Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von -Faust pt 1.-Vor Dem Tor/Before The Gate
Oh, happy is he who still can hope in our day
To breathe the truth while plunged in seas of error!
What we don’t know is really what we need,
And what we know is of no use to us whatever!
(1070)
This scene starts out a bit oddly and is reminiscent of some of Shakespeare’s townspeople scenes, with a group of students hitting on some girls, some burghers, a singing beggar, soldiers etc. A lot of it is actually kind of funny. One burgher says how he loves to talk of far off war whilst everything is peaceful at home. Another says
Neighbor, I agree with you, yes indeed I do.
Let them crack their skulls for all I care,
Let everything goes topsy-turvy
While nothing changes at home.
(870)
After awhile Faust and Wagner come along. Faust muses on the coming of spring “Hope’s greenery grows in the valley. Ancient Winter’s feeble self has fallen back into the rugged mountains” (900). More important is Faust’s observation that the village “…is the people’s proper paradise…” and that he says “I’m human here, here I can be!” (940). Here in a village, as opposed to his “high vaulted Gothic room,” he can identify with humans instead of spirits.
Wagner flatters Faust again, saying that being with him “bring me much honor and much gain” (940). Wagner doesn’t share Faust’s proletariat sentiments about the village; he criticizes their “hateful noise” and says “The people rage as if the fiend possessed them and then they call it happiness and song” (950). Next the peasants sing a rather bawdy song, which Wagner probably didn’t like all that much. An old peasant flatters Faust and honestly, after his bragging in the beginning scene you have to wonder why everyone likes him so much. The peasant explains the whole “I love Faust” cult a bit- Faust’s father healed the villagers from a plague and apparently Faust did the same, though it seems a lot of people died anyway. Wagner again flatters Faust about the crowd’s flattery “What feelings you must feel, great man, at the veneration of this crowd” (1010).
But Faust doesn’t seem too happy. He and Wagner sit on a rock and Faust tells him how he “…sought to wrest from the Lord in Heaven the means to end the pestilence” (1030) with fast and prayer. His father however, sought the help of magic and brewed a potion, which actually killed anyone who took it and was more deadly than the plague. Faust knows he doesn’t deserve the praise heaped upon him- “I saw thousands wilt, and now must live to see how praise is heaped upon the shameless killers” (1050). Wagner basically says “Oh well, you were just obeying your father.” Faust then ponders knowledge
Oh, happy is he who still can hope in our day
To breathe the truth while plunged in seas of error!
What we don’t know is really what we need,
And what we know is of no use to us whatever!
(1070)
Faust longs for “wings to lift me from this earth, to seek the sun and follow him!” (1080). But he doesn’t just wish to follow “him,” he also wishes for a “godlike course” (1090). Faust then applies his longing to the desires of all men:
Alas, the spirit’s wings will not be joined
So easily to heavier wings of flesh and blood.
Yet every man has inward longings
And sweeping, skyward aspirations…
(1100)
The whole speech is really beautiful and again you see Faust lamenting man’s duality- worm and godhead. You also see him wanting to follow “him,” which is probably referring to god, but also being vain in also wanting to be “godlike.”
Wagner is like “OMG how cute, kind of interesting too! I love yoooou Faust!” Well, he doesn’t actually say that, but really…Wagner is getting kind of annoying about now. Faust thankfully reminds Wagner that he is “...conscious only of a single drive;” and that he doe not know the “other passion” (1110). Faust often speaks of humanity’s (look, I’m being politically correct for once) duality, here he speaks of his duality:
Two souls, alas, dwell in my breast,
Each seeks to rule without the other.
The one with robust love’s desires
Clings to the world with all its might,
The other fiercely rises from the dust
To reach sublime ancestral regions.
(1110)
His duality is so strong that the two sides cannot be fused. He cannot fuse his worldly body with his soul and this obviously causes him great pain. The only solution he presents to himself to have spirits escort him to a “new life” or to have “…a magic cloak to whisk me off to foreign lands” (1120). Wagner, for once, dissents, warning Faust of the dangers of the spirit world.
They then come across a jet black dog behaving very strangely and Wagner is like “Aww…how cute, he’s well trained in bizarre behavior often associated with devil. Can we keep him?” Good idea Wagner, just great.
Reflection
Besides Wagner being generally annoying, this section has some gorgeous speeches by Faust and some important insights into his character. At least now we know he has a pretty good reason for being insane, as he feels responsible for the deaths of who knows many. The thing about his guilt is that it isn’t reinforced by the community, as far as everyone knows, Faust is a hero. But Faust himself knows better and his guilt wears away his faith.
But is Faust’s reaction justified? Instead of somehow paying penance, Faust has this escapist dream which exaggerates his innate human duality. It takes his self and stretches it into two beings with wildly different desires. This obviously leaves him for vulnerable to temptation and foreshadows how he will give in to evil. Faust doesn’t want this duality: he wants both to fly away to the sprit realm and also to be like the bumbling villagers, without enough thought to realize guilt. The burghers illustrate that with their nonchalant attitude towards war, but Faust is too intelligent to be without intense guilt, even though it some respects he wants to repudiate his humanity, he will never be able to truly escape his conscience. If he could escape, the events that follow in the story would not affect them. So much as hell is often said to only hurt those who desire God, the trials he will face because he says he doesn’t care only hurt him because inside beats a guilty conscience.
To breathe the truth while plunged in seas of error!
What we don’t know is really what we need,
And what we know is of no use to us whatever!
(1070)
This scene starts out a bit oddly and is reminiscent of some of Shakespeare’s townspeople scenes, with a group of students hitting on some girls, some burghers, a singing beggar, soldiers etc. A lot of it is actually kind of funny. One burgher says how he loves to talk of far off war whilst everything is peaceful at home. Another says
Neighbor, I agree with you, yes indeed I do.
Let them crack their skulls for all I care,
Let everything goes topsy-turvy
While nothing changes at home.
(870)
After awhile Faust and Wagner come along. Faust muses on the coming of spring “Hope’s greenery grows in the valley. Ancient Winter’s feeble self has fallen back into the rugged mountains” (900). More important is Faust’s observation that the village “…is the people’s proper paradise…” and that he says “I’m human here, here I can be!” (940). Here in a village, as opposed to his “high vaulted Gothic room,” he can identify with humans instead of spirits.
Wagner flatters Faust again, saying that being with him “bring me much honor and much gain” (940). Wagner doesn’t share Faust’s proletariat sentiments about the village; he criticizes their “hateful noise” and says “The people rage as if the fiend possessed them and then they call it happiness and song” (950). Next the peasants sing a rather bawdy song, which Wagner probably didn’t like all that much. An old peasant flatters Faust and honestly, after his bragging in the beginning scene you have to wonder why everyone likes him so much. The peasant explains the whole “I love Faust” cult a bit- Faust’s father healed the villagers from a plague and apparently Faust did the same, though it seems a lot of people died anyway. Wagner again flatters Faust about the crowd’s flattery “What feelings you must feel, great man, at the veneration of this crowd” (1010).
But Faust doesn’t seem too happy. He and Wagner sit on a rock and Faust tells him how he “…sought to wrest from the Lord in Heaven the means to end the pestilence” (1030) with fast and prayer. His father however, sought the help of magic and brewed a potion, which actually killed anyone who took it and was more deadly than the plague. Faust knows he doesn’t deserve the praise heaped upon him- “I saw thousands wilt, and now must live to see how praise is heaped upon the shameless killers” (1050). Wagner basically says “Oh well, you were just obeying your father.” Faust then ponders knowledge
Oh, happy is he who still can hope in our day
To breathe the truth while plunged in seas of error!
What we don’t know is really what we need,
And what we know is of no use to us whatever!
(1070)
Faust longs for “wings to lift me from this earth, to seek the sun and follow him!” (1080). But he doesn’t just wish to follow “him,” he also wishes for a “godlike course” (1090). Faust then applies his longing to the desires of all men:
Alas, the spirit’s wings will not be joined
So easily to heavier wings of flesh and blood.
Yet every man has inward longings
And sweeping, skyward aspirations…
(1100)
The whole speech is really beautiful and again you see Faust lamenting man’s duality- worm and godhead. You also see him wanting to follow “him,” which is probably referring to god, but also being vain in also wanting to be “godlike.”
Wagner is like “OMG how cute, kind of interesting too! I love yoooou Faust!” Well, he doesn’t actually say that, but really…Wagner is getting kind of annoying about now. Faust thankfully reminds Wagner that he is “...conscious only of a single drive;” and that he doe not know the “other passion” (1110). Faust often speaks of humanity’s (look, I’m being politically correct for once) duality, here he speaks of his duality:
Two souls, alas, dwell in my breast,
Each seeks to rule without the other.
The one with robust love’s desires
Clings to the world with all its might,
The other fiercely rises from the dust
To reach sublime ancestral regions.
(1110)
His duality is so strong that the two sides cannot be fused. He cannot fuse his worldly body with his soul and this obviously causes him great pain. The only solution he presents to himself to have spirits escort him to a “new life” or to have “…a magic cloak to whisk me off to foreign lands” (1120). Wagner, for once, dissents, warning Faust of the dangers of the spirit world.
They then come across a jet black dog behaving very strangely and Wagner is like “Aww…how cute, he’s well trained in bizarre behavior often associated with devil. Can we keep him?” Good idea Wagner, just great.
Reflection
Besides Wagner being generally annoying, this section has some gorgeous speeches by Faust and some important insights into his character. At least now we know he has a pretty good reason for being insane, as he feels responsible for the deaths of who knows many. The thing about his guilt is that it isn’t reinforced by the community, as far as everyone knows, Faust is a hero. But Faust himself knows better and his guilt wears away his faith.
But is Faust’s reaction justified? Instead of somehow paying penance, Faust has this escapist dream which exaggerates his innate human duality. It takes his self and stretches it into two beings with wildly different desires. This obviously leaves him for vulnerable to temptation and foreshadows how he will give in to evil. Faust doesn’t want this duality: he wants both to fly away to the sprit realm and also to be like the bumbling villagers, without enough thought to realize guilt. The burghers illustrate that with their nonchalant attitude towards war, but Faust is too intelligent to be without intense guilt, even though it some respects he wants to repudiate his humanity, he will never be able to truly escape his conscience. If he could escape, the events that follow in the story would not affect them. So much as hell is often said to only hurt those who desire God, the trials he will face because he says he doesn’t care only hurt him because inside beats a guilty conscience.