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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">Goethe's </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> is one of the most important works t ever have been written, especially when concerning the development of literary and theatrical works. Let alone being immediately accepted as one of the best representations of a romantic hero, Faust is characterized amazingly well. Through flowing acts and solid writing, Goethe gives the world something to remember. Goethe's </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> must be preserved, as it is the quintessential representation of the romantic movement through its characterization of the Promethean hero and his selfless sacrifice.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">The tale of Faust is divided into two main tragedies. The story opens with Mephistopheles and God making a wager, that Mephistopheles can sway God's favorite human, Faust, towards evil. We then cut to Faust despairing over his limited ability to gain new knowledge, even so much as to consider ending his life as a solution. Mephistopheles appears to Faust and has him sign a contract in blood, stating that Faust will be granted unlimited knowledge and upon death Faust will serve Mephistopheles in hell. The arrangement also includes the clause that if at any point Faust is so overwhelmed by anything Mephistopheles presents and desires it so much he would want to remain in that moment forever, Faust would immediately die. Through a series of tragedies, Faust's found love interest, Gretchen, is put in jail for the murder of her child with Faust. Faust attempts to release Gretchen from prison to save her from death, but she refuses and he must escape with Mephistopheles. And so ends the first act.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> When the second act begins, we are shown five various acts in which Faust attempts to live his life with a new love interest, Helen. Through much of this there are dangers that keep them apart, while Mephistopheles plays tricks and manipulates through disguise many people around the two. Eventually Helen and Faust have a son, who falls to his death and causes Helen to pursue him in the afterlife. It is then revealed that the force behind all fortune bringing Faust and Helen together has actually been Mephistopheles the entire time. In the final act, Faust reaches his moment of pure bliss, but only when he decides openly to better the lives of all of his subjects. Mephistopheles attempts to claim Faust's soul, as per their wager, but Angels descend and claim Faust for God.</span></span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> The play</span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> was recognized almost instantly as one of the works that could represent the entirety of the romantic movement. People saw characteristics of classic romanticism in all the characters and portrayal of tragedy. (Fiero) By exploring knowledge and salvation in a new way Goethe opened many doors for other writers. Critical reception was an immediate success, and any arguments against the portrayal of Faust as a hero came much later. We have some of the more central themes of the entire romantic movement such as “salvation through striving, quest for knowledge, deception and the fact that life is worth living (Cummings).”</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> Faust holds many characteristics of other works of the time, in many ways because it was the initial frame of reference for other folks. Many other writers, playwrights and musicians took the characterization elements of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> and built on those elements. Having a character that was completely selfless and the ultimate Promethean hero, Goethe gives us a view into the workings of humanity. This idea of looking into what a person would do with infinite information and knowledge is very important to the thinkers of the time. If we take a look at Shelley's </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Frankenstein</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">, using his extreme knowledge of science, the boundaries between life and death are broken by Dr. Frankenstein (Fiero). The use of this knowledge was for the best of society but executed poorly. The key element of this however is that neither Faust or Frankenstein ever sought to do anything power related with their knowledge. We see Faust pursue things that in turn grant him power and sway, but this is never his goal. This theme can be seen running through many works of the time. These heroes stepped away from many of the Germanic and other classic type heroes of the past. Power was not important in the way that knowledge was.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">
</span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">The play additionally follows form with many other works of the time, in it's choice of language. Many writers and musicians were starting to show great nationalism and pride in their heritage. Goethe knew that German language could be beautiful and wanted to show the world. He chose to write </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> in German as opposed to English or another more readily artistically accepted language to prove its power lyrically and emotionally. From the paintings that cropped up out of the Americas to the choices of stories by the Brothers Grimm to the focus on Napoleon and the French strength, all through this movement we see a strong nationalistic focus. Goethe was definitely a part of this, and made it known.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">
</span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">We also see very interesting similarities in Goethe's portrayal of Margaret. Presenting her as an incredibly pure and holy source, we see one of the two ways women were portrayed. Either deified such as in Faust, or vilified as in </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Carmen </em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">(Fiero). Goethe draws upon many of the more progressive elements of the romantic era, seeing that a woman could be the element of salvation as opposed to only ever being the Pandora or Eve and causing the downfall of man. Though, while he identified with many of the folk of the time, Goethe also stood opposite of many others.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">
</span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">While following the nationalistic trend of things, the fact that Faust was actually in German was incredibly unusual and new. Plays before, even by German playwrights followed a tradition of being written in a more commonly accepted beautiful language. By writing in German, Goethe broke out of the norm and was forcing people to participate in his nationalism, where many other artists and writers held elements of nationalism as parts of their work, they were not encompassed by it (Shroff). </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> also stepped into an interesting realm in its two acts. Instead of being centrally located and easily followed through a scene, Goethe throws the viewer from the central view in the first part into a completely different cycle. With brand new thematic elements through all five acts of the second part, the viewer no longer has the dread and tragedy that is present in act one. When you look at other classic plays and plays of this time, there is still a very central focus. The characters either maintain a thematic centrality or the plot is focused and direct, there is a very linear element to it all. </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> remains linear, but both parts take place on two completely separate lines, that run parallel but on very different planes. Because of this, we also see the idea that there are two separate climaxes, one when Faust attempts the rescue, and the other when he realizes his happiness (Cummings). One of the best descriptions of how </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> differs from other plays of its time outside of that is from Theatre History.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> “</span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: small">The principal contrast between the popular play and Goethe's </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: small">is that, in the former, love and enjoyment bring the hero to ruin, while, in the latter, love and activity are his salvation.</span></span></span><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">”</span></span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust </em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small">also remains separate from many of the other works of the time simply because if it's divine focus. Most other romantic works tended to gravitate towards nature or purely knowledge and man, where as Faust is only a part of the tale because of divine forces. Having a moment of Deus Ex Machina where Angels descend and claim Faust's soul for God is very interesting, considering it is not just a message of salvation, but a message that connects things back to a much larger spiritual nature.</span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> One amazing thing about </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> is how it maintains such power even in modern day. With several film, opera and literary adaptations, including comic books, we can see the devotion to the same ideals that Goethe held so true. There are countless essays in which people explore Faust as the perfect tragic hero, and even to this day, any deal or wager with a devilish figure is referred to as “Faustian.” I think it has been embellished more so in our society today, but the idea of the perfect martyr who's prime moment of bliss and downfall comes from helping another human being is incredibly powerful. I think this holds so true today, that even our own current “folk lore” and hero construction mimics the idea.</span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> If we look at two of the most popular comic series of the current generation, we see extremely similar elements between them and Faust. The first to take a look at is the creation of Todd McFarlane, “Spawn.” In the series, a man sells his soul to the devil in exchange for the ability to return to Earth and posses the powers necessary to fight evil. Just a tad familiar we could say. This sale of a soul and pursuit of a “noble” cause is the central element of both stories. We even see the two take place in a series of acts or arcs, that build to a conclusion of salvation. Spawn, defeats evil head on, though by questionable means at times, and is often manipulated by dark forces into participating in events that have a tragic outcome. It has often been referred to that such a situation as this is a “Faustian double bind (Hedges).” The ability to do something, but being manipulated by the ability the whole time is very hard for any hero to cope with. </span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> The main difference between the two tales is the hero's image of himself. Faust sees himself often as simply wanting the best and does not necessarily identify as the tragic hero. Faust gives up his eternal future without knowing what specifically he will accomplish, only assuming it will be good. Spawn on the other side of that coin, understands his new found vigilante status. Spawn very closely identifies as the hero of an unfair circumstantial outcome, and knows specifically what he wants to accomplish and actually assumes it is going to be bad for him. This primarily shows the shift in cultural focus in my opinion. It has become more acceptable and desirable to understand that you are the “unwilling hero”. Though, it is important to point out that the newly formed “unwilling hero” trope is almost exclusively an American invention.</span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> Following the path of American folklore comics, we have a character and story that many regard as the quintessential modern hero, Batman. Batman sacrifices all he has outside of his pursuit of good, and in many ways understands he is fighting an uphill battle. While no particular deal with any demonic entity, both Faust and Batman are regarded as complete representations of their time's sentiments towards heroism. Batman sought knowledge and made his dark deal in deciding to embezzle from his inherited company and sacrifice any chance he had for happiness outside of justice. Faust is often tricked into participating in things that end up tragic, where as Batman often engages in questionable methods to ensure his outcomes be positive. While both of these characters experience their ultimate joy in lessening the suffering of others, the concept of martyrdom is far heavier in Faust. Again, I think this is mainly a statement on the evolution of society's ideals more than anything. While the idea of a martyr is appealing in this day and age, it does not represent the pinnacle of heroism any longer.</span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> My passion regarding the subject discussed is by no means a secret at this point. Regardless of what genre I find myself exploring, the Promethean hero is my ideal. I find Goethe's depiction of Faust to be a superb representation of what man can be capable of. One of the things I truly appreciate about the play is the lack of importance in extraneous things. The human drama of the play is what drives it. I have made no mention of sets or props or back drops, because it is the characters and human element that drive the story so completely. I firmly believe that </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> is the epitome of play writing, in which a message of heroism is presented. One thing I believe should and will be noticed is my choice to not include any direct quotes or dialogue from the work itself. I think that taking the little pieces out of the play hardly do it justice. The play was designed and written to be seen in its entire context.</span></span>

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> Goethe has given us something truly worth preservation. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> is one of the most amazingly beautiful and tragic depictions of romantic heroism that has ever come to be. Just as we must remember all real martyrs, we must never forget the characters who show us through mystical and spiritual means what humanity is capable of when good is at heart. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Faust</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"><span style="font-size: small"> must be preserved and read so that future generations can understand the importance of finding that one, death-inducing, perfect, spiritual moment of bliss.</span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif"> Works Cited</span></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">Brians, Paul. "Faust Study Questions."<em>Washington State University - Pullman, Washington</em>. 14 June 1995. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html">http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>A really good set of study questions by a professor. I liked to use these to help me critically analyze much of the original work.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">Cummings, Michael J. "Faust."<em>Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other Authors</em>. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Faust.html">http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Faust.html</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>A fantastic resource for all things related to Faust. It covers many of the central themes and how the play was accepted in its own time.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Fiero, Gloria K. "28." </span><em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">The Humanistic Tradition. </span></em><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.</span><em> </em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Text for the course, but contains an amazing section on the romantic hero archetype. Used for much of my comparison to that genre.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">"Faust."<em>TheatreHistory.com</em>. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.theatrehistory.com/german/goethe012.html">http://www.theatrehistory.com/german/goethe012.html</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>A decent summary of the work, but has very keen insight into some of the deeper thematic elements. I used this for looking at much of the character elements.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">"Goethe's Faust."<em>LEVITY</em>. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.levity.com/alchemy/faustidx.html">http://www.levity.com/alchemy/faustidx.html</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>A copy of the whole text in hyperlink form. Helped me read the entirety of the work, and jump between sections.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">Hedges, Inez. "Framing Faust: Twentieth-century ... - Inez Hedges."<em>Google Books</em>. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=fnQriMeVz4EC">http://books.google.com/books?id=fnQriMeVz4EC</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>A great book about Faustian characters in modern day. Contains many examples through literary works and film. Primarily used for my Spawn comparison.</em></span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small">Shroff, Satis. "On Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles."<em>Boloji.com - A Study in Diversity - News, Views, Analysis, Literature, Poetry, Features - Express Yourself</em>. 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content">http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content</a>&gt;.</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times"><span style="font-size: small"><em>Great insight into Goethe's purposes for how and why he developed characters the way he did. I used this to tie into the nationalism argument. </em></span></span></span>

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