The Archetypal Faustus

• Born in Germany between 1480 and 1340
• Studied medieval alchemy
• Symbol of "wrong" doing -- philosophically and scientifically

In Germany

• 1587 The Faustbook
• The Faust character rejects traditional religion, flies across the skies and conjures Helen

In England and Germany

• 1590 Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus
• 1808 Goethe’s Faust, Part I
• 1830 Goethe’s Faust, Part II
• 1947 Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus

In America

• 1800 Washington Irving’s "The Devil and Tom Walker"
• 1936 Stephen Vincent Benet’s "The Devil and Daniel Webster"

In Music

• 1869 Faust opera by Charles Gounod

Artistic representations: Eugene Delacroix, Ernest Barlach, Max Beckman

In modern culture: Dracula, Damn Yankees,The Little Mermaid

The history of the Faust legend is long and varied. In a personal essay of at least one typed page, reflect on the archetypal, universal, contemporary messages and meanings of this play. You should be able to see that there is something going on here other than a simple didactic tract that both entertained and scared an Elizabethan audience. What questions does this play raise for you? What are the limits of power? What is the proper use of science? How does the play use the metaphor of sin? Do people still "sell their souls" for "vain pleasure?" Why? How? How is this a play about coming to consciousness? What are your views on this play?

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TeachersFirst Literature

Author: Brenda Walton, Ed.D.
Orlando, Florida

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