Faust: A Prison - Revision history

Mhewett: /* Works Cited */

2006-03-16T21:22:29Z

Works Cited

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:22, 16 March 2006
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	*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]		*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
	*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]		*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]
			Campbell, John. The Book of Great Books. New York: Metrobooks, 1997.

Mhewett: /* Commentary */

2006-03-16T21:21:45Z

Commentary

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	==Commentary==		==Commentary==
			'''''Red line around Gretchen's neck''''': "Symbolizes her impending execution for drowning her child" (Campbell 258).



			'''''Freedom''''': " Faust comes to realize that freedom in life belongs only to those who struggle and work for it daily. He discovers that freedom lies in surrendering the self so that one can more fully share in all life has to offer" (Campbell 257).

	==Notes==		==Notes==

Mhewett: /* Brief Summary */

2006-03-16T21:20:37Z

Brief Summary

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 16 March 2006
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	==Brief Summary==		==Brief Summary==
	On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.		On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

	==Commentary==		==Commentary==

Mhewett: /* Brief Summary */

2006-03-16T21:20:08Z

Brief Summary

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 16 March 2006
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	==Brief Summary==		==Brief Summary==
			On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.


	==Commentary==		==Commentary==

Rsellars: rm my additions emailed additions to the author of the content, pending readdition

2006-03-14T01:56:13Z

rm my additions emailed additions to the author of the content, pending readdition

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:56, 13 March 2006
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	==Brief Summary==		==Brief Summary==

	On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won’t. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel’s voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

	==Commentary==		==Commentary==
	~~'''Red line around Gretchen’s neck:''' “Symbolizes her impending execution for drowning her child” (Campbell 258).~~



	'''Freedom:''' “ Faust comes to realize that freedom in life belongs only to those who struggle and work for it daily. He discovers that freedom lies in surrendering the self so that one can more fully share in all life has to offer” (Campbell 257).

	==Notes==		==Notes==
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	*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]		*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
	*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]		*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]
	*Campbell, John. The Book of Great Books. New York: Metrobooks, 1997

Rsellars: /* Works Cited */

2006-03-13T17:26:53Z

Works Cited

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:26, 13 March 2006
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	*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]		*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
	*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]		*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]
			*Campbell, John. The Book of Great Books. New York: Metrobooks, 1997

Rsellars: /* Commentary */

2006-03-13T17:26:26Z

Commentary

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:26, 13 March 2006
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	==Commentary==		==Commentary==
			'''Red line around Gretchen’s neck:''' “Symbolizes her impending execution for drowning her child” (Campbell 258).



			'''Freedom:''' “ Faust comes to realize that freedom in life belongs only to those who struggle and work for it daily. He discovers that freedom lies in surrendering the self so that one can more fully share in all life has to offer” (Campbell 257).

	==Notes==		==Notes==
	In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.		In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

Rsellars: /* Brief Summary */

2006-03-13T17:25:29Z

Brief Summary

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:25, 13 March 2006
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	==Brief Summary==		==Brief Summary==

			On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won’t. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel’s voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

	==Commentary==		==Commentary==
	==Notes==		==Notes==

Canderson: /* Notes */

2006-02-28T22:49:55Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:49, 28 February 2006
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	==Commentary==		==Commentary==
	==Notes==		==Notes==
			In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

	===Faust===		===Lines 4251-4441: Faust's Surprise Visit===
	~~While Faust has clearly recognizable human characteristics~~, ~~he is larger than life. He embodies the best~~ and the ~~worst in man~~, and ~~in many ways he~~ is a ~~symbol of all humanity. Faust is involved in most~~ of the ~~scenes~~, ~~but he probably reveals himself most clearly through his monologues~~ and ~~through his conversations~~ with ~~Mephistopheles~~. ~~The monologues show a man without satisfaction or inner peace, always striving~~. ~~He is continually reaching for more knowledge~~, ~~more power~~, ~~more experience~~. He is ~~also changeable~~, ~~given~~ to ~~despair when he can't get what he wants~~. ~~His striving leads inevitably to failure. But in these failures he represents humanity, for, as~~ the ~~Lord declares~~ in the ~~Prologue in Heaven~~, ~~man must make mistakes while~~ he ~~strives~~.		Gretchen is singing a folk ballad, projecting herself into her dead child and denouncing its parents, she the whore, and Faust the rogue. Rather it is her version of a folksong of the day, and as with her other songs earlier in Part I it establishes her link with the women of German tradition, the heroines of earlier tragedies. We gather from this hint that her child has indeed died. She takes Faust, now entering, for the executioner and begs for his pity. Faust is afflicted by her misery, but yet again relates it in his self-centred way to his feelings and not hers (4441). Once more it is the way in which the scene stirs his own emotions that preoccupies him, as though he cannot merely feel but has to be always observing his reactions introspectively. And his Hamlet-like introspection has indeed been a feature of his speeches in Part I.

	===~~Margarete~~===		===Lines 4442-4451: Mephisto's Final Stir===
	~~Margarete, or~~ Gretchen (a ~~favorite name~~ in ~~German folk tales)~~, ~~is a more lifelike character than Mephistopheles~~ and Faust; she ~~is a person you would recognize if you met her~~. ~~She is a sweet~~, ~~simple, modest girl, who lives at home~~ and ~~helps her mother~~. She ~~knows right from wrong~~ and has an ~~innocent religious faith~~ of the ~~kind idealized by Romantic writers~~. ~~Gretchen's story was based on a court case known~~ to ~~Goethe~~. ~~He uses~~ her ~~story for social purposes~~, ~~to make the point that she~~ is a ~~victim~~ of ~~an attractive man of a class higher than~~ her own~~. Some girls might have been strong enough to resist the temptation or even to put up with the~~ guilt, ~~but they~~ would not ~~have been sufficient for Goethe~~ the ~~dramatist~~. ~~He needed a fragile girl like Gretchen who trusted in a simple religious faith~~ and her ~~own feelings~~.		It now transpires that Gretchen has somehow killed her own child. She has become a character in the old story, the age-old story, of the fallen and doomed woman. Faust falls on his knees as the lover, while she ironically mistakes his gesture for the beginning of prayer. He has made the cult of sensual love his religion, and this is where it has led him. She has betrayed her own Christian morality and this is where it has led her. However there is an emotional barrier between the two of them, the result of their joint crimes, perhaps the Witches’ activity at the Ravenstone, and Mephistopheles’ presence. All is conspiring to thwart the rescue. Gretchen cannot convince herself that he still loves her, is still warm towards her. As a murderess of her own mother and now her child, she cannot accept guilt-ridden freedom, and is held back by conscience. What after all would await her outside? It is too late. Faust now makes, at last, his declaration. He will stay with her. That precipitates a mental crisis for her (4551). By not standing by her before he has increased the dimensions of the tragedy. Now, too late, he makes his promise. She meanwhile is preoccupied by the two accusatory deaths, of her child and her mother. Faust is not, as we can see, similarly preoccupied with the death of Valentine and the tragedy he has initiated.

	===~~Mephistopheles~~===		===Lines 4452-4559: The End===
	~~Mephistopheles~~, ~~the Devil~~, is a ~~cynic~~, ~~and cuts things down to size with his quick wit~~. ~~He calls~~ the ~~Lord an "old gent," satirizes~~ the ~~university faculty~~, ~~teases the mythological creatures he meets, and ends scenes with comments that puncture inflated sentiments~~. ~~In [[Faust]], Mephistopheles~~ is the ~~spirit of negation~~, "the ~~spirit that always denies." In that respect~~, ~~he is the exact opposite of God~~, ~~who is the spirit of creation~~. Mephistopheles is a ~~servant~~, ~~both of God~~ and ~~of Faust~~, ~~and has~~ the ~~soul~~ of ~~a servant~~, ~~of a person who must obey but resents it and takes every opportunity to assert what domination he can. He is a servant of God because he~~ is a ~~part of Creation; he has to exist in order~~ for ~~good to exist. He is~~ a ~~servant of Faust because God allows it. But he isn't always willing to do what his master wants~~, ~~especially at critical moments~~. ~~He messes up orders, often with disastrous effects and thinks he knows better than his master how to woo women and takes over the wooing~~ of ~~Margarete. At the same time, he exercises~~ his own ~~authority when he can.~~		Gretchen is resigned, anticipating, and envisioning her death. She sees Faust momentarily as a hostile physical force. Now Mephistopheles urges flight, as ever. Run from the unacceptable and the tragic, is his message. His appearance is the last straw, since Gretchen believes him the Devil incarnate, and she throws herself on Divine Mercy, while fearing for Faust’s soul. Mephistopheles cries out that she is judged, but a voice from above, offering the grace and mercy she seeks, cries out that she is saved (4557). Obeying the Church’s message of faith and penitence, she is a candidate for redemption, as a sinner but an unwitting one, a criminal but without murderous intent. Regardless of his own beliefs which were hardly conventional, Goethe brings Part I to a traditional enough close. A sinner is rescued, but Faust and Mephistopheles flee.

	~~===Faust and Mephistopheles===~~
	~~In Faust's relations with Mephistopheles you see an arrogant~~, ~~impatient man, who uses any means available~~ to ~~get what he wants. Faust is absolutely clear about his relationship to Mephistopheles- Mephistopheles is~~ a ~~servant. In his other relations, you see the brilliance of Faust, why he has the genius to represent humanity~~. He is ~~capable of passionate romantic love~~, of courageous action, of large-scale organization. He will probably win your sympathy, even in his ill-fated affair with Gretchen. Try to imagine what it must be like to pick up the pieces of your life after you have caused the destruction of a beautiful young girl and three other innocent people (her mother, brother, and baby). Faust does it.

	~~===~~Faust and ~~Margarete===~~
	~~Margarete is up against the Devil (~~Mephistopheles), who by definition has no morals and no mercy. He's been told to get her for Faust and he does. From the moment she gives in to Faust, she begins to lose herself. She seeks comfort in her simple religious faith but cannot withstand society's disapproval and her brother's curse. She becomes mad, kills her baby, and is condemned to die.

	==Study Questions==		==Study Questions==

Rsellars: /* Works Cited */ added another site

2006-02-27T17:50:07Z

Works Cited: added another site

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:50, 27 February 2006
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	==Works Cited==		==Works Cited==
	*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]		*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
			*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]