How Did Faust Reflect Their Time Period

It is true of any expressive work that it will reflect not only the experiences and values of its originator, but the characteristics of the time period in which it was established. Many works of art, musical compositions, and works of literature are all comprised of certain traits that make its chronological origin fairly distinguishable. Therefore, many works that were created in the same era share various underlying features that are expressive of the changes taking place in society at the time, as well as ideals and values of its people. Many works reflect their time period, and certain time periods can be defined by the works that were established throughout their duration.
The Faust chapbook of the 1580s reflects many values of the period in which it was composed. The Late Renaissance epoch, lasting roughly from 1520-1600 was comprised of individualistic perspectives on life, breaking away from the rejection of social mobility, and an emphasis on free will, or the power of man to create his own
Like Don Juan, Faust becomes consumed by his desires, including the desire for knowledge, the desire to advance himself personally, and the desire to succeed regardless of the consequences. This character certainly exhibits traits of determination and sacrifice, but there comes a point where one must question, “at what cost?”. The cost that Faust must pay to obtain this immensity of knowledge is his soul, which is evidently “sold” to the devil, who takes form as the chapbook character Mephistopheles. By selling his soul, Faust is losing his very being in exchange for knowledge, but without a soul, personality, and livelihood, this knowledge is useless. The Renaissance period yielded immense opportunity and success for the individual, but civilians were warned of the dangers of excess through the events of the Faust