Goethe's "Faust, Part 1"

Harry Clarke - Faust - 1925

I am channelling Abilio this week.  This work is one of the loveliest books I've ever read. I had a difficult time even tracking the plot because I was caught up in the beauty of each stanza.

 

As in Milton's Paradise Lost, Mephisto is the real protagonist of this story. He's as charming, intelligent and manipulative as one would expect from an effective swindler, but his strength lies in preying on the failings of human nature: greed, boredom, innate violence and hubris.  That is to say, he doesn't force anyone into signing over their soul - he convinces them to release it willingly.

 

As shown by the bar scene, Mephisto's presence brings out the worst in people, and his affect appears to dwindle when he leaves.  However, even without his presence, Siebel's reaction to their shared delusions is a desire to "lay hands" on Mephisto to do him physical harm.  Mephisto may have inflamed these men's vices, but they were already there to be provoked.

 

Each of the characters accepts Mephisto's unique and specific baits.  It is telling that the thing that Faust wants the most, is the innocent and pure Margarete - an embodiment of the innocence he lost due to his bargain with Mephisto.  Margarete herself is tempted by greed and vanity to put on the jewelery she finds, which leads her, of course, to being seduced by Faust with Mephisto's aid.  

 

Works Cited:

von Goethe, Johann Wofgang. Faust, Part 1. Trans. David Constantine. New York: Penguin, 2005. Print.