Faust: Night (1)

Summary

Faust languishes in his study in a state of ennui. He has studied it all, received every degree, and still feels he knows nothing. All of this effort has lost him his "mirth" (l. 134). He has now turned to "magic" to do what science and philosophy could not. Faust figures by using magic he will be able to learn beyond what humans understand. He then conjures up a spirit that rejects him and brings Faust into a worse mood. Wagner then comes in and talks to Faust. They talk briefly and then Wagner departs to leave Faust alone. While Faust is alone he talks more about the spirit that rejected him and talks himself into a more depressed mood. Faust then pulls down a vial of poison and when he just about drinks his life away a choir of angels begins singing. He then thinks back when he was young and happy. This makes him not drink the poison.

Notes

Ptolemaic Universe

Nostradamus

"And this strange book of secret lore by Nostradamus' own hand..." (lines 189-190). Faust here is talking about reading one of the book of quatrains(a poem with four lines) written by Nostradamus. Nostradamus lived from 1503 to 1566 and was a physician. He is better known for being able to see into the future.

Works Cited

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