What is the main moral of the Faust story?

The moral doctrine that Goethe puts forward in Faust teaches that the essential feature of all existence and the law that governs the universe is one of untiring, purposeful, and positive effort, and that man can find his place in life only through striving to participate in this vast cosmic movement, although of …

What is Faust striving to discover?

Faust is trying to get to know all possible things. He wants to know about science, humans and religion. A poodle who has no home follows Faust back to his house. In Faust’s study, the poodle changes into the devil (Mephistopheles).

What is the meaning of Faust by Goethe?

In the poem, Faust is intended by Goethe to represent all humanity. He possesses all the qualities of human ability and motivation, and is, in effect, an archetypal “everyman” figure.

What does Faust find so problematic in the study of theology?

Faust cannot truly accept the lowest supernatural events because he does not believe in the highest supernatural power. He cannot believe in the animals or the witches because Faust cannot believe in the Devil. Faust cannot believe in the Devil, because he does not believe in God.

What does the Lord believe about Faust?

God firmly believes that Faust will not falter despite the challenges Mephistopheles throws at him and he will remain steadfast in faith (Kierans, 2003; Magnùsdòttir, 2015).

Why is Faust important?

Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend, based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( c. 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.

Why Is Faust a tragedy of knowledge?

Faust is the image for the tragedy of human individuation because he assumes the image of his individuality, yet of all things that Faust seeks to know, he does not seek himself. Only then will Faust question his consciousness, and rather than disparage his alienation, see it as something essential to feeling at all.

Is Faust a comedy or tragedy?

Faust: A Tragedy is the title given his masterpiece by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Yet it might almost as easily be described as a musical comedy, in that it has many comic passages, features many songs, and lacks a tragic ending.