''Faust'' is a tragic

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

in two parts by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

, usually known in English as '' Faust, Part One'' and '' Faust, Part Two''. Nearly all of Part One and the majority of Part Two are written in rhymed verse. Although rarely staged in its entirety, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages. ''Faust'' is considered by many to be Goethe's ''

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

'' and the greatest work of

German literature German literature () comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy and to a l ...

. The earliest forms of the work, known as the ''Urfaust'', were developed between 1772 and 1775; however, the details of that development are not entirely clear. ''Urfaust'' has twenty-two scenes, one in prose, two largely prose and the remaining 1,441 lines in rhymed verse. The manuscript is lost, but a copy was discovered in 1886. The first appearance of the work in print was ''Faust, a Fragment'', published in 1790. Goethe completed a preliminary version of what is now known as ''Part One'' in 1806. Its publication in 1808 was followed by the revised 1828–29 edition, the last to be edited by Goethe himself. Goethe finished writing ''Faust, Part Two'' in 1831; it was published posthumously the following year. In contrast to ''Faust, Part One'', the focus here is no longer on the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

of Faust, which has been sold to the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

, but rather on social phenomena such as

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

, in addition to mystical and philosophical topics. The second part formed the principal occupation of Goethe's last years.

Nomenclature

The original 1808 German title page of Goethe's play read simply: "Faust. / Eine Tragödie" ("Faust. / A Tragedy"). The addition of "erster Teil" (in English, "Part One") was retrospectively applied by publishers when the sequel was published in 1832 with a title page which read: "Faust. / Der Tragödie zweiter Teil" ("Faust. / The Tragedy's Second Part"). The two plays have been published in English under a number of titles, and are usually referred to as ''Faust'', Parts One and Two.

''Faust, Part One''

The principal characters of ''Faust Part One'' include: * Heinrich Faust, a scholar, sometimes said to be based on Johann Georg Faust, or on Jacob Bidermann's dramatized account of the ''Legend of the Doctor of Paris'', '' Cenodoxus''; see also

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The wiktionary:erudite, erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a ...

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles i ...

, the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

* Gretchen, Faust's love (short for Margarete; Goethe uses both forms) * Marthe Schwerdtlein, Gretchen's neighbour * Valentin, Gretchen's brother * Wagner, Faust's attendant ''Faust, Part One'' takes place in multiple settings, the first of which is

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the bel ...

. Mephistopheles (Satan) makes a bet with God: he says that he can lure God's favourite human being (Faust), who is striving to learn everything that can be known, away from righteous pursuits. The next scene takes place in Faust's study where Faust, despairing at the vanity of scientific, humanistic, and religious learning, turns to magic for the showering of infinite knowledge. He suspects, however, that his attempts are failing. Frustrated, he ponders suicide, but rejects it as he hears the echo of nearby

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

celebrations begin. He goes for a walk with his assistant Wagner and is followed home by a stray

poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle va ...

. In Faust's study, the poodle transforms into Mephistopheles. He proposes a wager to Faust: If Mephistopheles can grant Faust a moment of transcendence on Earth, a moment that he wishes to remain forever, then he will instantly die and serve the Devil in Hell. Faust does not believe that Mephistopheles can accomplish this and accepts the wager. When Mephistopheles tells Faust to sign the pact with blood, Faust complains that Mephistopheles does not trust Faust's word of honor. In the end, Mephistopheles wins the argument and Faust signs the contract with a drop of his own blood. Faust has a few excursions and then meets Margaret (also known as Gretchen). He is attracted to her and with jewelry and with help from a neighbor, Marthe, Mephistopheles draws Gretchen into Faust's arms. With Mephistopheles' aid, Faust seduces Gretchen. Gretchen's mother dies from a sleeping

potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

, administered by Gretchen to obtain privacy so that Faust could visit her. Gretchen discovers she is pregnant. Gretchen's brother condemns Faust, challenges him and falls dead at the hands of Faust and Mephistopheles. Gretchen drowns her illegitimate child and is convicted of the murder. Faust tries to save Gretchen from death by attempting to free her from prison. Finding that she refuses to escape, Faust and Mephistopheles flee the dungeon, while voices from Heaven announce that Gretchen shall be saved – "" – this differs from the harsher ending of ''Urfaust'' – "" – "she is condemned."

''Faust, Part Two''

Rich in classical allusion, in ''Part Two'' the romantic story of the first Faust is put aside, and Faust wakes in a field of fairies to initiate a new cycle of adventures and purpose. The piece consists of five acts (relatively isolated episodes) each representing a different theme. Ultimately, Faust goes to Heaven, for he loses only half of the bet. Angels, who arrive as messengers of divine mercy, declare at the end of Act V: "He who strives on and lives to strive / Can earn redemption still" (V, 11936–7).

Relationship between the parts

Throughout ''Part One'', Faust remains unsatisfied; the ultimate conclusion of the tragedy and the outcome of the wagers are only revealed in ''Faust, Part Two''. The first part represents the "small world" and takes place in Faust's own local, temporal milieu. In contrast, ''Part Two'' takes place in the "wide world" or ''macrocosmos''.

Translations

In 1821, a partial English verse translation of ''Faust'' (Part One) was published anonymously by the London publisher Thomas Boosey and Sons, with illustrations by the German engraver Moritz Retzsch. This translation was attributed to the English poet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lak ...

by Frederick Burwick and James C. McKusick in their 2007 Oxford University Press edition, ''Faustus: From the German of Goethe, Translated by Samuel Taylor Coleridge''. In a letter dated 4 September 1820, Goethe wrote to his son August that Coleridge was translating ''Faust''. However, this attribution is controversial: Roger Paulin, William St. Clair, and

Elinor Shaffer Elinor Shaffer (born 1935) FBA is a professor at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, honorary professor at University College, London, editor of the Comparative Literature series of Legenda (imprint), and editor of ''Reception o ...

provide a lengthy rebuttal to Burwick and McKusick, offering evidence including Coleridge's repeated denials that he had ever translated ''Faustus'' and arguing that Goethe's letter to his son was based on misinformation from a third party. Coleridge's fellow Romantic

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his ach ...

produced admired fragments of a translation first publishing Part One Scene II in ''The Liberal'' magazine in 1822, with "Scene I" (in the original, the "Prologue in Heaven") being published in the first edition of his ''Posthumous Poems'' by

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...

in 1824. * In 1828, at the age of twenty,

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les F ...

published a French translation of Goethe's ''Faust''. * In 1850,

Anna Swanwick Anna Swanwick (22 June 1813 – 2 November 1899) was an English author and feminist. Life Anna Swanwick was the youngest daughter of John Swanwick and his wife, Hannah Hilditch. She was born in Liverpool on 22 June 1813. The Swanwicks de ...

released an English translation of ''Part One''. In 1878, she published a translation of ''Part Two''. Her translation is considered among the best. * In 1870–71,

Bayard Taylor Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825December 19, 1878) was an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. As a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record ...

published an English translation in the original

metres The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pr ...

. * Calvin Thomas: ''Part One'' (1892) and ''Part Two'' (1897) for

D. C. Heath Daniel Collamore Heath (1843–1908) was the founder of D. C. Heath and Company, part of Houghton Mifflin. Biography Daniel C. Heath was born in Salem, Maine on October 26, 1843. He studied at Nichols Latin School and Bates College (then cal ...

. * Alice Raphael: ''Part One'' (1930) for

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

. *

Guo Moruo Guo Moruo (; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. Biography Family history Guo Moruo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November ...

: ''Part One'' (1928) and ''Part Two'' (1947) into Chinese. * Philosopher Walter Kaufmann was also known for an English translation of ''Faust'', presenting Part One in its entirety, with selections from Part Two, and omitted scenes extensively summarized. Kaufmann's version preserves Goethe's metres and rhyme schemes, but objected to translating all of Part Two into English, believing that "To let Goethe speak English is one thing; to transpose into English his attempt to imitate Greek poetry in German is another." * Phillip Wayne: ''Part One'' (1949) and ''Part Two'' (1959) for Penguin Books. *

Louis MacNeice Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet and playwright, and a member of the Auden Group, which also included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis. MacNeice's body of work was widely ...

: In 1949, the BBC commissioned an abridged translation for radio. It was published in 1952. In August 1950,

Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (; rus, Бори́с Леони́дович Пастерна́к, p=bɐˈrʲis lʲɪɐˈnʲidəvʲɪtɕ pəstɛrˈnak; 30 May 1960) was a Russian poet, novelist, composer and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pa ...

's Russian translation of the first part led him to be attacked in the Soviet literary journal ''

Novy Mir ''Novy Mir'' (russian: links=no, Новый мир, , ''New World'') is a Russian-language monthly literary magazine. History ''Novy Mir'' has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre- Soviet ...

''. The attack read in part,

... the translator clearly distorts Goethe's ideas... in order to defend the
reactionary In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the '' status quo ante'', the previous political state of society, which that person believes possessed positive characteristics abs ...
theory of 'pure art' ... he introduces an aesthetic and individualist flavor into the text... attributes a reactionary idea to Goethe... distorts the social and philosophical meaning... Olga Ivinskaya, ''A Captive of Time: My Years with Pasternak'', 1978. pp. 78–79.

In response, Pasternak wrote to

Ariadna Èfron Ariadna Sergeyevna Èfron (russian: link=no, Ариадна Сергеевна Эфрон; 26 July 1975) was a Russian translator of prose and poetry, memoirist, artist, art critic, poet (her original poems, except for those written in childhoo ...

, the exiled daughter of

Marina Tsvetaeva Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (russian: Марина Ивановна Цветаева, p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈtaɪvə; 31 August 1941) was a Russian poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russia ...

There was some alarm when my ''Faust'' was torn to pieces in ''Novy mir'' on the basis that supposedly the gods, angels, witches, spirits, the madness of poor Gretchen and everything 'irrational' was rendered too well, whereas Goethe's progressive ideas (which ones?) were left in the shade and unattended.

* Peter Salm: ''Faust, First Part'' (1962) for

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

. *

Randall Jarrell Randall Jarrell (May 6, 1914 – October 14, 1965) was an American poet, literary critic, children's author, essayist, and novelist. He was the 11th Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—a position that now bears the title Poe ...

: ''Part One'' (1976) for

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

. *

Walter Arndt Walther Arndt (8 January 1891 in Landeshut, Silesia, now Kamienna Góra, Poland – 26 June 1944 in Brandenburg) was a German zoologist and physician. A curator at the in Berlin, and a professor, he was executed for being critical of the Naz ...

: ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (1976) for W. W. Norton & Company. *Stuart Atkins: ''Faust I & II, Volume 2: Goethe's Collected Works'' (1984) for Princeton University Press. *

David Luke David Luke (1921–2005) was a scholar of German literature at Christ Church, Oxford. He was renowned for his translations of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann, Heinrich von Kleist, Eduard Mörike, Adalbert Stifter and the Brothers G ...

: ''Part One'' (1987) and ''Part Two'' (1994) for Oxford University Press. * Martin Greenberg : ''Part One'' (1992) and ''Part Two'' (1998) for Yale University Press. He has been credited with capturing the poetic feel of the original. * John R. Williams: ''Part One'' (1999) and ''Part Two'' (2007) for Wordsworth Editions. * David Constantine: ''Part One'' (2005) and ''Part Two'' (2009) for Penguin Books. * Zsuzsanna Ozsváth and Frederick Turner: ''Part One'' (2020) for Deep Vellum Books, with illustrations by Fowzia Karimi.

Historic productions

Part One

*May 24, 1819: Premiere of selected scenes. Castle Monbijou, Berlin *January 29, 1829: Premiere of the complete ''Part One''.

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

*In 1885, the Irish dramatist

W. G. Wills William Gorman Wills (28 January 182813 December 1891), usually known as W. G. Wills, was an Irish dramatist, novelist and painter. Early life and career Wills was born at Blackwell lodge in the neighbourhood of Kilmurry, County Kilkenny, Ire ...

loosely adapted the first part of ''Faust'' for a production starring

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ...

as Mephistopheles and

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

as Margaret at the

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnol ...

. *In 1908, Stephen Phillips and J. Comyns Carr freely adapted the first part of ''Faust'' for a production at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

. It starred

Henry Ainley Henry Hinchliffe Ainley (21 August 1879 – 31 October 1945) was an English actor. Life and career Early years Ainley was born in Morley, near Leeds, on 21 August 1879, the only son and eldest child of Richard Ainley (1851–1919), a textil ...

as Faust,

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous programm ...

as Mephistopheles and

Marie Lohr Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in ...

as Margaret. *1960:

Deutsches Schauspielhaus The Deutsches Schauspielhaus is a theatre in the St. Georg quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany. It was established in 1901 by the renowned stage actress Franziska Ellmenreich. Theatre managers Notable actors Marco Albrecht, Ingrid ...

, Hamburg: Directed by Peter Gorski, and produced by

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...

(who also played Mephistopheles), with Will Quadflieg (Faust), Ella Büchi (Gretchen),

Elisabeth Flickenschildt Elisabeth Ida Marie Flickenschildt (16 March 1905 – 26 October 1977) was a German actress, producer and author. She appeared in dozens of German language films and television productions between 1935–1976. Flickenschildt was born in Hamburg ...

(Marthe), Max Eckard (Valentin), Eduard Marks (Wagner), Uwe Friedrichsen (Student). The film of this performance was very successful. *1989: Fragments from ''Part One''. Piccolo Teatro di Milano: Director Giorgio Strehler, scenographer Josef Svoboda *October 26, 2006: Teatro Comunale Modena, Italy: Directed by Eimuntas Nekrošius; complete playing length (with intervals): 4½ hours

Part Two

* 2003 of Ingmar Thilo; with Antonios Safralis (Faust), Raphaela Zick (Mephisto), Ulrike Dostal (Helena), Max Friedmann (Lynceus), and others * 2005 Michael Thalheimer at the Deutsches Theater, Berlin, with a.o. Ingo Hülsmann, Sven Lehmann, Nina Hoss and Inge Keller * 1990: Fragments from ''Part Two''. Piccolo Teatro di Milano: Director Giorgio Strehler, scenographer Josef Svoboda

Entire piece

*1938: World premiere of both parts, unabridged, at the ''

Goetheanum The Goetheanum, located in Dornach, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, is the world center for the anthroposophical movement. The building was designed by Rudolf Steiner and named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It includes two perfo ...

'' in

Dornach : ''Dornach is also a quarter of the French city of Mulhouse and the Scots name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands, and Dòrnach is the Gaelic name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands.'' Dornach ( Swiss German: ''Dornech'') is a municipalit ...

, Switzerland *July 22–23, 2000: The

Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were exp ...

Hanover performance: Directed by Peter Stein; both parts in their complete version, with Christian Nickel and Bruno Ganz (the young and the old Faust), Johann Adam Oest (Mephistopheles), Dorothée Hartinger, Corinna Kirchhoff and Elke Petri. Complete playing length (with intervals): 21 hours

In music and film

* In 1814

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

set a text from ''Faust'' Part I, scene 18 as " Gretchen am Spinnrade" ( 118; Op. 2). It was his first setting of a text by Goethe. Later

Lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...

er by Schubert based on ''Faust'': ,

367 __NOTOC__ Year 367 ( CCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupicinus and Iovanus (or, less frequently, year 1120 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

, 440 and

564 __NOTOC__ Year 564 ( DLXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 564 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era be ...

. *

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's secular

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Scenes from Goethe's Faust ''Scenes from Goethe's Faust'' (''Szenen aus Goethes Faust'') is a musical-theatrical work by composer Robert Schumann. The work has been described as the height of his accomplishments in the realm of dramatic music.John Daverio: "Schumann, Rober ...

'' (1844–1853) *

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

's "légende dramatique" ''

La damnation de Faust ''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique' ...

'' (1846) *

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

's '' Faust Symphony'' (1857) *

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been '' Faust'' (1859); his '' Roméo et Juliette'' (1867) also rema ...

's opera ''

'' (1859) *

Arrigo Boito Arrigo Boito (; 24 February 1842 10 June 1918) (whose original name was Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito and who wrote essays under the anagrammatic pseudonym of Tobia Gorrio) was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, librettist and composer, be ...

's opera ''

Mefistofele ''Mefistofele'' () is an opera in a prologue and five acts, later reduced to four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with music by the Italian composer- librettist Arrigo Boito (there are several completed operas for which he was libr ...

'' (1868; 1875) * The second movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (1906) sets the text of the final scene of part II of Goethe's Faust. *

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

's opera '' Doktor Faust'' (1916) * F. W. Murnau's film ''

'' (1926) is based on older versions of the legend as well as Goethe's version. * Peter Gorski directed

in the 1960 film, ''

''. *

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

's musical ''

'' (1993) *

Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as T ...

's film ''

'' (1994) * Rudolf Volz's ''Rock Opera Faust'' with original lyrics by

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

(1997) * American metal band

Kamelot Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood, in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album '' Siége Perilous'', and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in ...

's CDs ''

Epica Epica or EPICA may refer to: * Epica (band) Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica ha ...

'' (2003) and ''

The Black Halo ''The Black Halo'' is the highly acclaimed, seventh full-length album by the American power metal band Kamelot. It was released on March 15, 2005, through Steamhammer Records. It is a concept album inspired by Goethe's Faust. Continuing the ...

'' (2005) are based on ''Faust''. * Alexander Sokurov's film ''

'' (2011) * American band

Agalloch Agalloch () was an American extreme metal band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 1995 by frontman John Haughm, they released five full-length albums, four EPs, two singles, one split single, two demos, four compilation albums and one live video ...

's '' Faustian Echoes'' EP is directly based on Goethe's work and contains direct quotations from it. * Philipp Humm's modern art film '' The Last Faust'' (2019) is directly based on Goethe's ''Faust'' and is the first film made on Faust part I and part II.

Notes

External links

* (German) * (German) * (1912 English translation by

) * *
''Faust''
available at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...

, scanned illustrated books
''Faust'', Part II
available at digbib.org (German)
''Faust'', Pt. 1
available at Google Books (1867 English translation by John Wynniatt Grant)
''Faust'', Pt. 1
available at Google Books (1908 English translation by Abraham Hayward with illustrations by

Willy Pogany William Andrew Pogany (born Vilmos András Pogány; August 24, 1882 – July 30, 1955) was a prolific Hungarians, Hungarian illustrator of Children's literature, children's and other books. His contemporaries include C. Coles Phillips, Joseph Clem ...

) * * (multiple languages, including English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Faust, Goethe 1808 plays 1832 plays Fiction about the Devil Epic poems in German German plays adapted into films Heaven in popular culture Plays adapted into ballets Plays adapted into operas Plays by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Tragedy plays Walpurgis Night fiction