Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, Article Critique Example

Faust is a great poem appearing in two parts that talks about a man in medieval times who gave his soul to the devil. The play or poem features a controversy between evil and good. The contrasts the excellent/good creation made by God and the result of evil in the utter helplessness of man to save himself.

The poem has been organized into two parts. The poem is further organized into a prologue, Night, Before the Gate, Faust’s Study, Study and Auerbach’s Cellar amongst others. Faust attempts to find happiness, with the help of the devil, through emotional involvement. The tragic love affair with Gretchen, which kills her makes Faust feel chastened. In Part Two, Faust craves for satisfaction all the more and tries to meet his need through exposure to all the world could offer and through temporal accomplishments. At the Imperial Court/palace, he attains a crucial position. He woos Helen of Troy (Kennedy 189), learns a lot from classical antiquity figure, wins great victories, but still feels that he lacked something. He later dies disillusioned and bitter. However, God through His grace admitted him to heaven for his endless strive for knowledge of truth and goodness.

Some political symbolism is evident in the prologue. The play can be a political allegory. In the Renaissance drama, the feudal court over which a benevolent God reigns forms a staple theme. The king takes the role of God while Mephistopheles is a court jester. In part one. Goethe gives the conversation between God and Mephistopheles, the devil. Angels give accounts of the nature’s beauty, while the devil expresses the fallen nature of humankind. Goethe gives the analogy between the individual soul and the universe, which matches the macrocosm and the microcosm philosophical conception of medieval times. The cosmos and the individual are related as the outer “great world” and the smaller “small world”.

Goethe’s poem shows that even with extreme education and learning humans are never accomplished. Faust is a learned fellow, with advanced knowledge in chemistry but feels unsatisfied. He does not understand the spirit world.

The poem uses night and light as symbolic of strive in the story. Strive exists between good and evil. However, Faust despite experiencing numerous pitfalls in his endeavours does not give up. He continues striving. Goethe uses Faust to show that those who keep on trying and striving in life will in the end get rewards. He also uses the character as a representation of humankind. The state of man without God, and left to wander in search of satisfaction leads to horrendous experiences.

Goethe’s poem narrates the story of man’s downfall after God had created the world and made man. It is a story that runs through theological encounters. The end of the poem gives hope because Faust still gets admission to heaven even having sinned in many occasions. It is through God’s grace that he is saved. The salivation he receives comes from God, affirming the argument that man is fallen and cannot save himself.

A crucial lesson we learn in the poem is that we should look to God in the choices we make. Worldly knowledge does not provide satisfaction for humans. There are needs beyond the education and all knowledge gained through education. God finally wins in the fight between evil and good.

Work Cited

Kennedy, Joyce Bourne. A dictionary of opera characters. Oxford University Press, 2010.