''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 polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, 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'' and the greatest work of

German literature German literature () comprises those literature, 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 ...

. The earliest forms of the work, known as the ', 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 The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

of Faust, which has been sold to the

devil A devil is the mythical 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 conce ...

, but rather on social phenomena such as

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

, 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 retroactively 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 (see also 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'' * Mephistopheles, the

Devil A devil is the mythical 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 conce ...

* 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 cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

. Mephistopheles (Satan) makes a bet with God: he says that he can lure one of God's servants, 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 the aging scholar, struggling with what he considers the vanity and uselessness 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 Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, but rejects it as he hears the echo of nearby

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

celebrations begin. He goes for a walk with his assistant Wagner and is followed home by a stray poodle. In Faust's study, the poodle transforms into Mephistopheles, dressed as a travelling student who refuses to give his name. He reveals to Faust that although the misshapen pentagram carved into Faust's doorway has allowed him to enter, he cannot leave. Faust is surprised that Mephistopheles is bound by mystical laws, and from this reasons that he could make a pact. Mephistopheles says that he is willing to make a deal but wishes to leave for the night. Faust refuses to release him because he believes it would be impossible for him to catch Mephistopheles again. Mephistopheles then tricks him into permitting a demonstration of his power; Faust falls asleep listening to the song of the spirits, allowing Mephistopheles to escape by calling upon rats to chew away the pentagram. The next morning Mephistopheles returns. He tells Faust that he wishes to serve him in life, and in return Faust must serve him in the afterlife. Faust is willing to accept but is concerned that accepting the services of Mephistopheles will bring him to ruin. To avoid this fate, Faust makes a wager: if Mephistopheles can grant Faust an experience of transcendence on Earth—a moment so blissful that he wishes to remain in it forever, ceasing to strive further—then he will instantly die and serve the Devil in

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. Mephistopheles accepts the wager. When Mephistopheles tells Faust to sign the pact with blood, Faust complains that Mephistopheles does not trust Faust's word of honour. 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 jewellery and with help from a neighbour, 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 ''potio'' which refers to a drink or the act of drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifica ...

, 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 Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

. 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. He had lost his wager with Mephistopheles, that he would never seek to remain in a transcendental moment and have it prolonged forever. However, God had won his wager from the Prologue (and thus Faust's soul) as the transcendental moment was derived from his righteous pursuits. 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 was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

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 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 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered 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 durin ...

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, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

in 1824. * In 1828, at the age of twenty, Gérard de Nerval published a French translation of Goethe's ''Faust''. * In 1850, Anna Swanwick 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 published an English translation in the original metres. This translation, which he is best known for, is considered one of the finest and consistently remained in print for a century. * Calvin Thomas: ''Part One'' (1892) and ''Part Two'' (1897) for D. C. Heath. * Alice Raphael: ''Part One'' (1930) for

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

. * Mori Ōgai: 1913 both parts into Japanese. * Guo Moruo: ''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." * C. F. MacIntyre: ''Faust: An American Translation of Part I'' (1949) for New Directions. * Phillip Wayne: ''Part One'' (1949) and ''Part Two'' (1959) for Penguin Books. * Louis MacNeice: In 1949, the BBC commissioned an abridged translation for radio. It was published in 1952. In August 1950,

Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (30 May 1960) was a Russian and Soviet poet, novelist, composer, and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pasternak's first book of poems, ''My Sister, Life'', was published in Berlin in 1922 and soon became an imp ...

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

Novy Mir ''Novy Mir'' (, ) 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 literary magazine ''Mir Bozhy'' ("God's World"), w ...

''. The attack read in part,

... the translator clearly distorts Goethe's ideas... in order to defend the
reactionary In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...
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 Efron, the exiled daughter of Marina Tsvetaeva:

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. K ...

. * Randall Jarrell: ''Part One'' (1976) for Farrar, Straus and Giroux. * Walter Arndt: ''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: ''Part One'' (1987) and ''Part Two'' (1994) for Oxford University Press. * Martin Greenberg: ''Part One'' (1992) and ''Part Two'' (1998) for Yale University Press. * 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 , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, 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 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 as Margaret at the Lyceum Theatre, London. *In 1908, Stephen Phillips and J. Comyns Carr freely adapted the first part of ''Faust'' for a production at Her Majesty's Theatre. 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, West Yorkshire, Morley, near Leeds, on 21 August 1879, the only son and eldest child of Richard Ainley (18 ...

as Faust, Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Mephistopheles and Marie Lohr as Margaret. *1960: Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg: Directed by Peter Gorski, and produced by Gustaf Gründgens (who also played Mephistopheles), with Will Quadflieg (Faust), Ella Büchi (Gretchen), Elisabeth Flickenschildt (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

* 1990: Fragments from ''Part Two''. Piccolo Teatro di Milano: Director Giorgio Strehler, scenographer Josef Svoboda * 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

Entire piece

*1938: World premiere of both parts, unabridged, at the '' Goetheanum'' in Dornach, Switzerland *July 22–23, 2000: The Expo 2000 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

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's song "Es war einmal ein König": Aus Goethes Faust, Op. 75, No. 3 (1809) * In 1814

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

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 Lieder by Schubert based on ''Faust'': , 367,

440 Year 440 (Roman numerals, CDXL) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valentinian III, Valentinianus and Anatolius (consul), Anatolius (or, less frequently, year ...

and 564. *

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

's secular

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

'' Scenes from Goethe's Faust'' (1844–1853) *

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

's "légende dramatique" '' La damnation de Faust'' (1846) *

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

's ''

Faust Symphony ''A Faust Symphony in three character pictures'' (), List of compositions by Franz Liszt (S.1 - S.350), S.108, or simply the "''Faust Symphony''", is a choral symphony written by Hungarians, Hungarian composer Franz Liszt inspired by Johann Wolfga ...

'' (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 (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's opera '' Faust'' (1859) * Arrigo Boito's opera '' Mefistofele'' (1868; 1875) *

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

's Symphony No. 8 (Mahler) (1906) sets the text of the final scene of Faust Part II in its lengthy second movement. * F. W. Murnau's film '' Faust'' (1926) is based on older versions of the legend as well as Goethe's version. * Havergal Brian's opera ''Faust'' written in 1955–56. * Peter Gorski directed Gustaf Gründgens in the 1960 film, '' Faust''. * Brian De Palma's 1974 musical/horror/comedy film '' Phantom of the Paradise'' blends the story of Faust with Gaston Leroux's '' The Phantom of the Opera''. * The production is also briefly mentioned in Katja Ebatein's 1976 personality television show ''Katja and Co''. *

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

's musical '' Faust'' (1993) * Jan Švankmajer's film '' Faust'' (1994) * 's ''Rock Opera Faust'' with original lyrics by Goethe (1997) * American metal band Kamelot's CDs '' Epica'' (2003) and '' The Black Halo'' (2005) are based on ''Faust''. * Alexander Sokurov's film '' Faust'' (2011) * American metal band

Agalloch Agalloch () is 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 a ...

's ''

Faustian Echoes ''Faustian Echoes'' is an extended play, EP by United States, American heavy metal music, metal band Agalloch, released on June 26, 2012 by Agalloch's own label Licht von Dämmerung Arthouse. It is actually a single, two-part song over 21 minute ...

'' 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 Bayard Taylor) * *
''Faust''
available at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

, 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) * * (multiple languages, including English) {{Authority control 1808 plays 1832 plays Fiction about the Devil Encyclopedic and systems novels 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