Faust: Night, Open Country
Summary
Faust and Mephistopheles ride towards the prison where Gretchen is being held on black horses. They pass a gallows on which a group of witches is congregating. The witches are also brewing something but Mephisto tells Faust that he doesn't know what they are brewing. Faust wonders what is going on, but Mephisto urges him to keep going.
Notes
Commentary
This short section of the allegorical poem, when Faust and Mephisto gallop through the open country at night, is significant because Faust prefers to take the beaten path on this journey as well, in his ordinary life, instead of a well traveled road. He is also using the idea of nature which many romantics used. The night is symbolic of darkness that is generated from the devil and from the surroundings. Both of these are in reference to the idea of romanticism. "Artists as self-expressive individuals, the ideas of "nature," death's connection to love, night (i.e., subconscious) fears..." (Dopp).
Study Questions
(1) What is special about the horses that Mephisto and Faust ride?
(2) Where are they going?
(3) What do they pass on their way?
(4) What does Mephisto urge Faust to do as they come up upon the hill?
External Resources
Works Cited
Dopp, Bonnie Jo. "Romanticism: Imagining Freedom." Library Journal 131.3 (2006).