Faust: A Garden

Summary

At Faust first encounter with Margarete, he is immediately drawn to her. He speaks to her in a way that a man would speak to a woman, rather than a man to a child. Margarete is immediately taken by him, in the fact that he would do such a thing. Faust being the older gentleman and she the child. Immediate attraction takes place on Margarete’s part. Margarete tells Faust this by saying, “In my heart that began to make me change my view, But indeed I was angry with myself because I could not be angrier with you”(Macneice 99). Faust falls deeper in love with Margarete and becomes even more infatuated with her.

Commentary

On the one hand, Faust, though at first rejuvenated, is subject to the laws of maturing and aging (Dieckmann 21). This has no effect on Gretchen's love for him. It seems to me that Faust is an old man butis still able to munipulate her into loving him. Both Faust and Don Juan have benefited from an increasing sujectivity and individualism, and hence an increasing relativity in matters of morals, in modern times (Smeed 194).

Questions

Why does Gretchen work so hard?

What is Gretchens brothers occupation?

Work Cited

Dieckmann, Liselotte. Goethe’s Faust: A Critical Reading. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1972.

Macneice, Louis. Goethe’s Faust. New York: Oxford UP, 1971.

Smeed, J.W. Faust in Literature. New York: Oxford UP, 1971.