16Th Century Goethe’S Faust Essay

16th Century GoetheвЂ™s Faust Essay
16th Century Faust Goethe's Faust is a timeless play that took Goethe his entire lifetime to complete. It was first published in 1808, but the play itself
does not specify the time period when it takes place. Goethe uses hints to guide the reader to discover this for him or herself. After reading the play,
one can use Goethe's subtle hints to conclude that Faust takes place during the 16th century and the Reformation. The first hint that Goethe gives the
reader comes after the prologue, in the first scene of the play. In this scene, Faust is alone in his study and is complaining about the limits of his
knowledge. He begins to talk about how little the people in power know and how these people don't have morals. Without these morals,...show more
content...
This subtle shot at the papacy is another example of Goethe hinting at the setting of the play. Another hint is how Brander describes the leader of the
Holy Roman Empire. During this time, the government was very decentralized. Brander explains that they need a leader, which alludes to this
decentralization and lack of a true leader. This scene uses both historical events and Lutheran views to show that this play is set in the 16th century.
Faust's view on religion is another example of this play's ties to the Reformation. During the scene in Martha's garden, Gretchen, Faust's lover, asks
him about his religious views. Gretchen is a devout Christian, and she is worried that he does not share her views. Faust is unable to give her a
direct answer. "Who can name Him and dare profess, I believe He is! Who can deeply and then presume to say, I don't believe! Encompassing all,
sustaining all, does He not hold, sustain you, and me, and Himself?" (3432–3441). This shows the inner struggle that Faust is going through when it
comes to religion. He isn't certain exactly what to believe, and is questioning it. This is a defining characteristic of the 16th century, more precisely the
Reformation. One aspect of the Reformation is questioning religion and how it is presented. This is exactly what Faust is doing in this excerpt. Goethe
uses this conversation to lead the reader to the conclusion that the play is set in the 16th century.
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Faust as a Romantic Hero
Faust as a Romantic Hero In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 's Faust, the protagonist exhibits many characteristics of a typical romantic hero. First,
he is larger then life. He has obtained numerous advanced degrees, and conjures up spirits. In his effort to go beyond knowledge and gain
experience he strikes a bargain with the Devil. He is "not afraid of the Devil or hell" ( Lawall & Mack, 444) and proves that by making the deal with
the Devil. Secondly, he embodies the best and worst of mankind. He is a scholar and would be considered a Renaissance man. Earlier in his life, he
helped his father, who was a doctor, treat sick people during a plague. On the other hand, his lust for Margarete displays the worst of mankind. This
...show more content...
He then decides against suicide and instead undergoes a "rebirth" (Mitchell, 16). Faust exhibits pride in many instances of the play, particularly
when he summons the Earth Spirit and is disappointed by the fact the Spirit does not consider him an equal and rebuffs him. Another instance is
the deal made with Mephistopheles, where he will never be completely satisfied. Anyone making such a deal is obviously guilty of the sin of
pride. In his relationship with Mephistopheles you see Faust as an arrogant and impatient man. He views Mephistopheles as his servant to do his
bidding (Mitchell, 17). When he signs his pact with the Devil, he hopes to "experience all of life, to fulfill all of human potential, at which point
he would be like God." (Mitchell, 17) Faust appears to have an emotional outburst when he and Wagner are walking on Easter morning. He weeps
openly and begs to be sent to "distant lands" ( Lawall & Mack, 460) to relieve him of his pain and misery. In Faust 's dealings with Margarete, he
shows his sensitive side. He is capable of passionate romantic love. While at the witches celebration he is haunted by a vision of Margarete. He
becomes filled with anger and guilt when he learns of Margarete 's fate. When he attempts to rescue her from execution, she refuses. He feels deep
regret for the position he has placed Margarete in. Faust show 's how

Faust Essay
The legend of Faust was a legend that occurred in the 1500's in Europe. Over time, as the story was told and passed on through generations, many
different ideas on what happened were brought up, but the main idea of the story is the same in most cases. One of the most interesting things about
this legend is the fact that though this story is more than four hundred years old, it is still told in some contemporary films to this day. All though it
is not always as direct as a deal with the actual devil, the same basis of the story can be seen in present day films. In one of the most successful movies
of the year 2000, The Matrix, a Faustian theme is evident. The Matrix is a science fiction movie directed by the Wachowski brothers.
The old...show more content...
The movie goes on with high–tech stunts, graphics and visuals about a struggle between a chosen few humans that know about the matrix, and a group
of human–like robots trying to keep the matrix secret.
The Matrix is a variation of the legend of Faust because it deals with the same basic idea. There is a deal made in which someone tries to seek some
sort of personal gain and the deal goes bad. The reason that this is a Faustian story is because it has all of the four basic elements needed. The Faust
figure is Neo, the devil figure is Morphius, the temptation is the truth, and the price is his regular life and his perception of the real world.
The Faust figure in the Matrix is Neo. The Faust figure is the main character, the one who is the recipient of most of the action in the story, and the
one who is tragedy stricken at the end. Neo made a choice to leave the real world and his perception of reality to learn of the truth. When he made
that decision he basically sold his regular life just as Faust sold his soul. When Neo found out the truth about the world he did not want to believe it
and he got angry and even though he did not die at the end, it is not always a positive thing to know too much about something when everyone else
knows nothing about it. Other people would probably not believe him and some may even get angry just as he did if he tried to explain the truth to the
world.

Faust Greed Essay
Goethe uses the characters in Faust to show the destruction that insatiable greed causes. The characters of Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles are
each overcome by their own greed and inability to find satisfaction in life. Goethe's warning of the inevitable downfall greed causes is still relevant the
selfish society of today.
Goethe ensures the audience members bear witness to multiple forms of greed within the title character. Faust sees no value in his impressive
accomplishments, because they have not afforded him substantial wealth or property. Driven by this greed, he signsMephistopheles' deal and begins his
descent into immorality. When Faust spots Gretchen, he is already under Mephistopheles' influence and so overcome with lust that...show more
content...
Goethe uses Mephistopheles to voice his disapproval of those that would spend their energy destroying others to satisfy their own desires.
Mephistopheles creates chaos in the lives of others, including Faust, Gretchen, and the emperor, simply to entertain himself. This desire to destroy
others, for his own personal gain is what leads him to make the wager with God. However, in the end, Mephistopheles falls victim to his own
greed. Overcome by his own lust for the angels that arrive to save Faust, he loses the man's soul and consequently, the wager. Goethe's message is
clear, one should never exploit others for personal gain and still bares weight today. One can imagine Goethe would have some choice words for
Bernie Madoff. The talented Wall Street tycoon spent his efforts swindling friends and clients out of billions of dollars. Madoff was of course caught
and will spend the rest of his life in jail. One can only imagine what Madoff could create if used his talents for good, rather than to advance his own
despicable greed.
Goethe's ability to understand the driving forces within the human psyche is one reason Faust still survives today. Greed, as depicted by the characters
of Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles, is still prevalent in society today. It is interesting to consider what great work Goethe could create based on
the world today. Although, he seems to have perfectly captured it

Faust By Goethe
Egotistical, contemplative, arrogant, and careful these are the words that describe Faust. In the book Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe the author
characterizes Faust so that his disposition of Faust plays a large role in Faust's motivation.The character that shares similar characteristics to Faust is
Jonas from the Giver. In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, the author characterizes Jonas as a selfless, Pensive, contemplative, and careful person.
The author also develops the character's persona so that it relates to his motive in the story. Author Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe depicts Faust as
highly knowledgeable person who still feels an emptiness in his life. The author manipulates this aspect of the play to set up and

Role of Religion in Dr. Faust Essay
Role of Religion in Dr. Faust
Dr. Faust is a legend from the sixteenth century that tells the tale of a man that sells his sole to the devil for non–human powers. This legend is
influenced by the time that it was written. During the sixteenth century religion had a large role on the society. It had affected everything from
Government to everyday life for people. This story was set in the area of Europe. Which had a heavily religious influence. The Faust legend employs
the notion of black magic and sorcery. This was often related to the devils work in this time due to the role of religion in society.
To add to the beliefs or disbeliefs there were many tragic occurrences going on at the time like the Black plague and war and the...show more content...
Christopher Marlowe's, Dr. Faustus
Christopher Marlowe was a well–educated man with a degree in divinity much like his story of Dr. Faustus. Which I feel gave him insight to be able
to write the play. Not only did he have the degree in divinity he was thought to be an Atheist, which in this era was thought to be the work of the
devil. His beliefs did not follow the norm for religion. This ended up being the cause for what many today argue was the cause of his death and that it
was faked.
In Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus the main character struggles with the lack of knowledge that he thinks he has, as well, the effect of all the
deaths that were caused by the plaque. This troubled Dr. Faustus because he felt at one time that he had the knowledge that he could come to a
medicine that would have saved the people from death. He seems to think that he has failed and has convinced himself that he has not knowledge and
that he will never gain the kind of knowledge that he dreams of. Here he is weakened into turning to black magic and hoping that it will give him the
knowledge that he seeks. This causes the a evil spirit named Mephostophilisto appear and try to encourage Dr. Faustus to give him twenty–four years
for the powers that Dr. Faustus seeks, even thought Mephostophisto refuses to tell him the secrets of the creator the lord. The whole idea of trading his
sole form powers is a

Faust: Positive or Negative Essay
Faust: Positive or Negative
The Faust legend, as with other great legends, has many interpretations. In Goethe's Faust: Part One, the protagonist's character is questioned, and this
uncertainty contributes to the number of interpretations the story has. It is unclear whether or not Faust is a positive or a negative figure. In the story,
Faust gets pulled into a journey of deceit and sin. As long as Faust followed the Devil, he became closer to his own downfall. Alberto Destro argues
that a moral hero lives his life according to the ordinary "moral" point of view. Destro claims that Faust cannot be considered a moral hero, but
instead a negative figure because Faust does not follow the ordinary "moral" point of view. I agree with his...show more content...
When we take a closer look at Destro's argument, we see that he does not agree to the fact that Faust could be considered a positive figure, and neither
can he be considered a moral hero. Destro argues that Faust cannot be a moral hero because he failed to understand his "ultimate salvation" by the end
of Faust I, whereas Gretchen–Faust's lover and a murderess–was saved because she understood that she is guilty of all the things she has done: killed
her mother and drowned her child (4507–4508). Here, we can see that Destro is comparing Faust's and Gretchen's salvations. We could say that Destro
is questioning what salvation really is. From a Christian perspective, the salvation achieved by Gretchen is the correct one because she reconciles with
God. Then, Destro seems to argue that because Faust is "superman," then he cannot be a positive character. Destro's "superman" differs from
Nietzsche's version of "superman." Destro's "superman" is an individualistic ethic where self–realization is the highest goal. Faust does not think about
other, but only about himself. He is only worried about his own striving for self– realization. This makes Faust, in Destro's eyes, a negative character.
Contrary to this Faustian ethic, there is the ordinary "moral" point of view. It means that morality is rooted in with our relationship with others within a
community. In this thought, the point of view

16Th Century Goethe’S Faust Essay

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16Th Century Goethe’S Faust Essay