Historical references_Faust

GCSE Drama

Faust I

Prologue in Heaven

The scene begins with the Three , , , and , confessing their inability to comprehend the awe-inspiring works of God.In the Christian tradition, archangels are angels of the highest rank and are associated with certain functions or responsibilities.In “Prologue in Heaven,” they personify the cosmos: Raphael describes and represents the heavens, Gabriel the earth, and Michael the elements.
Mephistopheles.Goethe’s is inspired by a number of different literary sources, not just Christian.
The basic structure of the dialogue between the Lord and Mephistopheles is inspired by the first two chapters of The book of , in which Satan obtains permission from God to try and tempt Job to do evil.
The real Georg (or Johann) Faust was born in 1480 and died in 1540. Although contemporary sources suggest he was quite well known in Germany during his lifetime, his fame and notoriety is the result of an incredibly popular collection of (barely believable) anecdotes and stories about him called , which was published in 1587. The Volksbuch was an important source of inspiration to and other authors as they wrote about Faust.

Night

The opening monologue is an indirect adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s .
Faust has in his possession a book by (1503-66), the French astrologer, physician and prophet.
When Faust first opens the book by Nostradamus he sees the , which is a diagram of the organization of the cosmos.
The vision that the sign of the macrocosm inspires echoes Jacob’s dream in , in which he sees a ladder connecting heaven and earth.
Faust decides to kill himself by drinking poison, but is interrupted by the bells and chorus celebrating Easter.In the Christian tradition, symbolizes rebirth and renewal, which is appropriate here, because the chorus brings him back from despair and reawakens his sense of life.

Outside the Town Gate

The days of “evil” the Old Peasant mentions refer to the plague.In the 14th century, when the plague was known as , it claimed the lives of one-quarter of the population of Europe.The plague reoccurred frequently throughout Europe in subsequent centuries.
The author of the Book of Revelations in the Bible writes: “they that do [the Lord’s] commandments … may enter in through the gates into the city.For without are dogs, and sorcerers” ().It is therefore significant that a dog joins Faust outside the city gates in this scene.

Faust's Study (I)

The text that Faust attempts to ”translate” is the first verse of the , which reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Faust's Study (II)

The pact that Faust makes with Mephisto in Goethe’s Faust is unique.In earlier versions of the legend, Mephisto promises to serve Faust if Faust promises to give Mephisto his soul.But here, Mephisto only gains possession of Faust’s soul if Faust ceases to strive.
Mephistopheles signs the student's book "eritis sicut deus, scientes bonum et ...

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Faust's Study (I)

The text that Faust attempts to ”translate” is the first verse of the , which reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Faust's Study (II)

The pact that Faust makes with Mephisto in Goethe’s Faust is unique.In earlier versions of the legend, Mephisto promises to serve Faust if Faust promises to give Mephisto his soul.But here, Mephisto only gains possession of Faust’s soul if Faust ceases to strive.
Mephistopheles signs the student's book "eritis sicut deus, scientes bonum et malum,” a verse from chapter three of , which means “ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”These are the words the Serpent said to tempt Eve.

Auerbach's Cellar in Leipzig

Goethe was often a guest, as a student, at in Leipzig (website in German).The tavern’s walls were covered with paintings depicting Faust's adventures.
Many of the episodes in this scene are inspired by about Faust.

Witch's Kitchen

“Witch’s Kitchen” is inspired by the scenes involving witches in Shakespeare’s tragedy .
In the medieval Christian tradition, apes represented human sinfulness, weakness, or folly.Goethe undermines tradition therefore, by associating apes with the protagonist’s rejuvenation.

Street

Gretchen (a popular name in German folktales) is an original creation of Goethe (unlike many of the other characters in Faust I and II).

Cathedral

The choir sings lines from the Dies irae, a traditional Latin hymn describing the Day of Judgment.The verses parallel Gretchen’s feelings of guilt:

Walpurgis Night; Walpurgis Night's Dream

was a great witches’ Sabbath, which traditionally took place on the Brocken, a peak of the Harz Mountains in central Germany.
Faust describes the mountain peak as the palace of Mammon, the traditional god of riches and the devil who creates the city of Hell in .
The setting of the scene is reminiscent of the first few cantos of , the first part of .
Walpurgis Night' Dream or "The Golden Wedding of Oberon and Titania" is a play within a play and is based on Shakespeare's comedy
Oberon and Titania are characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream.They are also characters in a work by called Oberon (1780) (sites in German).
Ariel and Puck are characters from Shakespeare’s tragedy . Goethe also preserves Shakespeare’s distinction between the two. Ariel is good, Puck is not.

Dungeon

Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy in the representation of Gretchen"s madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia.
The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's , in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

Faust II

ACT 1

Pleasing Landscape

The spirits that revive Faust are led by Ariel, a spirit representing nature in Shakespeare's . Her song is also based on a song she sings in The Tempest.
The spirits bathe Faust in the dew of the river Lethe.In classical mythology, the river is the boundary between the land of the living and Hades, the land of the dead.But in Dante’s , it is a place where souls are able to wash away their sins.

The Emperor's Palace

The representation of the court is partly based on Shakespeare’s and partly on the reign of (1316-1378) who was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia.

A Spacious Hall

The entertainment takes the form of a masque, a procession or elaborately staged show involving masked persons, which was usually mythological or symbolic in character as it is here.
Mephistopheles begins the antimasque in the form of Zoilo-Thersites.Zoilo was a hostile critic of the Greek poet , and Thersites was a hostile and critical figure in Homer's .

Pleasure Garden

introduction of paper money caused inflation and contributed to the financial crisis that precipitated the French Revolution.

A Dark Gallery

Goethe told his friend Johann Peter Eckermann that the Mothers were inspired by a story he read in the Roman author Plutarch’s "The Life of Marcellus" which alludes to the existence of mysterious mother goddesses.Some scholars think that the Mothers represent spiritual beauty, unity with nature, and truth.

Hall of Chivalry

Chivalry refers to the medieval code of knightly conduct which required gallantry and honour.

Faust II, ACT 2

Laboratory

The idea of the Homunculus, which means "little man," is inspired by the attempts of alchemists in the16th and 17th century to artificially create life.

Classical Walpurgis Night. Pharsalian Fields

"Classical Walpurgis Night" contains a confusing succession of mythological figures who are unfamiliar to modern audiences.However, most of the figures are from , and , which were very familiar to Goethe's contemporaries.
Erichto's prologue describes the origins of the Roman Empire in the battle of Pharsalus, which was fought between Caesar and Pompey in 48 B.C.Erichto is in a perfect position to describe this because she is the witch Pompey consulted before the battle began.The poet Erichto complains about in her prologue is , who is very critical of her in his epic, .

Scenes by the Upper and Lower Peneios

and were classical Greek philosophers.Thales believed in the creative power of water, and Anaxagoras believed in the creative powers of fire.

Faust II, ACT 3

Before the Palace of Menelaus at Sparta

Helen’s character is based, to a great extent, on Helen in the of the same nameby the Greek dramatist .

Inner Courtyard of a Castle

Goethe identified Euphorion with the English Romantic poet , who died fighting for Greek independence.

Faust II, ACT 4

High Mountains

Mephisto’s statement that the mountains were created by the coughing of the fallen angels as they landed in hell is a parody of a scene in book I of

In the Foothills

The emperor's struggle with his rival is inspired by the reign of .

Faust II, ACT 5

Open Country

Baucis and Philemon are characters in who are notable for their love for one another, their harmony with nature, and their generosity to the gods.

Palace

Mephisto refers to Naboth, a character in the who was killed by his King, Ahab,so that Ahab could seize his subject’s vineyards. By referring to Naboth, Mephistopheles is preparing us to expect the deaths of Baucis and Philemon.

Midnight

In Medieval literature, allegorical figures symbolize the approach of death. The allegorical figures in “Midnight” also parallel the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: death, war, famine, and plague (see ).

Entombment

In the original Faust legends, Faust is dragged off to hell.Mephistopheles is unable to do so this time because Faust was never so satisfied with the results of his striving that he wanted time to stand still.Mephistopheles is only able to seize Faust's soul through trickery.

Mountain Gorges