Goethe's Influence On Faust

History has shaped and molded modern time as we know it, from every war and battle taken place on this earth to every piece of art created. In turn, civilizations and culture had an impact on the people and their doings. Germany has evolved as a country growing from past wars and ever changing culture. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt. At school he studied Law. He did practice law for a while, but in the 1770s he had became one of the most prominent figure in writing. He would go on to write one of the greatest tragedies of the nineteenth century, Faust. The first of the two part play was published in 1808. In the first part Goethe told the story of a Doctor named Faust and his encounter with Mephistopheles. Goethe continued to write until he died in 1832. Faust was influenced by a number of ideas including the Enlightenment, religion, and politics.
Faust is the story of a Doctor named Heinrich Faust. The Lord and Mephistopheles make a bet to see if Mephistopheles can get Faust to turn on The Lord. Faust is sadden by his life because he feels there is

nothing left for him to gain in terms of knowledge and there is nothing to his life. When Faust and Mephistopheles meet, Mephistopheles offers to give Faust enough happiness that he no longer has to strive for it, but Faust’s soul must belong to Mephistopheles. Thinking he couldn’t succeed, Faust agrees to these terms. Eventually Faust meets Margareta, or Gretchen, and falls in love. With advances, Faust and Margareta agree to depart. Reason one is so Faust doesn’t corrupt her and reason two is because Margareta is a faithful Christian who couldn’t be with somebody who doesn’t believe like her. This doesn’t last long as Faust comes back and they resume their relationship to the point of getting Margareta pregnant. Her brother is furious with Faust and tries to kill him to only get himself killed. Margareta fears for her life and while praying at a Cathedral, a demon says she is damned to hell. Later Faust learns that she killed their infant child and got arrested for doing so. In desperation, Faust asked Mephistopheles to take him into town so he can see her. He warns Faust that the authorities are in town and there are angered spirits waiting for him there as well since he killed Margareta’s brother. After Faust sneaks into the jail, he sees Margareta has lost her mind and starts surrendering herself to God’s mercy. Mephistopheles tells Faust that they leave her behind or risk being executed and they leave.
This play was written during the Enlightenment (mid 17th century to the end of the 18th century), a time of reason, where many people questioned old tradition and started to adapt many new ways of thinking. The enlightenment produced many new ideas, “Centered on the dialogues and publications of the French ‘philosophes’ (Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Buffon and Diderot), the High Enlightenment might best be summed up by one historian’s summary of Voltaire’s ‘Philosophical Dictionary’: ‘a chaos of clear ideas.’” (Enlightenment). The Enlightenment, with Goethe being born in 1749, had a very large impact on the writing of his works, Faust being one of them. One of the ways that Goethe portrayed enlightenment ideals was through his characters. Faust started out the story as a scholar. During the time of the enlightenment, research and studies had become a way of life, much like it had for Faust prior to making the deal with Mephistopheles. While talking to a fellow scholar, Wagner, about research and knowledge, Wagner says, “But the great world! The heart and mind of man!/ We all seek the enlightenment we can” (Goethe 1.4.587-88). Much of this need for knowledge was due to the princes of Germany wanting educated servants. According to the author, “Aristocratic birth no longer sufficed; what was needed were ability and qualifications, and to assure a supply of capable servants, every Prince did what he could to support secondary schools, universities, and academies. Consequently the second half of the eighteenth century saw the growth of an educated elite in Germany…” (Schulze 89). While this increase in academics had changed the lives of many, old ways continued to stay.
Religion has alway been a defining factor of human civilizations.

For much of history, humans have centered their lives around higher beings or ideas. The dominant religion during the time that Faust was written was Christianity. Faust and the Holy Bible have similar stories like in the book of Job, where God and Satan are discussing how Job is loyal to God. Satan wanted to test if Job would curse God or not. To test if he is loyal, God gave Satan permission to take his wealth and children away from him (New International Version 462). “But now stretch your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse your name” (New International Version 462) While this was uneffective, Satan tried again by making sores on the soles his feet and on the crown of his head (New International Version 463). Mephistopheles made a similar kind of wager with The Lord to see if he can turn

Faust:
Mephistopheles: If I may be his guide, you’ll lose him yet;
I’ll subtly lead him my way, if you’ll let
Me do so; shall we have a bet?
The Lord: He lives on earth, and while he is alive
You have my leave for the attempt;
Man errs, till he has ceased to strive (Goethe 1.3.312-317).
Neither is allowed to kill their target but they do take different approaches. Satan only tormented Job while the other made a deal with Faust to get his soul (Goethe 1.6 1530-1700). While Job almost lost faith completely, he didn’t curse God for his torment, and God restored everything that Job lost and gave more (New International Version 491-492). Faust continually talked to Mephistopheles, never really shown faith, and left with him to escape custody (Goethe 1.28 4597-4614). That wasn’t all from the the Bible, but also the mention of how mankind was created in God’s image was in both. The book of Genesis and in Faust they state, “So God created mankind in his own image,...” (New International Version 2) and “I, made in God’s image…” (Goethe 1.4 516).
A religious leader Martin Luther rejected the Catholic Church in the theological foundation for the sale of indulgences, the traffic in human souls, and the established church’s abuse of the authority (Schulze 52). Faust questioned what he believed and he had some kind of belief. Faust instead put his faith into the Devil unlike Martin did when he put his faith in God. Luther was summoned to Worms to appear before the Imperial Diet and questioned his faith (Schulze 52). Margareta started questioning Faust’s fate when she didn’t believe he was fully Christian, “For you’re not a Christian, I truly doubt it!” (Goethe 1.19 3367).
The political situation in germany was ever changing. During the enlightenment, Europe saw a large political shift. “Consider only such turning points of political history as the French revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, all of which immediately touched Goethe’s life and deeply affected his thought” (Wellbery 546). Goethe’s view of the Holy Roman Empire can be seen in Faust itself. In the seen “Auerbach’s Tavern in Leipzig” a group of men are talking and singing about the empire, “The Holy Roman Empire, we all love it so;/ But how it holds together, that’s what we don’t know” (Goethe 1.8.2090-2091). Some people loved the Holy Roman Empire, however not everyone felt that there needed to be a change:
A filthy song! Sahme! A political song!
A tedious song! My lads, thank God in daily prayer
That running the empire isn’t your affair!
I reckon it a blessing anyway
That I’m not Emperor or Chancellor today.
But someone here must be the boss:
Let’s choose a Pope, to Lord it over us! (Goethe 1.8.2092-2098)
When the empire did fall on August 6, 1806, many people choose to ignored it and went on with their business, “ Goethe noted that he found the news less interesting than an argument in which his coachman became embroiled, and like him, most people greeted the demise of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation with a shrug of the shoulders and returned to their daily concerns” (Schulze 99).
Faust was one of Goethe’s best and most complicated works. Looking at all the events that influenced Faust would be nearly impossible. But to answer the question of “How is Faust German?” It is essential to look some of the events that make up the German history. The enlightenment swept all throughout Europe and resulted in a new way of life. Germany, during this time developed new ideologies that are demonstrated in Faust. Religion has played a large part in any culture, but in the German culture, religion has always had a larger role. Martin Luther’s translation of the bible allowed people to read and interpret the meaning for themselves. Politically, Germany was changed forever while Goethe was writing the play. Goethe chooses to include the German view on the political situation in Germany at the time. Overall, Faust, embodies the German culture and political movements of its time.