Faust By Johann Spies: A Comparison
The first book on Faust by Johann Spies is a classic legend of good versus evil. Spies actually obtained a copy of the book, realized its worth, made some edits, and then published it as Historia von D. Johann Fausten. The original book presents two forces vying for the souls of men. It teaches the limits of interpretive authority, by admonishing that peace and salvation are only found in the teachings of the Bible, and not in the individual knowledge of good and evil. In the story, Faust’s sin of arrogance is also a warning for mankind during a budding age of science and rationalism. This arrogance sets limits for man’s knowledge and powers of self-determination. The Faust book is divided into three parts. The first part gives a background
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of Faust and includes his three gatherings with the Devil that end with a pact for Faust’s soul in exchange for Mephistopheles’ services. This symbolism is used to warn the reader to be on guard against the Devil and the temptation of sin. The second part depicts Faust using Mephistopheles’ power to inquire about Heaven, Hell, and other realms of “forbidden” knowledge. The message in the second passage is about the limitations of human reason and the pursuit of knowledge. The final part is the longest and tells of all the popular legendary episodes in Faust’s life. Within the same vein, Goethe created his own spin on the popular Faust book in the form of a play. The important difference between these two pieces is in the wager Faust makes with the Devil. Goethe’s work sits somewhere between the cautionary moral tale of the original book and Lessing’s Doktor Faust (ca. 1759) who is portrayed as an Enlightenment hero endowed with faultless divine reason. Goethe’s Faust reflects virtues that are associated with the striving for knowledge as well as the absurdity of human faith in its ability to fathom the deepest secrets of existence. Faust makes a wager with the devil that his thirst for knowledge and experience will never be quelled, and Goethe’s hero exhibits the hubris of the original Faust. Furthermore, Goethe’s Faust follows the original text fairly closely with regards to the plot.
Faust begins in search of answers to higher questions. During his search he summons an Earth spirit that takes leave of him eventually and leaves Faust with no further insights that he desires. This encounter with the Earth spirit is not portrayed in the original text and is an adaptation by Goethe. Faust continues his quest for knowledge and understanding which eventually leads him to meet the Devil’s lieutenant Mephistopheles. This meeting with Mephisto is portrayed by both the original text and Goethe’s play, however the method of meeting Mephisto is slightly altered. In both works Faust enters in to an alliance with the Mephisto in exchange for Faust’s soul, Faust receives the “forbidden” knowledge that he seeks. An adaptation made by Goethe is the addition of Gretchen (Margaret), which turns the work into a tragedy. Gretchen denies the advances of Faust, which in turn leads him to become infatuated with Gretchen, and enlists Mephisto to help him. Meanwhile, Faust flatters Gretchen and wins her over with his charm and genuine interest. Gretchen becomes pregnant form their night together. Goethe goes on to insert a scene inspired by the original Faust legend where Mephisto takes Faust to a traditional Walpurgis-night meeting with goblins and spirits. At this meeting there is a frenzied satanic orgy taking place and Faust gets caught up in it. After Faust returns to his senses he feels overwhelmed by moral integrity and goes to rescue Gretchen from a dungeon where she has been imprisoned for killing the child she bore out of
wedlock. However, the main change in Goethe’s play versus the original legend is the outcome of Faust. Faust’s final moments come at the end of Part II as he tries to reclaim marshlands by building a dyke. He envisions his society would be the true Eden. Faust expires at this moment and Mephistopheles lays claim to his soul, contending that Faust has lost the bet by finding a moment so wonderful that he would like to remain. Goethe entitled the finished version of his play a tragedy, even though there was a significant positive change in Faust’s striving in Part II. Not concerned with his own subjective desire to experience and understand life fully anymore, Faust comes to a new appreciation of the combined struggle to improve human existence. While he remains the persistent striving Faust until the end, the adventures throughout Part II offer rich insights into the limits that restrict human knowledge and achievement. In the end, despite the tragedy that his urges ignorantly bring down on Gretchen and other innocent victims in Part II, Faust is saved. This is inherently different from the original legend of Faust and has a differing outcome, which changes the structure and message of the original folk-legend.
of Faust and includes his three gatherings with the Devil that end with a pact for Faust’s soul in exchange for Mephistopheles’ services. This symbolism is used to warn the reader to be on guard against the Devil and the temptation of sin. The second part depicts Faust using Mephistopheles’ power to inquire about Heaven, Hell, and other realms of “forbidden” knowledge. The message in the second passage is about the limitations of human reason and the pursuit of knowledge. The final part is the longest and tells of all the popular legendary episodes in Faust’s life. Within the same vein, Goethe created his own spin on the popular Faust book in the form of a play. The important difference between these two pieces is in the wager Faust makes with the Devil. Goethe’s work sits somewhere between the cautionary moral tale of the original book and Lessing’s Doktor Faust (ca. 1759) who is portrayed as an Enlightenment hero endowed with faultless divine reason. Goethe’s Faust reflects virtues that are associated with the striving for knowledge as well as the absurdity of human faith in its ability to fathom the deepest secrets of existence. Faust makes a wager with the devil that his thirst for knowledge and experience will never be quelled, and Goethe’s hero exhibits the hubris of the original Faust. Furthermore, Goethe’s Faust follows the original text fairly closely with regards to the plot.
Faust begins in search of answers to higher questions. During his search he summons an Earth spirit that takes leave of him eventually and leaves Faust with no further insights that he desires. This encounter with the Earth spirit is not portrayed in the original text and is an adaptation by Goethe. Faust continues his quest for knowledge and understanding which eventually leads him to meet the Devil’s lieutenant Mephistopheles. This meeting with Mephisto is portrayed by both the original text and Goethe’s play, however the method of meeting Mephisto is slightly altered. In both works Faust enters in to an alliance with the Mephisto in exchange for Faust’s soul, Faust receives the “forbidden” knowledge that he seeks. An adaptation made by Goethe is the addition of Gretchen (Margaret), which turns the work into a tragedy. Gretchen denies the advances of Faust, which in turn leads him to become infatuated with Gretchen, and enlists Mephisto to help him. Meanwhile, Faust flatters Gretchen and wins her over with his charm and genuine interest. Gretchen becomes pregnant form their night together. Goethe goes on to insert a scene inspired by the original Faust legend where Mephisto takes Faust to a traditional Walpurgis-night meeting with goblins and spirits. At this meeting there is a frenzied satanic orgy taking place and Faust gets caught up in it. After Faust returns to his senses he feels overwhelmed by moral integrity and goes to rescue Gretchen from a dungeon where she has been imprisoned for killing the child she bore out of
wedlock. However, the main change in Goethe’s play versus the original legend is the outcome of Faust. Faust’s final moments come at the end of Part II as he tries to reclaim marshlands by building a dyke. He envisions his society would be the true Eden. Faust expires at this moment and Mephistopheles lays claim to his soul, contending that Faust has lost the bet by finding a moment so wonderful that he would like to remain. Goethe entitled the finished version of his play a tragedy, even though there was a significant positive change in Faust’s striving in Part II. Not concerned with his own subjective desire to experience and understand life fully anymore, Faust comes to a new appreciation of the combined struggle to improve human existence. While he remains the persistent striving Faust until the end, the adventures throughout Part II offer rich insights into the limits that restrict human knowledge and achievement. In the end, despite the tragedy that his urges ignorantly bring down on Gretchen and other innocent victims in Part II, Faust is saved. This is inherently different from the original legend of Faust and has a differing outcome, which changes the structure and message of the original folk-legend.