Doctor Faust - who is he? Mythological encyclopedia: Heroes of myths and legends: Johannes Faust Position in the coffin.
The tragedy of J. W. Goethe "Faust" was written in 1774 - 1831 and refers to literary direction romanticism. The work is the main work of the writer, on which he worked for almost his entire life. The plot of the tragedy is based on the German Legend of Faust, the famous warlock of the 16th century. Particular attention is drawn to the composition of the tragedy. The two parts of "Faust" are contrasted: the first shows the doctor's relationship with the spiritually pure girl Margarita, the second shows Faust's activities at court and marriage to the ancient heroine Elena.
Main characters
Heinrich Faust- a doctor, a scientist disillusioned with life and science. Made a deal with Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles– evil spirit, the devil, bet with the Lord that he could get the soul of Faust.
Gretchen (Margarita) - beloved Faust. An innocent girl who, out of love for Heinrich, accidentally killed her mother, and then, going crazy, drowned her daughter. Died in prison.
Other characters
Wagner - student of Faust who created the Homunculus.
Elena- an ancient Greek heroine, beloved of Faust, from whom her son Euphorion was born. Their marriage is a symbol of the combination of ancient and romantic beginnings.
Euphorion - the son of Faust and Helen, endowed with the features of a romantic, Byronic hero.
Martha- Margarita's neighbor, a widow.
Valentine- soldier, brother Gretchen, who was killed by Faust.
Theater Director, Poet
Homunculus
dedication
Theatrical introduction
The director of the theater asks the Poet to create an entertaining work that will be interesting to absolutely everyone and will attract more viewers to their theater. However, the Poet believes that "the splattering of vulgarities is a great evil", "talentless crooks are a craft".
The director of the theater advises him to move away from the usual style and more resolutely get down to business - "in his own way" with poetry, then his works will be really interesting to people. The director provides the Poet and the Actor with all the possibilities of the theater in order to:
“In this boardwalk - a booth
You can, as in the universe,
Having passed all the tiers in a row,
Descend from heaven through the earth to hell.
Prologue in the sky
Mephistopheles comes to the Lord for reception. The devil argues that people "illumined by God's spark" continue to live like animals. The Lord asks if he knows Faust. Mephistopheles recalls that Faust is a scientist who "rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles," serving God. The devil offers to bet that he will "beat off" the Lord Faust, exposing him to all sorts of temptations, to which he agrees. God is sure that the scientist's instinct will lead him out of the impasse.
Part one
Night
Cramped gothic room. Faust is sitting awake reading a book. The Doctor reflects:
"I mastered theology,
I pored over philosophy,
jurisprudence hollowed
And studied medicine.
However, at the same time, I
I was and still am a fool.
And I turned to magic,
So that the spirit at the call appears to me
And he discovered the secret of being.
The doctor's thoughts are interrupted by his student Wagner, who suddenly enters the room. During a conversation with a student, Faust explains: people really do not know anything about antiquity. The doctor is outraged by Wagner's arrogant, stupid thoughts that man has already grown up to know all the secrets of the universe.
When Wagner left, the doctor reflects that he considered himself equal to God, but this is not so: "I am a blind worm, I am the stepson of nature." Faust realizes that his life is "passing in dust" and is about to commit suicide by drinking poison. However, at the moment when he brings a glass of poison to his lips, a bell ringing is heard and choral singing– angels sing about the Resurrection of Christ. Faust abandons his intention.
At the gate
Crowds of people walking, including Wagner and Faust. The old farmer thanks the doctor and his late father for helping to "get rid of the plague" in the city. However, Faust is ashamed of his father, who during his medical practice for the sake of experiments gave people poison - while treating some, he killed others. A black poodle runs up to the doctor and Wagner. It seems to Faust that behind the dog "a flame snakes across the land of the glades."
Faust's workroom
Faust took the poodle with him. The doctor sits down to translate the New Testament into German. Reflecting on the first phrase of the scripture, Faust comes to the conclusion that it is translated not as “In the beginning was the Word”, but “In the beginning was the Deed”. The poodle begins to play around and, distracted from work, the doctor sees how the dog turns into Mephistopheles. The devil appears to Faust in the clothes of a wandering student. The doctor asks who he is, to which Mephistopheles replies:
“Part of the strength of that which is without number
He does good, wishing evil to everything.
Mephistopheles chuckles at human weaknesses, as if he knows what thoughts torment Faust. Soon the Devil is about to leave, but the pentagram drawn by Faust does not let him in. The devil, with the help of spirits, puts the doctor to sleep and disappears while he sleeps.
The second time Mephistopheles appeared to Faust in rich clothes: in a karamzin camisole, with a cape on his shoulders and a rooster feather on his hat. The devil persuades the doctor to leave the walls of the office and go with him:
"You will be comfortable here with me,
I will fulfill any whim."
Faust agrees and signs the treaty in blood. They go on a journey, flying straight through the air on the Devil's magical cloak.
Auerbach cellar in Leipzig
Mephistopheles and Faust join the company of merry revelers. The devil treats those who drink wine. One of the revelers spills a drink on the ground and the wine catches fire. The man exclaims that it is hellfire. Those present rush at the Devil with knives, but he induces a "dope" on them - it begins to seem to people that they are in a beautiful land. At this time, Mephistopheles and Faust disappear.
witch's kitchen
Faust and Mephistopheles are waiting for the witch. Faust complains to Mephistopheles that he is tormented by sad thoughts. The devil replies that he can be distracted from any thoughts by a simple means - the conduct of an ordinary household. However, Faust is not ready to "live without scope". At the request of the Devil, the witch prepares a potion for Faust, after which the doctor's body "gains heat", and the lost youth returns to him.
Street
Faust, seeing Marguerite (Gretchen) on the street, is struck by her beauty. The Doctor asks Mephistopheles to set him up with her. The devil replies that he just overheard her confession - she is innocent, as Small child, therefore, the evil spirits have no power over it. Faust sets a condition: either Mephistopheles arranges their date today, or he will terminate their contract.
Evening
Margarita thinks that she would give a lot to find out who the man she met was. While the girl leaves her room, Faust and Mephistopheles leave her a gift - a jewelry box.
On a walk
Margarita's mother took the donated jewelry to the priest, as she realized that it was a gift from evil spirits. Faust orders to give Gretchen something else.
Neighbor's house
Margarita tells her neighbor Marta that she has found a second jewelry box. The neighbor advises not to say anything about the find of the mother, starting to put on jewelry gradually.
Mephistopheles comes to Martha and informs about the fictitious death of her husband, who left nothing to his wife. Marta asks if it is possible to get a paper confirming her husband's death. Mephistopheles replies that he will soon return with a friend to testify about the death, and asks Margarita to stay too, since his friend is "an excellent fellow."
Garden
Walking with Faust, Margarita tells that she lives with her mother, her father and sister have died, and her brother is in the army. The girl guesses on a camomile and gets the answer "Loves". Faust confesses his love to Marguerite.
forest cave
Faust is hiding from everyone. Mephistopheles tells the doctor that Margarita misses him very much and is afraid that Heinrich has cooled off towards her. The Devil is surprised that Faust so easily decided to give up on the girl.
Martha's Garden
Margarita shares with Faust that she really dislikes Mephistopheles. The girl thinks that he can betray them. Faust, notes the innocence of Margarita, before which the Devil is powerless: “Oh, the sensitivity of angelic guesses!” .
Faust gives Marguerite a sleeping pill so she can put her mother to sleep, and they manage to be alone longer next time.
Night. Street in front of Gretchen's house
Valentine, Gretchen's brother, decides to deal with the girl's lover. The young man is upset that she brought shame upon herself by an affair without marriage. Seeing Faust, Valentine challenges him to a duel. The doctor kills the young man. Until they are noticed, Mephistopheles and Faust hide, leave the city. Before his death, Valentine instructs Margarita, saying that the girl must protect her honor.
Cathedral
Gretchen attends a church service. Behind the girl, an evil spirit whispers to her that Gretchen is responsible for the death of her mother (not woken up from a sleeping pill) and her brother. In addition, everyone knows that a girl carries a child under her heart. Unable to withstand obsessive thoughts, Gretchen faints.
Walpurgis Night
Faust and Mephistopheles watch the coven of witches and sorcerers. Walking along the fires, they meet a general, a minister, a wealthy businessman, a writer, a junk witch, Lilith, Medusa and others. Suddenly, one of the shadows reminds of Faust Margaret, the doctor imagined that the girl was beheaded.
It's a nasty day. Field
Mephistopheles tells Faust that Gretchen has been begging for a long time and is now in prison. The doctor is in despair, he reproaches the Devil for what happened and demands that he save the girl. Mephistopheles notices that it was not he, but Faust himself who ruined Marguerite. However, after thinking, he agrees to help - the Devil will put the caretaker to sleep, and then take them away. Faust himself will have to take possession of the keys and lead Margarita out of the dungeon.
Jail
Faust enters the dungeon where Marguerite is sitting, singing strange songs. She lost her mind. Mistaking the doctor for an executioner, the girl asks to put off punishment until the morning. Faust explains that her lover is in front of her and they need to hurry. The girl is glad, but takes time, telling him that he has grown cold to her arms. Margarita tells how she lulled her mother to death and drowned her daughter in a pond. The girl is delusional and asks Faust to dig graves for her, her mother and brother. Before her death, Margarita asks for salvation from God. Mephistopheles says that she is condemned to torment, but then a voice is heard from above: “Saved!” . The girl is dying.
Part two
Act one
Imperial Palace. Masquerade
Mephistopheles in the form of a jester appears before the emperor. The Council of State begins in the throne room. The chancellor reports that the country is in decline, the state does not have enough money.
Walking garden
The devil helped the state solve the problem of lack of money by turning a scam. Mephistopheles put into circulation securities, the pledge of which was gold located in the bowels of the earth. The treasure will someday be found and will cover all expenses, but so far fooled people are paying with shares.
dark gallery
Faust, who appeared at court as a magician, informs Mephistopheles that he promised the emperor to show ancient heroes Paris and Elena. The Doctor asks the Devil to help him. Mephistopheles gives Faust a directional key that will help the doctor penetrate the world of pagan gods and heroes.
Knight's Hall
The courtiers await the appearance of Paris and Helen. When an ancient Greek heroine appears, the ladies begin to discuss her shortcomings, but Faust is fascinated by the girl. The scene of the “abduction of Helen” by Paris is played out before the audience. Having lost his composure, Faust tries to save and keep the girl, but the spirits of the heroes suddenly evaporate.
Act two
gothic room
Faust lies in his old room motionless. The student Famulus tells Mephistopheles that the now famous scientist Wagner is still waiting for the return of his teacher Faust, and is now on the verge of a great discovery.
Medieval laboratory
Mephistopheles comes to Wagner, who is at the clumsy instruments. The scientist tells the guest that he wants to create a person, because, in his opinion, "the former children's survival for us is an absurdity, handed over to the archive." Wagner creates Homunculus.
The homunculus advises Mephistopheles to take Faust to the Walpurgis Night festival, and then flies away with the doctor and the Devil, leaving Wagner.
Classic Walpurgis Night
Mephistopheles lowers Faust to the ground, and he finally comes to his senses. The Doctor goes in search of Elena.
Act three
In front of the palace of Menelaus in Sparta
Landed on the coast of Sparta, Elena learns from the housekeeper Phorkiada that King Menelaus (Helen's husband) sent her here as a sacrifice for sacrifice. The housekeeper helps the heroine escape death by helping her escape to a nearby castle.
Castle courtyard
Helen is brought to Faust's castle. He reports that the queen now owns everything in his castle. Faust sends his troops against Menelaus, who is coming at him with a war, who wants to take revenge, and he takes refuge with Elena in the underworld.
Soon Faust and Helen have a son, Euphorion. The boy dreams of jumping so that "inadvertently reach the sky with one swoop." Faust tries to shield his son from trouble, but he asks to be left alone. Having climbed a high rock, Euphorion jumps from it and falls dead at the feet of his parents. The grieving Elena tells Faust: "The old saying comes true on me, That happiness does not get along with beauty" and, with the words "take me, O Persephone, with a boy!" hugs Faust. The woman's body disappears, and only her dress and veil remain in the man's hands. Elena's clothes turn into clouds and carry Faust away.
act four
Mountain landscape
To the rocky ridge, which was previously the bottom of the underworld, Faust swims up on a cloud. A man reflects on the fact that with the memories of love, all his purity and “the best essence” are gone. Soon, on seven-league boots, Mephistopheles flies to the rock. Faust tells Mephistopheles that his greatest desire is to build a dam on the sea and
"At any cost at the abyss
Reclaim a piece of land."
Faust asks Mephistopheles for help. Suddenly, the sounds of war are heard. The Devil explains that the emperor they previously helped is in dire straits after exposing the securities scam. Mephistopheles advises Faust to help the monarch return to the throne, for which he will be able to receive a seashore as a reward. The Doctor and the Devil help the Emperor win a resounding victory.
act five
open area
To old people, loving married couple Baucis and Philemon are visited by a stranger. Once the old people have already helped him, for which he is very grateful to them. Baucis and Philemon live by the sea, there is a bell tower and a linden grove nearby.
Castle
The aged Faust is indignant - Baucis and Philemon do not agree to leave the seashore so that he can realize his idea. Their house is exactly on the spot that now belongs to the doctor. Mephistopheles promises to deal with the old people.
Deep night
The house of Baucis and Philemon, and with it the linden grove and the belfry, were burnt down. Mephistopheles told Faust that they tried to drive the old people out of the house, but they died of fright, and the guest, resisting, was killed by the servants. The house caught fire accidentally from a spark. Faust curses Mephistopheles and the servants for deafness to his words, since he wanted a fair exchange, and not violence and robbery.
Large courtyard in front of the palace
Mephistopheles orders the lemurs (grave ghosts) to dig a grave for Faust. Blinded Faust hears the sound of shovels and decides that it is the workers who make his dream come true:
"Put a boundary to the fury of the surf
And, as if reconciling the earth with itself,
They are erecting, the rampart and embankments are being fixed.
Faust orders Mephistopheles to "recruit workers here without counting," constantly reporting to him on the progress of work. The Doctor thinks that he would like to see the days when free people work in free land, then he could exclaim: “A moment! Oh, how beautiful you are, wait a bit!” . With the words: “And anticipating this triumph, I am now experiencing the highest moment,” Faust dies.
Position in the coffin
Mephistopheles is waiting for Faust's spirit to leave his body so that he can present him with their blood-backed pact. However, angels appear and, pushing the demons away from the doctor's grave, carry the immortal essence of Faust into the sky.
Conclusion
Tragedy I. In Goethe's "Faust" is a philosophical work in which the author reflects on the eternal theme of confrontation in the world and man of good and evil, reveals the questions of man's knowledge of the secrets of the world, self-knowledge, touches on issues of power, love, honor, justice that are important at any time and many others. Today, "Faust" is considered one of the pinnacles of the German classical poetry. The tragedy is included in the repertoire of the world's leading theaters and has been filmed many times.
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Information about the life of the historical Faust is extremely scarce. He was born, apparently, around 1480 in the city of Knittlingen, in 1508, through Franz von Sickingen, he received a teacher's job in Kreuznach, but had to flee from there because of the persecution of his fellow citizens. As a warlock and astrologer, he traveled around Europe, posing as a great scientist, boasted that he could perform all the miracles of Jesus Christ or “recreate from the depths of his knowledge all the works of Plato and Aristotle, if they ever died for mankind” ( from a letter of the learned abbot Trithemius, 1507).
In 1539 his trace is lost.
In the Renaissance, when faith in magic and the miraculous was still alive, and, on the other hand, science liberated from the bonds of scholasticism won outstanding victories, which was portrayed by many as the fruit of the union of a daring mind with evil spirits, the figure of Dr. Faust quickly gained legendary outlines and wide popularity. In 1587 in Germany, in the edition of Spies, the first literary adaptation of the Faust legend appeared, the so-called "folk book" about Faust: "Historia von Dr. Johann Fausten, dem weitbeschreiten Zauberer und Schwartzkünstler etc.” (The story of Dr. Faust, the famous wizard and warlock). The book is woven with episodes dated at one time to various sorcerers (Simon the Magus, Albert the Great, etc.) and related in it to Faust. In addition to oral legends, the source of the book was modern writings on witchcraft and "secret" knowledge (books by the theologian Lerheimer, a student of Melanchthon: "Ein Christlich Bedencken und Erinnerung von Zauberey", 1585; book by I. Vir, student of Agrippa Nettesheim: "De praestigiis daemonum", 1563, German translation 1567, etc.). The author, apparently a Lutheran cleric, portrays Faust as a daring impious man who allied with the devil in order to acquire great knowledge and power ("Faust grew eagle wings for himself and wanted to penetrate and study all the foundations of heaven and earth." other than arrogance, despair, audacity and courage, similar to those titans that poets tell about, that they piled mountains on mountains and wanted to fight against God, or similar to an evil angel who opposed himself to God, for which he was overthrown by God as arrogant and arrogant"). The final chapter of the book tells of Faust's "terrible and terrifying end": he is torn apart by demons, and his soul goes to hell. It is characteristic at the same time that Faust is given the features of a humanist. These features are noticeably enhanced in the 1589 edition.
In 1603 Pierre Caille publishes french translation folk book about Faust.
Faust gives lectures on Homer at the University of Erfurt, at the request of students calls the shadows of the heroes of classical antiquity, etc. beautiful Elena. However, despite the author's desire to condemn Faust for his godlessness, pride and daring, the image of Faust is still fanned with a certain heroism; the whole Renaissance era is reflected in his face with its inherent thirst for unlimited knowledge, the cult of unlimited possibilities of the individual, a powerful rebellion against medieval quietism, dilapidated church-feudal norms and foundations.
I used the folk book about Faust English playwright 16th century Christopher Marlo, who wrote the first dramatic treatment of the legend. His tragedy "The tragical history of the life and death of Doctor Faustus" (ed. in 1604, 4th ed., 1616) (The tragic story of Doctor Faust, Russian translation by K. D. Balmont, Moscow, 1912, earlier in the journal "Life", 1899, July and August) depicts Faust as a titan, seized with a thirst for knowledge, wealth and power. Marlo enhances the heroic features of the legend, turning Faust into a bearer of the heroic elements of the European Renaissance. From the folk book, Marlo learns the alternation of serious and comic episodes, as well as the tragic ending of the legend of Faust - the ending, which is connected with the theme of the condemnation of Faust and his daring impulses.
Apparently in early XVII century, the tragedy of Marlo is brought by English wandering comedians to Germany, where it is transformed into a puppet comedy, which is gaining significant distribution (by the way, Goethe owes a lot to her when creating his Faust). The folk book also underlies G. R. Widman’s lengthy work on Faust (Widman, Wahrhaftige Historie, etc.), published in Hamburg in 1598. Widman, in contrast to Marlo, strengthens the moralistic and clerical-didactic tendencies of the “folk book”. For him, the story of Faust is first and foremost a tale of the "terrible and heinous sins and misdeeds" of the famed warlock; he pedantically equips his exposition of the legend of Faust with "necessary reminders and excellent examples" that should serve to the general "instruction and warning."
In the footsteps of Widmann went Pfitzer (Pfitzer), released in 1674 his version of the folk book about Faust.
The theme of Faust gained exceptional popularity in Germany in the second half of the 18th century. among the writers of the Sturm und Drang period [Lessing - fragments of an unrealized play, Müller the painter - the tragedy "Fausts Leben dramatisiert" (Life of Faust, 1778), Klinger - the novel "Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt" (Life, deeds and death Faust, 1791, Russian translation by A. Luther, Moscow, 1913), Goethe - the tragedy "Faust" (1774-1831), Russian translation by N. Kholodkovsky (1878), A. Fet (1882-1883), V. Bryusov ( 1928), etc.]. Faust attracts writers-stormers with his daring titanism, his rebellious encroachment on traditional norms. Under their pen, he acquires the features of a "stormy genius", violating the laws of the surrounding world in the name of unlimited individual rights. The Stürmers were also attracted by the "Gothic" flavor of the legend, its irrational element. At the same time, the sturmers, especially Klinger, combine the theme of Faust with sharp criticism of the feudal-absolutist order (for example, the picture of the atrocities of the old world in Klinger's novel: the arbitrariness of the feudal lord, the crimes of monarchs and the clergy, the depravity of the ruling classes, portraits of Louis XI, Alexander Borgia, etc.) .
Main article: Faust (Goethe's tragedy)
Dr. Faust The theme of Faust reaches its most powerful artistic expression in Goethe's tragedy. The tragedy reflected with considerable relief the whole versatility of Goethe, the whole depth of his literary, philosophical and scientific searches: his struggle for a realistic worldview, his humanism, etc.
If in Prafaust (1774-1775) the tragedy is still fragmentary, then with the appearance of the prologue In Heaven (written 1797, published in 1808), it acquires the grandiose outlines of a kind of humanistic mystery, all the numerous episodes of which are united by the unity of artistic design. Faust grows into a colossal figure. He is a symbol of the possibilities and destinies of mankind. His victory over quietism, over the spirit of denial and disastrous emptiness (Mephistopheles) marks the triumph of the creative forces of humanity, its indestructible vitality and creative power. But on the way to victory, Faust is destined to go through a series of "educational" steps. From the "small world" of burgher everyday life, he enters " Big world"aesthetic and civic interests, the boundaries of the sphere of his activity are expanding, they include more and more new areas, until the cosmic expanses of the final scenes are revealed before Faust, where the searching creative spirit of Faust merges with the creative forces of the universe. The tragedy is permeated with the pathos of creativity. Here there is nothing frozen, unshakable, everything here is movement, development, incessant "growth", a powerful creative process that reproduces itself at ever higher levels.
In this regard, the very image of Faust is significant - a tireless seeker of the "right path", alien to the desire to plunge into inactive peace; hallmark Faust's character is "discontent" (Unzufriedenheit), forever pushing him on the path of relentless action. Faust ruined Gretchen, as he grew eagle wings for himself, and they draw him outside the stuffy burgher chamber; he does not close himself in the world of art and perfect beauty, because the realm of classical Helen turns out to be just an aesthetic appearance in the end. Faust longs for a great cause, tangible and fruitful, and he ends his life as the leader of a free people who builds their well-being on a free land, winning the right to happiness from nature. Hell loses its power over Faust. The indefatigably active Faust, having found the "right path", is honored with a cosmic apotheosis. Thus, under the pen of Goethe, the old legend about Faust takes on a profoundly humanistic character. It should be noted that the closing scenes of Faust were written during the period of the rapid rise of young European capitalism and partly reflected the successes of capitalist progress. However, the greatness of Goethe lies in the fact that he already saw the dark side of the new public relations and in his poem tried to rise above them.
IN early XIX V. the image of Faust attracted romantics with its gothic outlines. Faust is a wandering charlatan of the 16th century. - Appears in Arnim's novel "Die Kronenwächter", I Bd., 1817 (Guardians of the Crown). The legend of Faust was developed by Grabbe (“Don Juan und Faust”, 1829, Russian translation by I. Kholodkovsky in the journal “Vek”, 1862), Lenau (“Faust”, 1835-1836, Russian translation by A. Anyutin [A. V. Lunacharsky], St. Petersburg, 1904, the same, translated by N. A-nsky, St. Petersburg, 1892), Heine ["Faust" (a poem intended for dancing, "Der Doctor Faust". Ein Tanzpoem ..., 1851) and etc.]. Lenau, the author of the most significant development of the theme of Faust since Goethe, portrays Faust as an ambivalent, wavering, doomed rebel.
In vain dreaming of "connecting the world, God and himself," Faust Lenau falls victim to the intrigues of Mephistopheles, in which the forces of evil and corrosive skepticism are embodied, making him related to Goethe's Mephistopheles. The spirit of denial and doubt triumphs over the rebel, whose impulses turn out to be wingless and worthless. Lenau's poem marks the beginning of the collapse of the humanistic concept of the legend. Under the conditions of mature capitalism, the theme of Faust in its Renaissance-humanistic interpretation could no longer receive a full-fledged embodiment. The "Faustian spirit" flew away from bourgeois culture, and it is no coincidence that at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. we do not have artistically significant adaptations of the legend of Faust.
In Russia, A. S. Pushkin paid tribute to the legend of Faust in his wonderful Scene from Faust. With echoes of Goethe's "Faust" we meet in "Don Giovanni" by A. K. Tolstoy (the prologue, the Faustian features of Don Giovanni, languishing over the solution of life - direct reminiscences from Goethe) and in the story in the letters "Faust" by J.S. Turgenev.
In the XX century. most interesting development the themes about Faust were given by A. V. Lunacharsky in his reading drama Faust and the City (written in 1908, 1916, published by Narkompros, P., in 1918). Based on the final scenes of the second part of Goethe's tragedy, Lunacharsky draws Faust as an enlightened monarch, dominating the country he conquered from the sea. However, the people guarded by Faust is already ripe for liberation from the bonds of autocracy, a revolutionary upheaval is taking place, and Faust welcomes what has happened, seeing in it the realization of his long-standing dreams of a free people in a free land. The play reflects a premonition of a social upheaval, the beginning of a new historical era. The motives of the Faustian legend attracted V. Ya. Bryusov, who left a complete translation of Goethe's Faust (part 1 published in 1928), the story " Fire Angel"(1907-1908), as well as the poem "Klassische Walpurgisnacht" (1920).
List of works
Historia von Dr. Johann Fausten, dem weitbeschreiten Zauberer und Schwartzkünstler etc. (The story of Dr. Faust, the famous magician and warlock), (1587)
G. R. Widman, Wahrhaftige Historie etc., (1598)
Achim von Arnim "Die Kronenwächter" (Guardians of the Crown), (1817)
Heinrich Heine: Faust (Der Doktor Faust. Ein Tanzpoem), a poem assigned for dancing (1851)
Theodor Storm: Pole Poppenspäler, short story (1875)
Heinrich Mann: Teacher Gnus (Professor Unrat), (1904)
Thomas Mann: Doctor Faustus (1947)
Roman Möhlmann: Faust und die Tragödie der Menschheit (2007)
Roger Zelazny & Robert Sheckley: "If at Faust you don't succeed" (1993)
Love for everything mystical in a person is unlikely to ever fade away. Even if we do not take into account the issue of faith, in themselves mystery stories extremely interesting. There have been many such stories for the centuries-old existence of life on Earth, and one of them, written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, is Faust. Summary of this famous tragedy will give you an overview of the story.
The work begins with a lyrical dedication, in which the poet remembers with gratitude all his friends, relatives and close people, even those who are no longer alive. This is followed by a theatrical introduction in which three - the Comic Actor, the Poet and the Theater Director - are arguing about art. And finally, we get to the very beginning of the tragedy "Faust". The summary of the scene called "Prologue in Heaven" tells how God and Mephistopheles argue about good and evil among people. God is trying to convince his opponent that everything on earth is beautiful and wonderful, all people are pious and submissive. But Mephistopheles does not agree with this. God offers him a dispute on the soul of Faust - a learned man and his diligent, immaculate slave. Mephistopheles agrees, he really wants to prove to the Lord that any, even the most holy soul, is capable of succumbing to temptations.
So, the bet is made, and Mephistopheles, descending from heaven to earth, turns into a black poodle and follows Faust, who was walking around the city with his assistant Wagner. Taking the dog to his house, the scientist proceeds with his daily routine, but suddenly the poodle began to "puff up like a bubble" and turned back into Mephistopheles. Faust (summary does not allow revealing all the details) at a loss, but uninvited guest explains to him who he is and for what purpose he came. He begins to seduce the Aesculapius in every possible way with the various joys of life, but he remains adamant. However, the cunning Mephistopheles promises him to show such pleasures that Faust will simply take his breath away. The scientist, being sure that nothing can surprise him, agrees to sign an agreement in which he undertakes to give Mephistopheles his soul as soon as he asks him to stop the moment. Mephistopheles, according to this agreement, is obliged to serve the scientist in every possible way, fulfill his every desire and do everything that he says, until the very moment he says cherished words: "Stop, a moment, you're fine!"
The treaty was signed in blood. Further, the summary of Faust stops at the acquaintance of the scientist with Gretchen. Thanks to Mephistopheles, the Aesculapius became 30 years younger, and therefore the 15-year-old girl absolutely sincerely fell in love with him. Faust also burned with passion for her, but it was this love that led to further tragedy. Gretchen, in order to freely run on dates with her beloved, puts her mother to sleep every night. But even this does not save the girl from shame: rumors are circulating around the city that have reached the ears of her older brother.
Faust (a summary, keep in mind, reveals only the main plot) stabs Valentine, who rushed at him to kill him for dishonoring his sister. But now he himself is waiting for a mortal reprisal, and he is fleeing the city. Gretchen accidentally poisons her mother with a sleeping potion. She drowns her daughter, born of Faust, in the river to avoid people's gossip. But people have known everything for a long time, and the girl, branded as a harlot and a murderer, ends up in prison, where Faust finds her and releases her, but Gretchen does not want to run away with him. She cannot forgive herself for what she has done and prefers to die in agony than to live with such a mental burden. For such a decision, God forgives her and takes her soul to heaven.
IN last chapter Faust (the summary is not able to fully convey all the emotions) becomes an old man again and feels that he will die soon. Plus, he's blind. But even at such an hour he wants to build a dam that would separate a piece of land from the sea, where he would create a happy, prosperous state. He clearly imagines this country and, exclaiming a fatal phrase, immediately dies. But Mephistopheles fails to take his soul: angels flew down from heaven and won it back from the demons.
Indeed, this mystical and gothic tragedy has found crowds of fans around the world, and the names of the heroes have become household names. In Russia, the translation of the work about the warlock, which was created for about 60 years, was carried out by Nikolai Kholodkovsky and other representatives of the literary diaspora.
In addition, the tragedy "Faust" was a favorite book that borrowed a non-trivial plot to create "The Master and Margarita". Although the author of "The Heart of a Dog" used to say that he had no prototypes, researchers agree that Satan is insanely similar to "part of that force that always wants evil and always does good" -.
History of creation
The great German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe worked on his brainchild "Faust" almost all his life, so readers trace the change in the poet's worldview under the yoke of the era, which begins in his work with "Storm and Onslaught" and ends with romanticism.
This work, which brought Goethe laurels of honor, was conceived by the author at the age of 22-23, and he finished it just before his death. Of course, the writer has other worthy works that made up the literary heritage, but it was Faust that became the pinnacle of German poetry.
The master of the word was inspired by ancient folklore; according to legend, Faust had a prototype that lived in the first half of the 16th century. The real Johann Georg Faust is a semi-legendary wandering doctor and warlock whose biography has become a burning topic for literary writings.
Therefore, Goethe is not at all an innovator, because a work called “Stories about Dr. Johann Faust, the famous sorcerer and warlock” was published back in 1587. In addition, Jacob Michael Lenz, Friedrich Maximilian Klinger and other writers relied on the image of a charlatan, and theatrical figures often used this hero for pantomime and puppet shows.
According to legend, the young Faust received a bachelor's degree in theology, and then began to study "practical magic" at the University of Krakow. After Johann comprehended the "elements of science", he went to wander the world, where, before the eyes of a shocked public, he pretended to be a magician and said that he was able to work miracles, as well as restore the works of ancient philosophers from the depths of his own subconscious, or.
It is quite natural that the authorities did not like the adventures of Johann, who instilled all sorts of nonsense in passers-by. Therefore, Faust was soon expelled from Ingolstadt, and then the higher authorities in charge of Nuremberg forbade "the great sodomite and necromancer Dr. Faust" to enter the city. Goethe could not help but be inspired by such a colorful character, but on the literary pages he called the main character Heinrich, and not the name of his namesake.
In the period from 1774 to 1775, Goethe wrote the work Prafaust, presenting the main character to readers as an obstinate rebel who wants to comprehend the secrets of the universe. In 1790, bookstore habitues saw an excerpt from Faust, and the first part was not published until 1808. The first part of the tragedy is characterized by fragmentary and self-sufficient scenes, while the composition of the second is a single whole.
Goethe began the second part of the tragedy 17 years later. It is worth saying that it is difficult for an unprepared reader to perceive, because Goethe plunges lovers of literature not only into an extravagant plot, but also into philosophical reflections, mystical associations and unsolved riddles. The poet shows the "spectators" the life of his contemporary society. Thus, the owner of the book feels the inseparable connection between the present and the past.
The episode "Helen", which was conceived back in 1799, was completed by the poet in 1826, and four years later Goethe sat down to write the "Classical Walpurgis Night". In the middle of the summer of 1831, shortly before his own death, the writer completed his seminal work. Further, the unsurpassed genius sealed the creation in an envelope and bequeathed to publish it only after his death: the second part of Faust was published in 1832, in the 41st volume of the Collected Works.
Image and plot
The biography of the fictional Faust is shrouded in an aura of mystery. It is known that his whole life is a relentless search. The father of the protagonist was a doctor, who instilled in his offspring an unlimited love for science.
Despite the subtleties of healing, Faust's parent could not save all the patients. During the plague, thousands of patients died every day. Then Faust turned to heaven with a prayer that God would stop the flow of death. But since the young man did not wait for help, he rejected religion and began to immerse himself in science. If you look at Faust's workroom, you can see a lamp, glass flasks, test tubes, books and chemicals.
The author introduces readers to Faust on the first pages of the work. Goethe immediately immerses readers in philosophy, in a dispute about the values of mankind and considers the problematics of "heaven, earth and hell." In the first scene, the archangels, Mephistopheles, and God appear before the eyes of the bookworms. Between representatives of different instances of good and evil, a dialogue arises in which the name of Faust was first mentioned.
The ruler of heaven assures the tempter that the doctor is a faithful slave, and Mephistopheles notices the contradictory nature of the hero, giving him the following characterization:
“And he rushes into battle, and loves to take on obstacles, and sees a goal beckoning in the distance, and demands stars from the sky as a reward and the best pleasures from the earth.”
Then God gave Mephistopheles the opportunity to tempt Faust, believing that the young man's intuition would lead him out of any impasse. It is noteworthy that the tempter meets the doctor when he has already passed his difficult life path.
The evil spirit appeared to Faust when he was contemplating suicide, for he was disappointed in his efforts. It should be noted that Mephistopheles, like Woland, is not at all like a devil from naive folk legends. For example, in The Night Before Christmas, the owner of horns and hooves does not shine with quick wit, while the ruler of hell is devilishly smart and does not appear to readers as an exceptional embodiment of evil.
Mephistopheles, who wants to emerge victorious from the bet, pushes Faust to bad deeds, but unexpectedly, the protagonist in the “moments of trials” discovers positive aspects. The first thing the debater suggests to his new acquaintance is to go to a local tavern for a feast of students. The devil hopes that Faust will spend his time idly in the company of strong drinks and forget about his research, but it is not so easy to break Faust, because this hero does not accept the society of alcohol lovers.
Then using witchcraft spells the devil restores youth to Faust in the hope that main character succumb to romantic feelings. Indeed, the doctor falls in love with the beautiful Margarita, but even here Mephistopheles was defeated, because this passion of the scientist is then replaced by true love.
Screen adaptations
The tragedy about the struggle between good and evil has become a favorite topic for directors, so avid moviegoers have seen more than one adaptation of the famous Faust. We list the most popular of them.
"Faust" (1926)
German film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau was inspired by the German legend and presented the public with the silent film of the same name. The plot of the film is not much different from the immortal original: Archangel Michael and Satan, who boasts that he can seduce any mortal on earth, make a bet, the subject of which is the famous alchemist Faust.
It is noteworthy that the filmmaker was based not only on the work of Goethe, but also on the work of another writer, the English poet Christopher Marlo. The leading roles went to actors Jöst Ekman Sr. (Faust) and Emil Jannings (Mephistopheles).
"Beauty of the Devil" (1950)
The Frenchman Rene Clair made a film based on Goethe's tragedy, seasoning the original plot with a free interpretation. The picture tells how the cunning Mephistopheles offers Professor Faust to get youth and beauty, and he agrees without hesitation. Now the main goal of Mephistopheles is to quickly get the soul of his patient.
Gerard Philip as young Faust The brilliant cast included Michel Simon, Gerard Philip, Paolo Stoppa, Gaston Modo and others.
"Faust" (2011)
The Russian director also kept up with the trends and impressed cinema lovers with his vision of Faust, and the creator of the picture received the Golden Lion award for his creation at the 68th Venice Film Festival.
The plot revolves around the first part of the poetic work, and the audience enjoys love line between Faust and Marguerite. Alexander Sokurov allowed such actors as Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolde Dyuhauk and Hanna Schigulla to try on memorable images.
Quotes
"Manage yourself, make a decision,
At least at the cost of destruction."
“What is known is of no use,
One unknown is needed.
“But again lack of will, and decline,
And lethargy in thoughts, and confusion.
How often is this mess
Enlightenment is coming!”
"Let the whole century alternate
Happy rock and bad rock.
In tireless all the time
Man finds himself.
“Learn to succeed honestly
And attract thanks to the mind.
And trinkets, booming like an echo,
It's a fake and no one wants it."
The greatest German poet, scientist, thinker Johann Wolfgang Goethe(1749-1832) completes European Enlightenment. In terms of the versatility of his talents, Goethe stands next to the titans of the Renaissance. Already the contemporaries of the young Goethe spoke in chorus about the genius of any manifestation of his personality, and in relation to the old Goethe, the definition of "Olympian" was established.
Coming from a patrician-burgher family of Frankfurt am Main, Goethe received an excellent education in the humanities at home, studied at the Leipzig and Strasbourg universities. Start it literary activity had to form in German literature the Sturm und Drang movement, at the head of which he stood. His fame spread beyond Germany with the publication of the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774). The first sketches of the tragedy "Faust" also belong to the period of the storming.
In 1775, Goethe moved to Weimar at the invitation of the young Duke of Saxe-Weimar, who admired him, and devoted himself to the affairs of this small state, wanting to realize his creative thirst in practical activity for the benefit of society. His ten-year administrative activity, including as first minister, left no room for literary creativity and brought him disappointment. The writer H. Wieland, who was more closely acquainted with the inertia of German reality, said from the very beginning of Goethe's ministerial career: "Goethe will not be able to do even a hundredth of what he would be glad to do." In 1786, Goethe was overtaken by a severe mental crisis, which forced him to leave for Italy for two years, where, in his words, he "resurrected."
In Italy, the addition of his mature method, called "Weimar classicism" begins; in Italy he returns to literary creativity, from his pen come the dramas "Iphigenia in Taurida", "Egmont", "Torquato Tasso". Upon his return from Italy to Weimar, Goethe retains only the post of Minister of Culture and Director of the Weimar Theatre. He, of course, remains a personal friend of the duke and advises on the most important political issues. In the 1790s, Goethe's friendship with Friedrich Schiller began, a friendship unique in the history of culture and creative collaboration between two equally great poets. Together they developed the principles of Weimar classicism and encouraged each other to create new works. In the 1790s, Goethe wrote "Reinecke Lis", "Roman Elegies", the novel "The Years of the Teaching of Wilhelm Meister", the burgher idyll in hexameters "Hermann and Dorothea", ballads. Schiller insisted that Goethe continue to work on Faust, but Faust, the first part of the tragedy, was completed after Schiller's death and published in 1806. Goethe did not intend to return to this plan, but the writer I. P. Eckerman, who settled in his house as secretary, the author of Conversations with Goethe, urged Goethe to complete the tragedy. Work on the second part of Faust went on mainly in the twenties, and it was published, according to Goethe's wishes, after his death. Thus, the work on "Faust" took over sixty years, it covered the entire creative life of Goethe and absorbed all the epochs of his development.
Just like in philosophical stories Voltaire, in "Faust" the leading side is philosophical idea, only in comparison with Voltaire, she found embodiment in the full-blooded, living images of the first part of the tragedy. Genre "Faust" philosophical tragedy, and the general philosophical problems to which Goethe addresses here acquire a special enlightenment coloring.
The plot of Faust was used many times in modern German literature by Goethe, and he himself first met him as a five-year-old boy at a folk puppet theater performance that played out an old German legend. However, this legend has historical roots. Dr. Johann-Georg Faust was an itinerant healer, warlock, soothsayer, astrologer and alchemist. Contemporary scholars such as Paracelsus spoke of him as a charlatan impostor; from the point of view of his students (Faust at one time held a professorship at the university), he was a fearless seeker of knowledge and forbidden paths. The followers of Martin Luther (1583-1546) saw in him a wicked man who, with the help of the devil, performed imaginary and dangerous miracles. After his sudden and mysterious death in 1540, Faust's life became full of legends.
The bookseller Johann Spies first collected the oral tradition in folk book about Faust (1587, Frankfurt am Main). It was an edifying book, "an awesome example of the devil's temptation to ruin the body and soul." Spies also has an agreement with the devil for a period of 24 years, and the devil himself in the form of a dog that turns into a servant of Faust, marriage to Elena (the same devil), famulous Wagner, terrible death Faust.
The plot was quickly picked up by the author's literature. The brilliant contemporary of Shakespeare, the Englishman K. Marlo (1564-1593), gave his first theatrical adaptation in " tragic history life and death of Dr. Faust" (premiered in 1594). puppet theaters. Many German writers of the second half of the 18th century used this plot. G. E. Lessing's drama "Faust" (1775) remained unfinished, J. Lenz in the dramatic passage "Faust" (1777) portrayed Faust in hell, F. Klinger wrote the novel "The Life, Deeds and Death of Faust" ( 1791). Goethe took the legend to a whole new level.
For sixty years of work on Faust, Goethe created a work comparable in volume to the Homeric epic (12,111 lines of Faust versus 12,200 verses of the Odyssey). Embracing experience whole life, the experience of a brilliant comprehension of all epochs in the history of mankind, the work of Goethe rests on ways of thinking and artistic techniques that are far from those accepted in contemporary literature, That's why The best way approaching him is a leisurely commented reading. Here we will only outline the plot of the tragedy from the point of view of the evolution of the protagonist.
In the Prologue in Heaven, the Lord makes a wager with the devil Mephistopheles about human nature; The Lord chooses his "slave", Dr. Faust, as the object of the experiment.
In the opening scenes of the tragedy, Faust is deeply disappointed in the life he devoted to science. He despaired of knowing the truth and now stands on the verge of suicide, from which he is kept by the ringing of Easter bells. Mephistopheles enters Faust in the form of a black poodle, takes on his true appearance and makes a deal with Faust - the fulfillment of any of his desires in exchange for his immortal soul. The first temptation - wine in Auerbach's cellar in Leipzig - Faust rejects; after a magical rejuvenation in the witch's kitchen, Faust falls in love with the young townswoman Marguerite and, with the help of Mephistopheles, seduces her. From the poison given by Mephistopheles, Gretchen's mother dies, Faust kills her brother and flees the city. In the scene of Walpurgis Night, at the height of the witches' sabbath, Faust sees the ghost of Marguerite, his conscience wakes up in him, and he demands from Mephistopheles to save Gretchen, who has been thrown into prison for killing the baby she gave birth to. But Margarita refuses to run away with Faust, preferring death, and the first part of the tragedy ends with the words of a voice from above: "Saved!" Thus, in the first part, which unfolds in the conditional German Middle Ages, Faust, who in his first life was a hermit scientist, acquires life experience private person.
In the second part, the action is transferred to a wide external world: to the court of the emperor, to the mysterious cave of the Mothers, where Faust plunges into the past, into the pre-Christian era, and from where he brings Elena the Beautiful. A short marriage with her ends with the death of their son Euphorion, symbolizing the impossibility of a synthesis of ancient and Christian ideals. Having received coastal lands from the emperor, the old Faust finally finds the meaning of life: on the lands reclaimed from the sea, he sees a utopia of universal happiness, the harmony of free labor on a free land. To the sound of shovels, the blind old man pronounces his last monologue: “I am now experiencing the highest moment,” and, according to the terms of the deal, falls dead. The irony of the scene is that Faust takes Mephistopheles' henchmen as builders, digging his grave, and all Faust's works on arranging the region are destroyed by a flood. However, Mephistopheles does not get the soul of Faust: the soul of Gretchen stands up for him before the Mother of God, and Faust escapes hell.
Faust is a philosophical tragedy; in the center of it are the main questions of being, they determine both the plot and the system of images, and art system generally. As a rule, the presence of a philosophical element in the content of a literary work implies an increased degree of conventionality in its art form, as has already been shown in Voltaire's philosophical story.
The fantastic plot of "Faust" takes the hero through different countries and eras of civilization. Since Faust is the universal representative of humanity, the whole space of the world and the whole depth of history becomes the arena of his action. Therefore, the depiction of the conditions of social life is present in the tragedy only to the extent that it is based on historical legend. In the first part there are still genre sketches of folk life (the scene of folk festivals, to which Faust and Wagner go); in the second part, which is philosophically more complex, the reader is given a generalized-abstract review of the main epochs in the history of mankind.
The central image of the tragedy - Faust - the last of the great "eternal images" of individualists, born in the transition from the Renaissance to the New Age. He must be placed next to Don Quixote, Hamlet, Don Juan, each of which embodies one extreme of the development of the human spirit. Faust reveals the most moments of similarity with Don Juan: both strive into the forbidden realms of occult knowledge and sexual secrets, both do not stop before killing, the irrepressibility of desires brings both into contact with hellish forces. But unlike Don Juan, whose search lies in a purely earthly plane, Faust embodies the search for the fullness of life. Faust's realm is boundless knowledge. Just as Don Juan is completed by his servant Sganarelle, and Don Quixote by Sancho Panza, Faust is completed in his eternal companion, Mephistopheles. The devil in Goethe loses the majesty of Satan, a titan and a God-fighter - this is the devil of more democratic times, and he is connected with Faust not so much by the hope of getting his soul, as by friendly affection.
The story of Faust allows Goethe to take a fresh, critical approach to the key issues of Enlightenment philosophy. Let us recall that the critique of religion and the idea of God was the nerve of the Enlightenment ideology. In Goethe, God stands above the action of tragedy. The Lord of the "Prologue in Heaven" is a symbol of the positive beginnings of life, true humanity. Unlike the previous Christian tradition, Goethe's God is not harsh and does not even fight evil, but, on the contrary, communicates with the devil and undertakes to prove to him the futility of the position of complete denial of the meaning of human life. When Mephistopheles likens a man to a wild beast or a fussy insect, God asks him:
Do you know Faust?
- He is a doctor?
- He is my slave.
Mephistopheles knows Faust as a doctor of sciences, that is, he perceives him only by his professional affiliation with scientists, for the Lord Faust is his slave, that is, the bearer of the divine spark, and, offering Mephistopheles a bet, the Lord is sure in advance of his outcome:
When a gardener plants a tree
The fruit is known in advance to the gardener.
God believes in man, that's why he allows Mephistopheles to tempt Faust throughout his earthly life. For Goethe, the Lord has no need to intervene in a further experiment, because he knows that a person is good by nature, and his earthly searches only ultimately contribute to his improvement, exaltation.
Faust, by the beginning of the action in the tragedy, had lost faith not only in God, but also in science, to which he gave his life. The first monologues of Faust speak of his deep disappointment in the life he lived, which was given to science. Neither the scholastic science of the Middle Ages, nor magic give him satisfactory answers about the meaning of life. But Faust's monologues were created at the end of the Enlightenment, and if the historical Faust could only know medieval science, in the speeches of Goethe's Faust there is criticism of Enlightenment optimism regarding the possibilities scientific knowledge and technical progress, criticism of the thesis of the omnipotence of science and knowledge. Goethe himself did not trust the extremes of rationalism and mechanistic rationalism, in his youth he was much interested in alchemy and magic, and with the help of magic signs, Faust at the beginning of the play hopes to comprehend the secrets of earthly nature. The meeting with the Spirit of the Earth reveals to Faust for the first time that man is not omnipotent, but negligible compared to the world around him. This is Faust's first step on the path of knowing his own essence and its self-limitation - the plot of the tragedy is in the artistic development of this thought.
Goethe published "Faust", starting from 1790, in parts, which made it difficult for his contemporaries to evaluate the work. Of the early statements, two draw attention to themselves, which left their mark on all subsequent judgments about the tragedy. The first belongs to the founder of romanticism F. Schlegel: "When the work is completed, it will embody the spirit of world history, it will become a true reflection of the life of mankind, its past, present and future. Faust ideally depicts all of humanity, he will become the embodiment of humanity."
The creator of romantic philosophy, F. Schelling, wrote in his "Philosophy of Art": "... due to the peculiar struggle that arises today in knowledge, this work has received a scientific coloring, so that if any poem can be called philosophical, then this is applicable only to "Faust" by Goethe. A brilliant mind, combining the profundity of a philosopher with the strength of an outstanding poet, gave us in this poem an eternally fresh source of knowledge ... "Interesting interpretations of the tragedy were left by I. S. Turgenev (the article" "Faust", a tragedy, " 1855), American philosopher R. W. Emerson ("Goethe as a Writer", 1850).
The largest Russian Germanist V. M. Zhirmunsky emphasized the strength, optimism, rebellious individualism of Faust, disputed the interpretation of his path in the spirit of romantic pessimism: "In the general plan of the tragedy, Faust's disappointment [of the first scenes] is only a necessary stage in his doubts and search for truth" (" creative history"Faust" by Goethe, 1940).
It is significant that the same concept is formed from the name of Faust, as from the names of other literary heroes of the same series. There are whole studies of Don Quixotism, Hamletism, Don Juanism. The concept of "Faustian man" entered cultural studies with the publication of O. Spengler's book "The Decline of Europe" (1923). Faust for Spengler is one of two eternal human types, along with the Apollo type. The last one matches ancient culture, and for the Faustian soul "the pra-symbol is pure boundless space, and the "body" is Western culture, which flourished in the northern lowlands between the Elbe and Tajo simultaneously with the birth Romanesque style in the 10th century ... Faustian - the dynamics of Galileo, Catholic Protestant dogma, the fate of Lear and the ideal of the Madonna, from Beatrice Dante to the final scene of the second part of Faust.
IN recent decades the attention of researchers focused on the second part of Faust, where, according to the German professor K. O. Konradi, "the hero, as it were, performs various roles that are not united by the personality of the performer. This gap between the role and the performer turns him into a purely allegorical figure."
"Faust" had a huge impact on the entire world literature. Goethe's grandiose work had not yet been completed, when, under his impression, "Manfred" (1817) by J. Byron, "A Scene from" Faust "" (1825) by A. S. Pushkin, a drama by H. D. Grabbe " Faust and Don Juan" (1828) and many continuations of the first part of "Faust". The Austrian poet N. Lenau created his "Faust" in 1836, G. Heine - in 1851. Goethe's successor in German literature of the 20th century T. Mann created his masterpiece "Doctor Faustus" in 1949.
Passion for "Faust" in Russia was expressed in the story of I. S. Turgenev "Faust" (1855), in Ivan's conversations with the devil in F. M. Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov" (1880), in the image of Woland in the novel M. A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita" (1940). Goethe's "Faust" is a work that sums up enlightenment thought and goes beyond the literature of the Enlightenment, paving the way for the future development of literature in the 19th century.
