Prima parte della tragedia

Ó”

Fausto de Goethe, em que pese o estatuto canônico e a prosa hábil e por vezes genial do autor, é um livro / peça de teatro para leitura decepcionante. Porque, primeiro, mesmo que o diabo, Mefistófeles, seja muito simpático, Fausto ele mesmo é um tanto pueril, sem charme na sua teimosia. Porque afinal eles vão em busca de prazeres, se o ponto de partida era alcançar um conhecimento maior, quiçá sobre-humano? O jogo, que inspirou muitos, não convence. E bem... há a parte 2, com sinceramente, uma confusão de referências e episódios. De modo que a salvação final acabou por concluir de modo anti-climático as peripécias. ( )

As with the Marlowe [b:Doctor Faustus|731756|Doctor Faustus|Christopher Marlowe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348703169s/731756.jpg|756664], I'm a little disappointed with this Critical Edition. This one also lacks an introduction which ties the Goethe work in with the literary history of the Faust myth, and once again the Context section, while excellent, is concerned only with the composition of Goethe's work. Given that this is essentially Goethe's lifework, this focus is not unwarranted, but it does feel a bit one-sided. The text is surprisingly -- sometimes frustratingly -- unglossed, with the occasional footnote serving to clarify a stage direction, highlight a change of metre, or explain a reference to Greek mythology.

One of the most pressing questions I had upon re-reading this was left unanswered: how could any theater company manage to stage this thing? In film, sure, it would be manageable. As a stage production, it calls for a cast of thousands, transformations of characters to and from animal form, an elephant(!), a talking 'tiny man in a test tube' ("homonculus", for those in the know), a talking horde of insects, the single-scene traversing of a mountain range, the raising of a mountain mid-scene, and so on. The Norton Critical Editions usually include a section of the production history of the play, and this section is conspicuously absent in what may be the only time I was interested in reading it.


Goethe's telling of the Faust tale is pretty much an adaptation of the myth, much as Sokurov's 2011 film was an adaptation of Part One of Goethe's Faust. In each case, the original tale is recognizable, but key aspects are changed in order to modernize the telling.

In Goethe's version, Faust makes a pact with the devil, sure; but he also makes a wager, telling Mephistopholes that his mortal life will end as soon as he is satisfied (whether this condition is met, or Faust simply dies of old age, is up to interpretation).

This allows Goethe to make use of fifty years of fausttime instead of the usual 24, but it also allows him to introduce his other main innovation: the loophole which allows Faust's soul to be saved when he dies (note: even if Marlowe pioneered this, as Epson claims in [b:Faustus and the Censor: The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|841003|Faustus and the Censor The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|William Empson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|826550], Goethe was unlikely to know about it). A handful of lines from the Prologue In Heaven, Great Outer Precinct of the Palace, and Mountain Gorges provide the justification:

Man all too easily grows lax and mellow,
He soon elects repose at any price. (340)

He only earns both freedom and existence
Who must reconquer them each day. (11575)

He was vouchsafed exemption;
"Whoever strives in ceaseless toil,Him we may grant redemption." (11935)

It is uncertain whether Faust knew about the "Whoever strives..." loophole. On the one hand, he is never portrayed by Goethe as being that savvy, or even any good at litigation or logic. On the other hand, he specifically makes the wager with Mephistopheles whose core tenet ("my life will end as soon as I am satisfied") causes the loophole ("he who is always striving during life") to automatically kick in. No matter what happens with the wager, Faust wins: by its very definition, he has been striving every moment of his life. Imagine what Marlowe could have done with that idea!

The Norton text uses the Arndt translation. Here are the same lines from the Kaufmann translation, which I rather prefer:

For man's activity can easily abate,
He soon prefers uninterrupted rest; (340)

Freedom and life are earned by those alone
Who conquer them each day anew. (11575)

[saved...] From evil and the grave;
"Whoever strives with all his power,
We are allowed to save." (11935)

The final innovation of Goethe in the Faust legend is, of course, an obsession of Faust with The Feminine (which includes the introduction of the Gretchen/Margete storyline). The less said about this the better -- Goethe is a Romantic Poet, so one cannot fault him for being a product of his time. Still, that cynical line from Danny DeVito in Twins keeps coming to mind: "They're strange and sensitive. They have compassion. I have the highest respect for Woman. " -- "My god, you're a virgin!"

Being a Romantic Poet also means that Goethe couldn't help himself, and had to cram Part Two full of phantasmagoric scenes from antiquity: Charming Landscape, Spacious Hall, and all of Acts III and IV are rife with the stuff. Even Part One doesn't escape, with Walpurgis Night's Dream wandering rather far from the plot. The Interpretive Notes amusingly remark that these scenes do the reader no favors, and they would be spectacular if only they could be staged, but that nevertheless they demonstrate the richness of Goethe's symbolism, and the depth of his reading. Well, what else would you expect from someone who gets paid to read Goethe, eh?

Despite being a chore for the modern reader -- to whom the world of antiquity has been eclipsed by the Renaissance -- these scenes do have some merit. Most notable are the frequent and rapid changes in style: Greek characters speak in the manner of Euripedes, Faust woos Helen by introducing her to rhyme, and their son's brief life takes the form of a ballet or opera.

The only modern equivalent is Joyce's [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428891345s/338798.jpg|2368224], with its equally flexible use of style and point-of-view. Ulysses attempts to compress all of modern (at least, early-twentieth-century) life into a single day (the old macro-micro-cosm trick), and there the protean style seems to work (while being, again, a chore for the reader). Goethe seems to be attempting to compress all of antiquity into a single play, and it seems that he fails: a sequence of homages and shout-outs makes for a good tribute like one of those insufferable self-back-patting montages at the Oscars, but provides no message or insight. ( )

Bit challenging to get into. I struggle with reading poetry and plays. But I am glad I read it. Very influential story with the idea of selling your soul to the devil. ( )