Faust: Difference between revisions

Margarete is a young, modest, religious woman of a lower class than Faust. She lives with her mother and helps out around the house. She is referred to as Gretchen many times throughout the story.  Gretchen is a shortened version of her name. Faust finds Margarete attractive and tells Mephistopheles to get her for him. Margarete at first refuses the advances of Faust. However, she finally accepts Faust and thus begins her downfall. Faust gets her pregnant. Margarete is persecuted by society and cursed by her brother as he lay dying. Margarete is thrown in prison for the murder of her baby. Faust and Mephistopheles try to rescue her from the prison. However, when they find her she has gone mad.