What is the human mind for Mephistopheles. Faust Goethe
The image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust"
The image of Mephistopheles in Goethe's tragedy "Faust" is quite clearly characterized. Let's take these lines as an example:
Part of the strength of that which is without number
He does good, wishing evil to everything.
I am a spirit always accustomed to deny.
Mephistopheles denies scholasticism, that is, divorced from real life knowledge:
Theory, my friend, is dry,
But the tree of life is green.
Mephistopheles can control fire:
Do not take possession of the region of fire,
There would be no place for me.
Faust himself put it this way about his guest:
So here it is, your work is venerable!
Not getting along with the universe as a whole,
Are you harming her?
The appearance of Mephistopheles also looms quite clearly:
Civilization tells to go forward;
Now progress is with itself and the devil moved.
The people forgot about the spirit of the north,
And, you see, I threw the horns, and the tail, and the claws.
Mephistopheles denies the divine likeness of people, seeks to prove to the Lord that from the temptations Faust will forever remain in the power of evil. He confidently enters into an argument with the Lord, without any fear of losing it:
Let's see. Here is my hand
And soon we will be in the calculation.
You will understand my triumph
When he, crawling in the litter,
The dust from the shoe will eat.
Mephistopheles developed for himself unshakable truths about the universe and about people. He is not capable of comprehending the "universe in its entirety", and does not understand why he is part of a force that does good against his will. Mephistopheles destroyed Faust's illusions, not realizing that this was how he brought him closer to the truth. Mephistopheles in this tragedy is an intellectual and philosopher who knows people's weaknesses and knows how to play on them. He makes many remarks about the human race:
God of the universe, man is
As it has been since time immemorial.
It would be better if he lived a little, do not light up
His you are a divine spark from within.
He calls this spark of reason
And with this spark, cattle live by cattle.
Mephistopheles has several guises: among revelers he is a wit who loves to perform merry verses, for the emperor he is a magician and a master of entertainment, and with Faust he is a philosopher-mentor, and a servant, and a pimp, and a bodyguard. With representatives dark world: devils, spirits and witches, he also knows how to easily find mutual language. Mephistopheles is not omnipotent, and this can be understood at the beginning and at the end of the tragedy: “I am not omniscient, I am only tempted”, “Think, friend: not everything is subject to me!”. The fact that he could not release Margarita from prison proves that the whole world does not obey him. .
Goethe puts his reflections on the decaying feudal society and the capitalist society that came to replace it into the mouth of Mephistopheles. In the scene " Imperial Palace» Mephistopheles offers the emperor to issue paper money secured by underground treasures, which, according to the law, “belong to Caesar”. Underground treasures, symbolizing the productive forces of the country, remain untouched, which means that armed tax collectors will continue to rob the people. Paper money, as a symbol of the transition to a capitalist society, cannot but fall in price with such inaction of the state, but the emperor does not care much, he gives paper money to those close to him. And this proves that the capitalist world is no better than before.
Mephistopheles is as extraordinary as Faust, but they are antipodes, because Faust seeks to reach the depths of wisdom, Mephistopheles is sure that there is nothing there. The first yearns for searches, and the second is fed up with what he observes on earth.
Some researchers believe that Mephistopheles is the second "I" of Faust, that is, the bodily embodiment of his subconscious. exposed internal conflict Faust: stay alone, absorbed in your problems and passions, or give up your interests and help other people. It is where good fights evil. When Faust knew the ideal, he said: “A moment you are fine, stop, wait!”. And the achievement of the ideal is death. In nature, one cannot realize an ideal, one can only strive for it. Faust's soul is carried away by angels, Mephistopheles, who believed in the "finiteness" of life, was put to shame.
Perhaps, in addition to the image of Mephistopheles, you will be interested in other works on this topic.
The tragedy of I. V. Goethe "Faust" was written in 1774 - 1831 and refers to literary direction romanticism. The work is the main work of the writer, on which he worked for almost his entire life. The plot of the tragedy is based on the German Legend of Faust, the famous warlock of the 16th century. Special attention attracted by the composition of the tragedy. The two parts of "Faust" are contrasted: the first shows the doctor's relationship with the spiritually pure girl Margarita, the second shows Faust's activities at court and marriage to the ancient heroine Elena.
Main characters
Heinrich Faust- a doctor, a scientist disillusioned with life and science. Made a deal with Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles– evil spirit, the devil, bet with the Lord that he could get the soul of Faust.
Gretchen (Margarita) - beloved Faust. An innocent girl who, out of love for Heinrich, accidentally killed her mother, and then, going crazy, drowned her daughter. Died in prison.
Other characters
Wagner - student of Faust who created the Homunculus.
Elena- an ancient Greek heroine, beloved of Faust, from whom her son Euphorion was born. Their marriage is a symbol of the combination of ancient and romantic beginnings.
Euphorion - the son of Faust and Helena, endowed with the features of a romantic, Byronic hero.
Martha- Margarita's neighbor, a widow.
Valentine- soldier, brother Gretchen, who was killed by Faust.
Theater Director, Poet
Homunculus
dedication
Theatrical introduction
The theater director asks the Poet to create an entertaining work that will be interesting to absolutely everyone and attract to their theater more viewers. However, the Poet believes that “the sprinkling of vulgarities - great evil"," talentless crooks craft ".
The director of the theater advises him to move away from the usual style and more resolutely get down to business - "in his own way" with poetry, then his works will be really interesting to people. The director provides the Poet and the Actor with all the possibilities of the theater in order to:
“In this boardwalk - a booth
You can, as in the universe,
Having passed all the tiers in a row,
Descend from heaven through the earth to hell.
Prologue in the sky
Mephistopheles comes to the Lord for reception. The devil argues that people "illumined by God's spark" continue to live like animals. The Lord asks if he knows Faust. Mephistopheles recalls that Faust is a scientist who "rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles," serving God. The devil offers to bet that he will "beat off" the Lord Faust, exposing him to all sorts of temptations, to which he agrees. God is sure that the scientist's instinct will lead him out of the impasse.
Part one
Night
Cramped gothic room. Faust is sitting awake reading a book. The Doctor reflects:
"I mastered theology,
I pored over philosophy,
jurisprudence hollowed
And studied medicine.
However, at the same time, I
I was and still am a fool.
And I turned to magic,
So that the spirit at the call appears to me
And he discovered the secret of being.
The doctor's thoughts are interrupted by his student Wagner, who suddenly enters the room. During a conversation with a student, Faust explains: people really do not know anything about antiquity. The doctor is outraged by Wagner's arrogant, stupid thoughts that man has already grown up to know all the secrets of the universe.
When Wagner is gone, the doctor reflects on how he considered himself equal to god, but this is not so: "I am a blind worm, I am the stepson of nature." Faust realizes that his life is "passing in dust" and is about to commit suicide by drinking poison. However, at the moment when he brings a glass of poison to his lips, a bell ringing and choral singing are heard - the angels sing about the Resurrection of Christ. Faust abandons his intention.
At the gate
Crowds of people walking, including Wagner and Faust. The old farmer thanks the doctor and his late father for helping to "get rid of the plague" in the city. However, Faust is ashamed of his father, who during his medical practice for the sake of experiments, he gave people poison - treating some, he killed others. A black poodle runs up to the doctor and Wagner. It seems to Faust that behind the dog "a flame snakes across the land of the glades."
Faust's workroom
Faust took the poodle with him. The doctor sits down to translate German New Testament. Reflecting on the first phrase of the scripture, Faust comes to the conclusion that it is translated not as “In the beginning was the Word”, but “In the beginning was the Deed”. The poodle begins to play around and, distracted from work, the doctor sees how the dog turns into Mephistopheles. The devil appears to Faust in the clothes of a wandering student. The doctor asks who he is, to which Mephistopheles replies:
“Part of the strength of that which is without number
He does good, wishing evil to everything.
Mephistopheles laughs at human weaknesses, as if knowing what thoughts torment Faust. Soon the Devil is about to leave, but the pentagram drawn by Faust does not let him in. The devil, with the help of spirits, puts the doctor to sleep and disappears while he sleeps.
The second time Mephistopheles appeared to Faust in rich clothes: in a karamzin camisole, with a cape on his shoulders and a rooster feather on his hat. The devil persuades the doctor to leave the walls of the office and go with him:
"You will be comfortable here with me,
I will fulfill any whim."
Faust agrees and signs the treaty in blood. They go on a journey, flying straight through the air on the Devil's magical cloak.
Auerbach cellar in Leipzig
Mephistopheles and Faust join the company of merry revelers. Devil treats wine drinkers. One of the revelers spills a drink on the ground and the wine catches fire. The man exclaims that it is hellfire. Those present rush at the Devil with knives, but he induces a "dope" on them - it begins to seem to people that they are in a beautiful land. At this time, Mephistopheles and Faust disappear.
witch's kitchen
Faust and Mephistopheles are waiting for the witch. Faust complains to Mephistopheles that he is tormented by sad thoughts. The devil replies that he can be distracted from any thoughts by a simple means - the conduct of an ordinary household. However, Faust is not ready to "live without scope". At the request of the Devil, the witch prepares a potion for Faust, after which the doctor's body "gains heat", and the lost youth returns to him.
Street
Faust, seeing Marguerite (Gretchen) on the street, is struck by her beauty. The Doctor asks Mephistopheles to set him up with her. The devil replies that he just overheard her confession - she is innocent, as Small child, so evil spirits no power over her. Faust sets a condition: either Mephistopheles arranges their date today, or he will terminate their contract.
Evening
Margarita thinks that she would give a lot to find out who the man she met was. While the girl leaves her room, Faust and Mephistopheles leave her a gift - a jewelry box.
On a walk
Margarita's mother took the donated jewelry to the priest, as she realized that it was a gift from evil spirits. Faust orders to give Gretchen something else.
Neighbor's house
Margarita tells her neighbor Marta that she has found a second jewelry box. The neighbor advises not to say anything about the find of the mother, starting to put on jewelry gradually.
Mephistopheles comes to Martha and informs about the fictitious death of her husband, who left nothing to his wife. Marta asks if it is possible to get a paper confirming her husband's death. Mephistopheles replies that he will soon return with a friend to testify about the death, and asks Margarita to stay too, since his friend is "an excellent fellow."
Garden
Walking with Faust, Margarita tells that she lives with her mother, her father and sister have died, and her brother is in the army. The girl guesses on a camomile and gets the answer "Loves". Faust confesses his love to Marguerite.
forest cave
Faust is hiding from everyone. Mephistopheles tells the doctor that Margarita misses him very much and is afraid that Heinrich has cooled off towards her. The Devil is surprised that Faust so easily decided to give up on the girl.
Martha's Garden
Margarita shares with Faust that she really dislikes Mephistopheles. The girl thinks that he can betray them. Faust, notes the innocence of Margarita, before which the Devil is powerless: “Oh, the sensitivity of angelic guesses!” .
Faust gives Marguerite a sleeping pill so she can put her mother to sleep, and they manage to be alone longer next time.
Night. Street in front of Gretchen's house
Valentine, Gretchen's brother, decides to deal with the girl's lover. The young man is upset that she brought shame upon herself by an affair without marriage. Seeing Faust, Valentine challenges him to a duel. The doctor kills the young man. Until they are noticed, Mephistopheles and Faust hide, leave the city. Before his death, Valentine instructs Margarita, saying that the girl must protect her honor.
Cathedral
Gretchen is on church service. Behind the girl, an evil spirit whispers to her that Gretchen is responsible for the death of her mother (not woken up from a sleeping pill) and her brother. In addition, everyone knows that a girl carries a child under her heart. Unable to withstand obsessive thoughts, Gretchen faints.
Walpurgis Night
Faust and Mephistopheles watch the coven of witches and sorcerers. Walking along the fires, they meet a general, a minister, a wealthy businessman, a writer, a junk witch, Lilith, Medusa and others. Suddenly, one of the shadows reminds of Faust Margaret, the doctor imagined that the girl was beheaded.
It's a nasty day. Field
Mephistopheles tells Faust that Gretchen has been begging for a long time and is now in prison. The doctor is in despair, he reproaches the Devil for what happened and demands that he save the girl. Mephistopheles notices that it was not he, but Faust himself who ruined Marguerite. However, after thinking, he agrees to help - the Devil will put the caretaker to sleep, and then take them away. Faust himself will have to take possession of the keys and lead Margarita out of the dungeon.
Jail
Faust enters the dungeon where Marguerite is sitting, singing strange songs. She lost her mind. Mistaking the doctor for an executioner, the girl asks to put off punishment until the morning. Faust explains that her lover is in front of her and they need to hurry. The girl is glad, but takes time, telling him that he has grown cold to her arms. Margarita tells how she lulled her mother to death and drowned her daughter in a pond. The girl is delusional and asks Faust to dig graves for her, her mother and brother. Before her death, Margarita asks for salvation from God. Mephistopheles says that she is condemned to torment, but then a voice is heard from above: “Saved!” . The girl is dying.
Part two
Act one
Imperial Palace. Masquerade
Mephistopheles in the form of a jester appears before the emperor. In the throne room begins State Council. The chancellor reports that the country is in decline, the state does not have enough money.
Walking garden
The devil helped the state solve the problem of lack of money by turning a scam. Mephistopheles put into circulation securities, the pledge of which was gold located in the bowels of the earth. The treasure will someday be found and will cover all expenses, but so far fooled people are paying with shares.
dark gallery
Faust, who appeared at court as a magician, informs Mephistopheles that he promised the emperor to show ancient heroes Paris and Elena. The Doctor asks the Devil to help him. Mephistopheles gives Faust a directional key that will help the doctor enter the world pagan gods and heroes.
Knight's Hall
The courtiers await the appearance of Paris and Helen. When an ancient Greek heroine appears, the ladies begin to discuss her shortcomings, but Faust is fascinated by the girl. The scene of the “abduction of Helen” by Paris is played out before the audience. Having lost his composure, Faust tries to save and keep the girl, but the spirits of the heroes suddenly evaporate.
Act two
gothic room
Faust lies in his old room motionless. The student Famulus tells Mephistopheles that the now famous scientist Wagner is still waiting for the return of his teacher Faust, and is now on the verge of a great discovery.
Medieval laboratory
Mephistopheles comes to Wagner, who is at the clumsy instruments. The scientist tells the guest that he wants to create a person, because, in his opinion, "the former children's survival for us is an absurdity, handed over to the archive." Wagner creates Homunculus.
The homunculus advises Mephistopheles to take Faust to the Walpurgis Night festival, and then flies away with the doctor and the Devil, leaving Wagner.
Classic Walpurgis Night
Mephistopheles lowers Faust to the ground, and he finally comes to his senses. The Doctor goes in search of Elena.
Act three
In front of the palace of Menelaus in Sparta
Landed on the coast of Sparta, Elena learns from the housekeeper Phorkiada that King Menelaus (Helen's husband) sent her here as a sacrifice for sacrifice. The housekeeper helps the heroine escape death by helping her escape to a nearby castle.
Castle courtyard
Helen is brought to Faust's castle. He reports that the queen now owns everything in his castle. Faust sends his troops against Menelaus, who is coming at him with a war, who wants to take revenge, and he takes refuge with Elena in the underworld.
Soon Faust and Helen have a son, Euphorion. The boy dreams of jumping so that "inadvertently reach the sky with one swoop." Faust tries to shield his son from trouble, but he asks to be left alone. Having climbed a high rock, Euphorion jumps from it and falls dead at the feet of his parents. The grieving Elena tells Faust: "The old saying comes true on me, That happiness does not get along with beauty" and, with the words "take me, O Persephone, with a boy!" hugs Faust. The woman's body disappears, and only her dress and veil remain in the man's hands. Elena's clothes turn into clouds and carry Faust away.
act four
Mountain landscape
To the rocky ridge, which was previously the bottom of the underworld, Faust swims up on a cloud. A man reflects on the fact that with the memories of love, all his purity and “the best essence” are gone. Soon, on seven-league boots, Mephistopheles flies to the rock. Faust tells Mephistopheles that his greatest desire is to build a dam on the sea and
"At any cost at the abyss
Reclaim a piece of land."
Faust asks Mephistopheles for help. Suddenly, the sounds of war are heard. The devil explains that the emperor they helped earlier has fallen into plight after the exposure of the securities fraud. Mephistopheles advises Faust to help the monarch return to the throne, for which he will be able to receive a seashore as a reward. The Doctor and the Devil help the Emperor win a glorious victory.
act five
open area
To old people, loving married couple Baucis and Philemon are visited by a stranger. Once the old people have already helped him, for which he is very grateful to them. Baucis and Philemon live by the sea, there is a bell tower and a linden grove nearby.
Castle
The aged Faust is indignant - Baucis and Philemon do not agree to leave the seashore so that he can realize his idea. Their house is exactly on the spot that now belongs to the doctor. Mephistopheles promises to deal with the old people.
Deep night
The house of Baucis and Philemon, and with it the linden grove and the belfry, were burnt down. Mephistopheles told Faust that they tried to drive the old people out of the house, but they died of fright, and the guest, resisting, was killed by the servants. The house caught fire accidentally from a spark. Faust curses Mephistopheles and the servants for deafness to his words, since he wanted a fair exchange, and not violence and robbery.
Large courtyard in front of the palace
Mephistopheles orders the lemurs (grave ghosts) to dig a grave for Faust. Blinded Faust hears the sound of shovels and decides that it is the workers who are making his dream come true:
"Put a boundary to the fury of the surf
And, as if reconciling the earth with itself,
They erect, the shaft and embankments are fixed.
Faust orders Mephistopheles to "recruit workers here without counting," constantly reporting to him on the progress of work. The Doctor thinks that he would like to see the days when the free people work in the free land, then he could exclaim: “A moment! Oh, how beautiful you are, wait a bit!” . With the words: “And anticipating this triumph, I am now experiencing the highest moment,” Faust dies.
Position in the coffin
Mephistopheles is waiting for Faust's spirit to leave his body so that he can present him with their blood-backed pact. However, angels appear and, pushing the demons away from the doctor's grave, carry the immortal essence of Faust into the sky.
Conclusion
Tragedy I. In Goethe's "Faust" is philosophical work in which the author reflects on eternal theme confrontation in the world and man of good and evil, reveals the questions of man's knowledge of the secrets of the world, self-knowledge, touches on issues of power, love, honor, justice, and many others that are important at any time. Today, Faust is considered one of the pinnacles of German classical poetry. The tragedy is included in the repertoire of the world's leading theaters and has been filmed many times.
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The theme of the tragedy "Faust" by Goethe: spiritual quest of the protagonist, doctor, freethinker and warlock Faust. It became not enough for him to know an ordinary person, and he concluded an agreement with the devil Mephistopheles to extend his life for the duration of the existence of mankind. Faust wants to use this time for valuable discoveries. He wants to rise above reality not only in spirit, but also in his deeds.
In the center of the work is the problem of good and evil and their confrontation in man. Man, that is, Faust himself, is between these forces. Doctor Faust's thoughts are noble and lofty, he seeks to help people. But he constantly faces evil, the power of destruction, the power of denial. Faust finds himself in situations of choice between good and evil, faith and cynicism. Often he himself causes harm to others, not wanting it. So he ruins the life of Margarita, pushes her to sin. Yet Faust never loses the purity of his soul.
It is in the struggle between evil and good that takes place life path hero, develops and grows stronger invisible spiritual world his personality. Mephistopheles says about this: "You will, like God, know good and evil." This struggle sends Faust on a quest, it is she who reveals the truth to him. At the end of the tragedy in the soul of the hero, reason, light, and goodness win.
Goethe's idea of Faust in the fact that without the existence of evil, darkness, doubt and emptiness next to good, creativity, faith, there would be no movement of the hero forward, there would be no value of knowledge. Faust is not just a character, he is the personification of all mankind, all its aspirations rolled into one. Therefore, the struggle between good and evil for Goethe is what moves the world of mankind forward, towards new knowledge.
Second main idea"Faust" by Goethe- in the affirmation of the greatness of man. In tragedy, Faust goes through trials, doubts, sins, disappointments, temptations, grief, emptiness and guilt. Because of him, Margarita dies, he loses the beautiful Elena. However, in the finale, Faust turns out to be a man in whom it is precisely high thoughts that win: humanity, love, a tireless mind, faith in beauty. Goethe affirms the possibilities of human development, the strength and beauty of the human mind.
The Meaning of Goethe's Faust, more precisely, his writings - to embody the highest spiritual impulses of a person in the image of a doctor.
The theme of love in Faust is also present. It opens up with different parties. This is at the same time great happiness, a great feeling, and at the same time fatal. The love of Faust and Margarita is passionate and great, but in our world it is better to hide such love, there is no place for it. The story of our heroes ends tragically. Love and passion lead the heroine to death.
Faust by Goethe
Image of God. Goodness and light in the work are personified by the Lord, who is arguing with Mephistopheles in the prologue. God believes in man, that purity, goodness and truth will win in human soul. "And let Satan be put to shame"
The image of Mephistopheles. Denial and disbelief in the tragedy is personified by the devil Mephistopheles, Faust's companion. In human form, the devil looks very reasonable, sensible. He is polite and even gallant. The evil of Mephistopheles is not in his outward behavior. He considers human life insignificant and limited, and the world - hopeless. Mephistopheles does not believe in anything good in this world, he has his own cynical explanation for everything. This is evil, as Goethe sees it.
The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy: the doctor is a man of high spiritual aspirations. He is an active, intelligent, erudite person. In his search, Faust wants to find a way of existence in which dream and reality, heavenly and earthly, soul and flesh will merge, will be in harmony. “Two souls live in me,” Faust admits. One of them is earthy and passionate, loves earthly life. The other gravitates toward heavenly purity, away from the body.
Faust is a doctor, for which he is loved and respected simple people. On the one hand, Faust appreciates this. He strives to help people. But the thirst unlimited creativity and huge accomplishments, important deeds do not leave him:
“I opened my hands to the people.
I will open my chest to their sorrows
And joys - everything, everything,
And all their burdens are fatal,
I will take care of all the troubles ... "
In love, Faust is passionate and emotional. Seeing the charming Margarita on the street, he is instantly infatuated with her.
His desire for new knowledge, knowledge of truths, activities cannot be saturated. Therefore, the mind of Faust is not at rest, the hero is in constant search. Faust negotiates with the devil to extend his life "until the end of mankind", not only in order to gain unlimited knowledge of the world for himself, he also hopes to help people overcome the imperfection of this world.
The image of Margarita in Goethe's Faust
One of the brightest images tragedy "Faust" is the image of Margaret, the beloved of Dr. Faust. Margarita is shy, chaste and believes in God like a child. She lives by honest work, sometimes quite hard. Margarita would probably make a good wife. “You were created for family joys,” Mephistopheles tells her at the first meeting. As an almost angelic being, Gretchen senses Mephistopheles' hidden diabolical nature and fears him.
However, Margarita is capable of big love, great passion. Having fallen in love with Faust, she is able to sacrifice everything in her life for him. Their love is contrasted with the relationship of Mephistopheles and Martha, judicious and hypocritical.
Faust in Margarita is attracted by purity and innocence, including spiritual. This sweet girl, almost a child, reminds him of an angel. Faust honestly believes that his love will be eternal. At the same time, he understands that a close relationship with this girl can destroy her quiet and peaceful life. In the town where Margarita lives, extramarital affairs for a girl are a great shame. But Faust gives free rein to his passion, pushed by Mephistopheles. The girl's family is destroyed, her brother dies at the hands of Faust in a street skirmish. Faust and Mephistopheles flee the city after the murder, leaving the girl alone. Disgraced, she finds herself in poverty, goes crazy and drowns her newborn daughter in a pond.
But even after Gretchen's life and mind are ruined, something sacred remains in her soul, "the bright world of a child." While awaiting execution in prison, she sees her beloved Faust again. He came to his senses and, with the help of Mephistopheles, tries to rescue her. Margarita refuses to escape from prison: "I submit to God's judgment ... Save me, my Father, on high!" The soul of Margarita, in spite of everything, will be saved.
"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 philosophical drama- 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 supernatural abilities, supposedly he can 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 creative person First of all, it is not the taste of the crowd that is important, but the idea of creativity itself.
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 - dramatic poem, which is also difficult to argue about, because the depth of the images and the power of the lyricism of "Faust" is 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 contains an epic beginning, lyrical and tragic motifs, so it is difficult to attribute it to certain genre, but it would not be wrong to say that great work Goethe - philosophical tragedy, a poem and a play rolled into one.
Main characters and their characteristics
- 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 knowledge. higher meaning being. The desperate character even contemplated suicide. He makes a contract with a messenger dark forces in order to find happiness - something that is really worth living for. First of all, he is driven by the thirst for knowledge and freedom of spirit, so he becomes daunting task for hell.
- "A particle of power that wished eternally evil, doing only good"- enough controversial image 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.
- From actors Margarita (Gretchen) can also be singled out separately. A young, modest, commoner who believes in God, Faust's beloved. An earthly simple girl who paid to save her soul own life. Main character falls in love with Margarita, but she is not the meaning of his life.
Themes
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.
- Most important topic works - the eternal confrontation between good and evil, where the side of evil, Mephistopheles, is trying to seduce the good, desperate Faust.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 bastard from Faust, for which the girl ends up in a dungeon. 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 moral choice. Gretchen chose death and God's judgment over running away with the devil, and in doing so saved her soul.
- 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 real existence V real world, although he knows something that Faust cannot yet realize. Goethe's idea to add to the play such ambiguous character, like Homunculus, is revealed in the representation of entelechy, the spirit, as it enters into life before any experience.
- 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 view of the main character on the world coincides with the worldview of this era.
- If you look closely at the main character, you will notice that at first the tragedy does not let him out of own office, and he himself is not particularly trying to get out of it. In this important detail hides 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.
- The work also presents readers negative image 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.
- 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.
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 ordinary person. Is it possible to remain yourself when everything is subject to your will - main intrigue such a 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.
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 there is truth in constant work and the ability to live for others, he says 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 ideals enlightenment era in his work, but also inspires us to think about the high destiny of man. Faust gives the public useful lesson: constant striving for the 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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In the image of the protagonist of the tragedy "Faust", Goethe sees not only a reflection of himself, but also a man of his time, the Enlightenment period, the heyday of German culture and philosophy.
Goethe and the Enlightenment
Johann Wolfgang Goethe certainly combined all the signs of genius. He was a poet, prose writer, an outstanding thinker, an ardent supporter of romanticism. This is where one of the greatest eras in Germany - Enlightenment. A man of his country, Goethe was instantly accepted into the ranks of the most prominent German philosophers. His sharp style immediately began to be compared with Voltaire's.
Biography
Goethe was born in 1749 into a wealthy patrician family. The basics of all sciences were taught to him at home. Later, the poet entered the university, but this was not enough for him. He also graduated from the University of Strasbourg. After the publication of the treatise "Suffering young Werther”, world fame came to him.
Goethe held an administrative position for a long time under the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. There he tried to fulfill himself, to convey the advanced ideas of that century to everyone else and to serve the benefit of society. After becoming prime minister of Weimar, he became disillusioned with politics. His active position didn't let me get creative.
Italian period
The writer fell into depression and went to recuperate in Italy, the country of the Renaissance, the masterpieces of da Vinci, Raphael, the philosophical search for truth. It was there that his style of writing developed. He again begins to write short stories and philosophical narratives. Upon his return, Goethe retains the position of Minister of Culture and the work of head local theater. The Duke is in his friend Schiller and often consults with him in important matters country policy.
Goethe and Schiller
One of turning points in the life and work of Johann Wolfgang was an acquaintance with Schiller. Two first-class authors not only together begin to develop the Weimar classicism founded by Goethe, but also constantly push each other to new masterpieces. Under the influence of Schiller, Goethe writes several novels and continues to work on Faust, which Friedrich so wanted to see. Nevertheless, "Faust" was published only in 1806, when Schiller was no longer alive. The first part was created under the tireless surveillance of Eckermann, Goethe's personal secretary, who insisted that the tragedy be published. The second part, at the behest of the author himself, was released posthumously.
Tragedy "Faust"
It is no exaggeration to say that Faust is main job poet. The tragedy in two parts was written for sixty years. According to "Faust" one can also judge how the evolution of the writer's work took place. Creating excerpts in certain periods of his life, Goethe concluded in this tragedy the whole meaning of life.
Doctor Faust
The poet did not invent the main plot line, he took it from folk tales. Later history thanks to the thinker himself, many writers will retell about Faust, weaving this plot into the basis of their books. And Goethe learned about this legend when he was only five years old. As a boy he saw puppet show. It told a terrible story.
The legend is partly based on real events. Once there lived Johann-Georg Faust, a doctor by profession. He was engaged in the fact that he traveled from city to city and offered his services. If traditional medicine did not help, he took up magic, astrology and even alchemy. Doctors more successful and famous in their environment said that Faust was a simple charlatan who could fool any naive person. The healer's students at the university where he briefly taught, with great warmth spoke of the doctor, considering him a seeker of truth. The Lutherans called him the devil's servant. The image of Faust seemed to them in all the dark corners.
The real Faust died under very mysterious circumstances, quite suddenly, in 1540. At the same time, legends and conjectures began to be made about him.
The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy
A work about Faust is a long life journey of a person who is endowed with a special view of the world, the ability to feel, experience, be disappointed and hope. The protagonist makes a deal with the devil only because he wants to comprehend all the secrets of the world. He wants to find the elusive truth of being, to find the truth, constantly with despair seeks out more and more new knowledge. Soon he realizes that he himself will not be able to find answers to questions, he will not be able to reveal all the secrets.
For the sake of knowledge, the hero is ready to pay any price. After all, everything that is in Faust's life, everything that moves him, is a search. Goethe endows the hero with the full gamut of all existing emotions. In the work, he is in ecstasy from the fact that he discovered a grain new information then on the verge of suicide.
The main task of the hero is not just to know the world, but to understand himself. The image of Faust in the tragedy "Faust" is somewhat reminiscent of His life does not revolve in a circle, does not return to its roots. He constantly goes only forward, making new discoveries, exploring the unknown. For gaining knowledge, he pays with his soul. Faust is well aware of what he wants, and for this he is ready to call the devil.
Main positive features, which absorbed the image of Faust in the tragedy "Faust", is perseverance, curiosity, goodwill. Main character not only seeks to acquire new knowledge, he wants to help others with it.
The image of Faust in Goethe's tragedy also has negative qualities: the desire to gain knowledge immediately, vanity, doubts, and carelessness.
The protagonist of this work teaches that you can’t look back and regret something, you need to live in the present, look for what makes a person happy. Despite the horrendous deal, Faust lived absolutely happy life, never regretting it until the last moment.
The image of Margarita
Margarita - a modest girl, naive in many matters, has become the main temptation for the already elderly hero. She turned the whole world of the scientist and made him regret that he had no power over time. The poet himself was very fond of the image of Margaret in the tragedy "Faust", probably identifying him with the biblical Eve, who filed the Forbidden fruit Adam.
If all the years of his life Faust relied on his mind, then, having met this seemingly ordinary girl on the street, he begins to rely on his heart and feelings. Margarita after meeting with Faust begins to change. She puts her mother to sleep in order to get on a date. The girl is not as careless as it might seem in her first description. She is proof that looks can be deceiving. Having met with Mephistopheles, the girl subconsciously understands that it is better to bypass him.
The image of Margarita Goethe took from the streets of his time. The writer often saw cute and good girls whom fate throws into extremes. They cannot get out of their midst and are doomed to live their lives the way the women of their family did. Striving for more, these girls are falling more and more down.
Finding her happiness in Faust, Margarita believes in a better outcome. However, a series tragic events does not allow her to enjoy love. Her brother is killed by Faust himself, unwillingly. He curses his sister before dying. The misfortunes do not end there, and, having suffered more than they should, having gone mad, Margarita ends up in prison. In a moment of complete despair, she is saved by higher powers.
The image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust"
Mephistopheles is fallen Angel who leads an eternal dispute with God about good and evil. He believes that a person is so corrupted that, succumbing to even a slight temptation, he can easily give his soul to him. The angel is sure that humanity is not worth saving. Faust, according to Mephistopheles, will always be on the side of evil.
In one of the lines of the work, Mephistopheles is described as a devil who previously had sharp claws, horns and a tail. He does not like scholasticism, preferring to get away from boring sciences. Being evil, it helps, without knowing it, to find the truth for the hero. The image of Mephistopheles in Faust is made up of contradictions.
Often in conversations and disputes with Faust, Mephistopheles manifests himself as a true philosopher, who watches with interest the deeds of man, the progress. However, when he communicates with other people or evil spirits, he selects other images for himself. He does not lag behind the interlocutor and supports conversations on any topic. Mephistopheles himself says several times that he does not have absolute power. The main decision always depends on the person, and he can only take advantage of the wrong choice.
Many thoughts of Goethe himself were invested in the image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy Faust. They expressed themselves in sharp criticism feudalism. At the same time, the devil profits from the naive realities of the capitalist foundation.
Despite the superficial similarity of the demon and the protagonist, the image of Mephistopheles in the tragedy "Faust" is absolutely opposite to him in the main. Faust strives for wisdom. And Mephistopheles believes that no wisdom exists. He believes that the search for truth is an empty exercise, because it does not exist.
Researchers believe that the image of Mephistopheles in Faust is the subconscious of the doctor himself, his fears of the unknown. At that moment, when good begins to fight evil, the demon talks to the main character. At the end of the work, Mephistopheles is left with nothing. Faust voluntarily admits that he has reached the ideal, has learned the truth. After that, his soul goes to the angels.
Hero of all time
The eternal image of Faust became the prototype for many heroes new literature. Nevertheless, he seems to complete a whole string of literary "loners" who are accustomed to fighting with life problems on one's own. Of course, the image of Faust has notes of the sad thinker Hamlet or the expressive defender of humanity, the desperate Don Quixote, and even Don Juan. Faust resembles the Lovelace most of all with his desire to come to the truth in the secrets of the Universe. However, at a time when Faust knows no boundaries in his search, Don Juan stops at the needs of the flesh.
Each of the listed heroes has its own antipodes, which make their images more complete and partially reveal internal monologue everyone. Don Quixote has Sancho Panza, Don Juan has an assistant Sganarelle, and Faust fights in philosophical battles with Mephistopheles.
The influence of the work
After the publication of the tragedy about a desperate lover of knowledge, many philosophers, culturologists, researchers found the image of Goethe's Faust so fascinating that they even singled out a similar type of person, which Spengler called "Faustian". These are people who are aware of infinity and freedom and strive for it. Even at school, children are asked to write an essay, the image of Faust in which should be fully disclosed.
This tragedy had a significant impact on literature. Inspired by the novel, poets and prose writers began to reveal the image of Faust in their creations. There are hints of it in the works of Byron, Grabbe, Lenau, Pushkin, Heine, Mann, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Bulgakov.
