manages to extract her from non-existence, he marries her, and their son Euphorion is born, who inherited unlimited aspirations from his father, which leads the young man to death. Elena also leaves F., returning to her own world. Mephistopheles returns to F. - trials and temptations are renewed. F. does not attract wealth, power, or fame; he craves activity, and useful activity. The emperor provides F. a piece of land on sea shore to improve this land. Mephistopheles fixes all sorts of obstacles for his ward, makes him responsible for the death of two old men, Philemon and Baucis. F. nevertheless full of thirst for activity, he believes that he finally found his ideal in everyday work. Aged again, blinded and weak, he is happy and utters the very forbidden phrase for him and expected by Mephistopheles: "I am now experiencing the highest moment." F. is dying, Mephistopheles' henchmen are digging a grave, and the devil himself is going to take F.'s soul to hell, but fails. The highest heavenly power forgives F., and his soul ascends to heaven: “Surrounded by the assembly of spirits, the newcomer does not know that the angelic legions see their brother in him.” The second part ends with the defeat of the devil and the justification of F.
Literature about the tragedy of Goethe, about the image of F. is immense. The phenomenon of F. was interpreted from philosophical, aesthetic, and mystical positions, and they tried to attribute to it a political allusive meaning. Particularly acute miku caused the second part: the history of F. in combination with mythological characters. Fair doubts were expressed about her stage presence. Indeed, the first movement is often staged on stage, especially in the 19th century. The first attempt at staging was made in 1819, when the first part was staged at the castle of Montbijou. An actor from Weimar, a student of Goethe, Pius Alexander Wolf played the role of F. Later, the attention of prominent actors switched to the image of Mephistopheles, with the exception of Alexander Moses, who played F. in the production of M. Reinhardt (1910).
Lit .: Zhirmunsky V. Goethe in Russian literature. L., 1987; Geiman B.Ya. "Faust" by Goethe in the light of the historical turning point at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. // Scientific notes of LGPI. 1961. No. 14; Anikst A.A. Faust Goethe. M., 1978.
4) Hero philosophical drama K.D. Grabbe "Don Juan and Faust" (1829). In the play, F. acts as a rival to Don Juan in love for Donna Anna, suggesting that a woman can be conquered by her extraordinary mind and sharpness of thought. The image is similar to Goethe's and at the same time differs from it. F. Grabbe is a romantic, he denies utopian ideas collectivism, believing that only a thought, a flight of fancy can bring happiness and satisfaction. The main thing for this F. - the desire to become a superman: "Why be a man if you are deprived of the desire to be a superman?" This F. does not need the conflict of signing the contract, he is aware that his exorbitant desires, contempt for people cut him off from everything human and he was sold to Satan from the very beginning. His love for Donna Anna is a retreat from the goal, to some extent a betrayal of himself. Seeker of truth, admirer lofty intelligence, the servant of the spirit must not love. This Grabbe motif will be used later by T. Mann in the image of Adrian Leverkün. Donna Anna goes to Don Juan, and F., knowing his fate, seeks a meeting with Satan himself. In the finale, Satan strangles F., since he turned out to be unworthy of the fate of the chosen one, his lot is hellish torments: the hero could not make the final choice between God and the devil.
Lit.: Bottger F. Grabbe. V., 1963; Mokulsky S.S. Fight against romantic drama// History of the Western European theater. M., 1964; Karelsky A.A. Mature dramaturgy Grabbe // Drama German romanticism. M., 1992.
5) The image of F. left a noticeable mark in the works of Russian writers XIX-XX centuries. A.S. Pushkin was the first to address him. In 1825, he wrote "A Scene from Faust" and wrote down "Sketches for the Idea of Faust" (Zhirmunsky calls them sketches for the "Infernal Poem"), which, however, were never brought together. "Scene from Faust" Pushkin sent Goethe, and he gave him a pen with which he wrote "Faust". However, Pushkin's concept of F. was different from Goethe's (later reflected in the translations of Venevitinov, Tyutchev, Aksakov) - his F., in essence, does not even seek transcendental knowledge, does not plunge into mystical contemplation, he is rather a bored freethinker in the traditions of skeptical Voltairianism XVIII "Shv . His main motive is: "I'm bored, demon." The image of F. Pushkin echoes the "Byronic" heroes young Pushkin(Pushkin himself considered Byron's Manfred an imitation of Goethe's Faust) and even with his Onegin (Zhirmunsky). In Sketches, F. descends with Mephistopheles into hell (a Dante motif), and he introduces him to demons: “Here is Dr. Faust, our friend” (cf. “Onegin, my good friend”). Faustian motifs are outlined by Pushkin in terms of the drama Panessa John. The daughter of a poor craftsman is possessed by a "passion for knowledge" (1a passion du savoir), because of which she becomes a victim of a seducer, a "demon of knowledge" (1e demon du savoir). Pushkin, apparently, himself noticed the similarity with F. and postponed this plan: "If this is a drama, then it will be too reminiscent of Faust." Pyotr Annenkov expressed the opinion that, according to Pushkin's plan, the child born to Joanna was to become the "future Faust." Another mention of F. by Pushkin is contained in the French program for "Scenes from Knightly Times" (1835) - here F. is identified with Berthold Schwartz, the inventor of gunpowder and printing. In the satirical poem "The Feast of Asmodeus" (1830-1831), F., sitting in hell "according to left hand ”from Mephistopheles (on the right, Paul I), rather resembles a character in German puppet comedies about F., the composition of the poem corresponds to one of Lessing’s sketches, where the devils also arrange a competition who will harm people more. In "The Demon" by Lermontov, Faustian motifs are seen both in the image of Tamara and in the image of the Demon. Tamara is F. and Gretchen rolled into one, her death and salvation are directly correlated with the story of Goethe's Margaret and with the scene of saving the soul of F. The demon is both F. and Mephistopheles, but F. is more likely from Pushkin's "Scene ...". A peculiar image of the "common people" F. was created by N.V. Gogol in the story "The Night Before Christmas" - the blacksmith Vakula, who does not stand on ceremony with the devil and defeats him. The seal of F. and Mephistopheles marked the image of Chichikov. F.I. Tyutchev made several translations from Goethe's Faust. But the motive of F. sounded most clearly in his own poems: “The executing God took everything from me”, “Nature is a sphinx ...”, “I don’t know if grace will touch ...”. F. in them is the poet himself, asking heaven about salvation. A.A. Fet in the poem "Good and Evil" (1884) raises the Faustian problem of choice and knowledge of man. In the poetry of XX "Sw. F.'s image is reflected primarily in the work of the Symbolists. In A.A. Blok’s drama “Song of Fate” (1908-1919), two F. - German and Faina, each of them has his own “Mephistopheles”, both fall into the “hell of the city”, and only love can save their souls. Blok sees in the theme of F. a general poetic problem, poetry, in his opinion, is a descent into hell, and the poet seeks to get into the "lilac worlds". Faustian motifs are also very strong in the poetry of K. Balmont, who was critical of this image: “Type F., just like the type of Don Juan and just like the type of Prometheus, each developed under a black star, and representatives of these three types inevitably must come to the same fatal end." The soul of F., Balmont believed, "is poisoned forever and there is no salvation for him." He very negatively assessed Goethe's Faust, believing that, unlike Marlo and Lenau, he "destroyed the fatal nature of the meeting between the human soul and the spirit of evil", as a result of which F. and Mephistopheles became "good comrades for bad deeds." S. Solovyov considered Goethe's Faust "the apotheosis of the sorcerer and murderer" and contrasted I.S. Turgenev's Faust with him (in it the writer depicted how reading Goethe's Faust leads to the rapid death of a young woman). The symbolist tradition of the poet, whose lyrical hero bears the stamp of the image of F., was continued by V.V. Mayakovsky, S.A. Yesenii and N.A. Zabolotsky. F. Mayakovsky is essentially close to F. Goethe - the same close attention by the way, the same uncontrollably passionate desire for love, first for a woman (“A Cloud in Pants”, 1914-1915; “Flute-Spine”, 1915; “Man”, 1916-1917), and then for all of humanity, readiness to turn for the sake of it even into a “heron”, “untwisting and twisting the neck” (“V International”). The same motive will also appear in Zabolotsky's poem "The Mad Wolf" (1931), whose hero, the "intelligent" wolf, believing in the power of the "animal mind" and wanting to "contemplate the stars", asks the witch to twist his neck on the machine. Zabolotsky himself called this poem "his" Faust "". Almost Balmont's feeling of the image of F. is characteristic lyrical hero Sergei Yesenin, whose soul is, as it were, “poisoned forever” by the fact that he once “spit on these icons”, and in the end there is a “fatal meeting” with “Mephistopheles” - the Black Man (poem “The Black Man”, 1925) who mocks the poet, his life and poetry, like the devil who came for Faust after the expiration of the contract. The poet throws a cane at him, but in front of him is "only a broken mirror."
/ / / Characterization of the image of Faust (for the tragedy Goeta "Faust")
The image of Faust was choked not only by Goethe, but also by riches of other writers. And to Goethe himself, the greatest philosophic approach to revealing the particularity of Faust.
Im'ya Faust at the translation means "happy". Is that a happy hero of a genius author? Vіn proyshov folded, ale marvelous way, de bulo rich rose, pain, ale at the same time s tim i radish moments.
Goethe gives a first characterization of the hero through a powerful monologue. Faust is sitting in a suffocating room in the middle of books roaming about his fate: “I have delved into philosophy, to the edge of all the sciences of science ... Well, what am I getting into? Like a fool bov, so i lost.
The hero discovers that in science there are no equals, he did not know the right sense of life, and then, having become foolish, like everything else.
In order to recognize the mystery of the butt, Faust dares to go into charms: I hate my way of life - post-ynu work in some walls. Faust, having tried to know the right world: “Tik! To freedom, to space!” To that, if Mephistopheles appears, the teachings are not based on yoga proposition to know all the joys of life in exchange for the soul.
In the first part of the creation, Faust knows the joy of a good kohanny. With the help of his guide, the sympathy of the innocent Margarita is haunted. The girl suffocates in Faust on insoles, which she spends all the rest. She will inspire to destroy her relatives, through which we then spend the mind. As a result, Margarita leans on the v'yaznitsa. Faust, having learned about the share of kohanoi, wants to lie. Ale, she is warned, even if she is aware that she has been punished fairly. Through such a wider space, Margaret's soul uniquely burned.
The other part is more expensive than Faust in antiquity. Vіn zustrіchaє there the most beautiful woman. Ale does not know right happiness. Skіlki would be happy not to recognize Faust, I could not be contented. At that moment, the hero understands the reason for his misfortune - everything that he tried - he tried for himself. Therefore, the solution is to create a place for people so to ennoble the hero. At this hour, you may go blind and don’t talk, that everything is like a deception.
If, in Faust’s thought, the right is completed, I’ll say the words: “Beat me, you are beautiful!” After these words, well-laid housekeeping, the soul of Faust is guilty of a bula to go to hell. Ale, unstoppably, light and yoga are taken away by angels.
Henceforth, regardless of all the wrong things, Faust knew the sense of life - in support of others - and deserved paradise for that. The hero knows those who are so sly.
I now taste my highest moment.
Goethe wrote his tragedy "Faust" for more than 25 years. The first part of it was published in 1808, the second - only a quarter of a century later. This work had a profound effect on the entire European literature first half of XIX century.
Who is the main character, whose name is famous tragedy? What is he? Goethe himself spoke of him this way: the main thing in him is "relentless activity until the end of his life, which is becoming higher and purer."
Faust is a man of high aspirations. He devoted his whole life to science. He studied philosophy, law, medicine, theology, and achieved degrees. Years passed, and he realized with despair that he had not come a step closer to the truth, that all these years he had only moved away from the knowledge of real life, that he had exchanged “lush color of wildlife” for “death and rubbish”.
Faust realized that he needed living feelings. He addresses the mysterious spirit of the earth. A spirit appears before him, but it is only a ghost. Faust acutely feels his loneliness, longing, dissatisfaction with the world and himself: “Who will tell me whether to part with my dreams? Who will teach? Where to go?" he asks. But no one can help him. It seems to Faust that a skull is looking at him mockingly from a shelf, “sparkling with white teeth”, and old instruments with which Faust hoped to find the truth. Faust was already close to being poisoned, but suddenly he heard the sound of Easter bells and discarded the thought of death.
Faust's reflections contained the experiences of Goethe himself and his generation about the meaning of life. Goethe created his Faust as a man who hears the call of life, the call new era but still cannot break free from the clutches of the past. After all, this was precisely what worried the poet's contemporaries - the German enlighteners.
In accordance with the ideas of the Enlighteners, Faust is a man of action. Even translating into German Bible, he, not agreeing with the famous phrase: "In the beginning was the Word", clarifies: "In the beginning was the Deed."
To Faust in the form of a black poodle is Mephistopheles, the spirit of doubt, arousing to action. Mephistopheles is not just a tempter and antipode of Faust. He is a skeptical philosopher with a brilliant critical mind. Mephistopheles is witty and caustic and compares favorably with a schematic religious character. Goethe put a lot of his thoughts into the mouth of Mephistopheles, and he, like Faust, became the spokesman for the ideas of the Enlightenment. So, dressed in the clothes of a university professor, Mephistopheles ridicules the admiration that prevailed in scientific circles for a verbal formula, insane cramming, behind which there is no place for living thought: “You must trust words: you cannot change an iota in words ...”
Faust concludes an agreement with Mephistopheles not for the sake of empty entertainment, but for the sake of higher knowledge. He would like to experience everything, to know both happiness and sorrow, to know the highest meaning of life. And Mephistopheles gives Faust the opportunity to taste all earthly blessings so that he can forget about his high impulses for knowledge. Mephistopheles is sure that he will make Faust "crawl in the litter". He puts him before the most important temptation - love for a woman.
The temptation that the lame-legged devil came up with for Faust has a name - Margarita, Gretchen. She is fifteen years old, she is a simple, pure and innocent girl. Seeing her on the street, Faust flares up with an insane passion for her. He is attracted to this young commoner, perhaps because with her he acquires a sense of beauty and goodness, which he had previously aspired to. Love gives them bliss, but it also becomes the cause of misfortune. A poor girl became a criminal: fearing people's rumors, she drowned the born child.
Upon learning of what had happened, Faust tries to help Margarita and, together with Mephistopheles, enters the prison. But Margarita refuses to follow him. “I submit to God's judgment,” the girl declares. Leaving, Mephistopheles says that Margarita is condemned to torment. But a voice from above says: "Saved!" By choosing death over running away with the devil, Gretchen saved her soul.
The hero of Goethe lives to be a hundred years old. He goes blind and finds himself in total darkness. But even blind and weak, he is trying to fulfill his dream: to build a dam for people. Goethe shows that Faust did not succumb to the persuasion and temptations of Mephistopheles and found his place in life. In accordance with the ideals of the Enlightenment, the protagonist becomes the creator of the future. This is where he finds his happiness. Hearing the shovels of builders, Faust imagines a picture of a rich, fruitful and prosperous country where “a free people lives in a free land.” And he utters secret words that he would like to stop the moment. Faust dies, but his soul is saved.
The confrontation between the two main characters ends with the victory of Faust. The seeker of truth did not fall prey dark forces. The restless thought of Faust, his aspirations merged with the quest of mankind, with the movement towards light, goodness, truth.
/ / / The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy "Faust"
All-around talented German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe gave the world Faust. This work touches on the theme of the meaning of human life that is relevant at all times.
Main character tragedy - the scientist Faust, who is absorbed in the idea of knowing all the secrets of being.
It is known that the hero had a prototype, which Goethe learned from an old legend. It is said there about the mysterious doctor Johann Faust. He treated people not only traditional methods but also with magic. There are many mysteries in the fate of this man, so he became a legendary hero.
The artistic image of Faust on the pages of Goethe's tragedy is transformed in accordance with the worldview of the author. Goethe's Faust is not just a doctor, a magician or an alchemist, he is already a philosopher-scientist looking for answers to global questions.
The image of Faust is multifaceted, the reader gets to know him gradually throughout the tragedy. But already in the first monologue, the hero talks about himself. Faust says that he succeeded in many ways, but still remained a fool. Deep knowledge in philosophy, jurisprudence, theology did not reveal to the hero all the secrets of life. However, he feels superior to many other scientists. Faust is oppressed by the fact that he spends almost all his time in his office among dusty books. Whereas in dreams the hero is drawn to beautiful nature, an interesting rich life.
To become happier, the hero resorts to magic and calls to the spirits. And so he is not very shocked by the appearance. Faust makes a deal with him, putting his soul on the line.
From the moment the contract is concluded, Faust begins to fulfill his dreams. Now various knowledge and pleasures are available to him. Among desires there is a place for love. Faust becomes close to a sweet, clean girl. Their feelings are mutual, but the love that begins with supernatural powers doomed to tragic end. Unwittingly, the hero destroys his beloved.
The second important woman in Faust's life is this. She is the personification of the highest beauty in the poem. An ancient beauty comes back to life with the help of unearthly forces. The hero went through the stages of preparation before an important meeting with Elena. To understand it, the hero delves into ancient culture. Faust draws closer to Elena, and from their connection a beautiful and rebellious son Euphorion is born, who does not live long, since he is the product of two already incompatible worlds - Faust's antiquity and modernity. Elena disappears from the hero's life.
Faust learns many secrets, but still does not feel really happy man. Cherished words about a beautiful moment and do not sound from the lips of the hero. Finally, he decides to build a city to make the unfortunate people happy. And this decision becomes fateful for him. The hero realizes that the real meaning of life is to help other people. Thanks to a good deed, spiritual insight, Faust is forgiven at the end of the poem, like his beloved in the first part.
The image of Faust in Goethe's poem differs from the real Doctor Faust described in the legend. He is not just a scientist, a doctor, but a philosopher.
The main theme of the tragedy "Faust" by Goethe is the spiritual quest of the protagonist - the freethinker and warlock Dr. Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for gaining eternal life in human form. The purpose of this terrible treaty is to soar above reality not only with the help of spiritual exploits, but also with worldly good deeds and valuable discoveries for mankind.
History of creation
The philosophical drama for reading "Faust" was written by the author throughout his creative life. It is based on the most known version the legend of Doctor Faust. The idea of writing - the embodiment in the image of a doctor of higher spiritual impulses human soul. The first part was completed in 1806, the author wrote it for about 20 years, the first edition took place in 1808, after which it underwent several author's revisions during reprints. The second part was written by Goethe in his advanced years, and published about a year after his death.
Description of the artwork
The work opens with three introductions:
- dedication. A lyrical text dedicated to the friends of youth who made up the author's social circle during his work on the poem.
- Prologue in the theater. A lively debate between the Theater Director, the Comic Actor and the Poet on the topic of the meaning of art in society.
- Prologue in Heaven. After a discussion about the mind given by the Lord to people, Mephistopheles makes a bet with God about whether Dr. Faust can overcome all the difficulties of using his mind solely for the benefit of knowledge.
Part one
Doctor Faust, understanding the limitations of the human mind in knowing the secrets of the universe, tries to commit suicide, and only the sudden blows of the Easter Annunciation prevent him from carrying out this plan. Further, Faust and his student Wagner bring a black poodle to the house, which turns into Mephistopheles in the form of a wandering student. The evil spirit strikes the doctor with his strength and sharpness of mind and tempts the pious hermit to re-experience the joys of life. Thanks to the concluded agreement with the devil, Faust regains youth, strength and health. Faust's first temptation is his love for Marguerite, an innocent girl who later paid with her life for her love. In this tragic history Margarita is not the only victim - her mother also accidentally dies from an overdose of sleeping pills, and her brother Valentine, who stood up for her sister's honor, will be killed by Faust in a duel.
Part two
The action of the second part takes the reader to imperial palace one of ancient states. In five acts, permeated with a mass of mystical and symbolic associations, the worlds of Antiquity and the Middle Ages are intertwined in a complex pattern. The red thread runs love line Faust and beautiful Elena, the heroine of the ancient Greek epic. Faust and Mephistopheles, through various tricks, quickly become close to the emperor's court and offer him a rather non-standard way out of the current financial crisis. At the end of his earthly life, the almost blind Faust undertakes the construction of a dam. He perceives the sound of shovels of evil spirits digging his grave on the orders of Mephistopheles as active construction work, while experiencing moments of great happiness associated with a great deed realized for the benefit of his people. It is in this place that he asks to stop the moment of his life, having the right to do so under the terms of the contract with the devil. Now hellish torments are predetermined for him, but the Lord, having appreciated the doctor's merits to humanity, makes a different decision and Faust's soul goes to heaven.
Main characters
Faust
It's not just typical collective image progressive scientist - he symbolically represents the entire human race. His difficult fate And life path are not just allegorically reflected in all of humanity, they point to the moral aspect of the existence of each individual - life, work and creativity for the benefit of their people.
(On the image F. Chaliapin in the role of Mephistopheles)
At the same time, the spirit of destruction and the power to resist stagnation. Skeptic, contemptuous human nature, confident in the worthlessness and weakness of people who are unable to cope with their sinful passions. As a person, Mephistopheles opposes Faust with disbelief in the goodness and humanistic essence of man. He appears in several guises - now a joker and joker, then a servant, then an intellectual philosopher.
margarita
A simple girl, the embodiment of innocence and kindness. Modesty, openness and spiritual warmth attract to her a lively mind and the restless soul of Faust. Margarita is the image of a woman capable of a comprehensive and sacrificial love. It is thanks to these qualities that she receives forgiveness from the Lord, despite the crimes she has committed.
Analysis of the work
Tragedy has a complex compositional construction- it consists of two voluminous parts, the first has 25 scenes, and the second - 5 actions. The work connects the cross-cutting motif of the wanderings of Faust and Mephistopheles into a single whole. bright and interesting feature is a three-part introduction, which is the plot of the future plot of the play.
(Images of Johann Goethe in the work on "Faust")
Goethe thoroughly revised folk legend underlying the tragedy. He filled the play with spiritual and philosophical problems, in which the ideas of the Enlightenment close to Goethe find a response. The protagonist transforms from a sorcerer and alchemist into a progressive experimental scientist who rebels against scholastic thinking, very inherent in the era Middle Ages. The circle of problems raised in the tragedy is very extensive. It includes reflections on the secrets of the universe, the categories of good and evil, life and death, knowledge and morality.
Final conclusion
"Faust" is a unique work that touches on eternal philosophical questions along with the scientific and social problems of its time. Criticizing a narrow-minded society that lives in carnal pleasures, Goethe, with the help of Mephistopheles, simultaneously ridicules the German education system, replete with a mass of useless formalities. Unrivaled game poetic rhythms and melody makes "Faust" one of the greatest masterpieces of German poetry.
