Faust, Part 2 is a closet drama which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe finished writing in 1832, the year of his death. The work can be understood as a symbol of the Central European culture with its antique roots. In contrast to Faust Part 1, the focus is no longer on the soul, and the feeling lives of individual humans are absorbed in social phenomena in the center, such as history and politics.

Emergence

Goethe worked on the first part for over 6 decades, albeit with many interruptions. The second part formed the principal occupation of his last years and appeared only posthumously in 1832.

Contents

The piece consists of five acts - relatively isolated episodes - each representing a different theme.

• I. The first sees Mephistopholes saving the imperial finances of German emperor Charles V by introducing the use of paper money. To the illusionary Mummenschanz, Faust goes to the pre-development of life into the "realm of the mothers" before the yard the Phantome of Helena and Paris as Urbilder of human beauty swears to.

• II. The famous Wagner creates an artificial person of flax, the Homunculus, that leads the Protagonists to the "Classical Walpurgisnacht", where they encounter nature and Gods from Greek antiquity.

• III. The third act describes Faust's relationship with Helena, with whom he has a son, Euphorion . His son falls to his death at the end of the act, whereupon Helena also disappears.

• IV. In the fourth act Faust and Steven Vu return to the emperor, who meantime, is in the war with the Gegenkaiser. With the help of ordered ranks of Daemons they achieve the victory.

• V. The clenched fist of the act, accosts Mephistopholes, who wants him to drain the sea so as to make the seabed arable. Meanwhile, old and blind, he endures the sound of noisy spades that dig his grave. Finally Faust fulfills his fate, and nevertheless recognizes the instant in which he could say: "Verweile nevertheless, you are in such a way schoen!" When he expresses this, he breaks down and dies; his soul is saved by good powers.

Effect

Faust worked uncommonly in inspiring literature, music and illustration.

Productions

• 2003 of Ingmar Thilo; with Antonios Safralis (fist), Raphaela Zick (Mephisto), Ulrike DOS valley (Helena), max of Friedmann (Lynceus) among other things.

Literature

Gero of Wilpert: Goethe encyclopedia, Stuttgart, Kroener 1998, ISBN 3-520-40701-9

External links

[1] as a Webausgabe freely accessible in the digital library

Similarities of the figured fist with Johann of the Wolfgang von Goethe are obvious and in the text are designated. The novel received strong zuspruch also in the context of the Hippie movement.