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Faust Part I Translated by Anna Swanwick with an Introduction by Hedge

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Faust, Part 1 (Translated by Anna Swanwick with an Introduction by F. H. Hedge)

by Drew Lindsay

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1523 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	144 pages
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by Hedge

Faust is a tragedy by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1808. The play tells the story of Faust, a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Faust is based on the German Faust legend, which dates back to the 16th century.

Goethe's play is divided into two parts. Part I was published in 1808, and Part II was published in 1832. Part I is the more famous of the two parts, and it is often performed on its own.

Part I of Faust tells the story of Faust's pact with the devil. Faust is a brilliant scholar who has become disillusioned with his studies. He has read all the books, but he still feels like he knows nothing. He is desperate for knowledge and power, and he is willing to pay any price to get it.

One day, Faust meets the devil, Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles offers Faust a deal: Faust can have all the knowledge and power he wants, but he must give up his soul. Faust agrees to the deal, and Mephistopheles brings him to a world of magic and adventure.

Faust quickly learns that there is a price to pay for power. He becomes arrogant and selfish, and he begins to lose his humanity. He falls in love with a woman named Gretchen, but his love for her is doomed from the start. Gretchen is innocent and pure, and she is no match for Faust's dark desires.

In the end, Faust's pact with the devil catches up with him. He is condemned to hell, and his soul is lost forever.

Faust is a powerful and tragic play. It is a story about the dangers of ambition and the importance of love. It is a play that has been performed and studied for centuries, and it continues to fascinate audiences today.

Faust Part I Translated by Anna Swanwick

Prologue in Heaven

[The LORD, the HEAVENLY HOSTS, afterward MEPHISTOPHELES.]

THE LORD. Ye children of heaven, draw near, And hearken to the words I speak! And do ye, in your radiant sphere, Around my throne in joyous measures, Rejoice, as is your wont, this day: For this day hath been hallowed by my decrees, And man, my latest, noblest work, The crown of my creation, stands complete!

[MEPHISTOPHELES, from below, steps forward and kneels.]

MEPHISTOPHELES. From out the sunbeams I have hither come, O Lord, to thee! and pardon crave, For venturing on such unaccustomed way To thrust myself within thy lofty halls: But since of old it hath been my duty To do thee homage on this festal day, And since I find my brethren in thy presence, I mingle with them also, though unworthy, And join in the glad song of praise Which from the lips of thousands sounds so glorious.

THE LORD. Hast thou, then, drawn from the wild vortex of life No nourishment, no strength? Doth still The old, unanswered riddle of existence Vex thy keen spirit, as at first it vexed, And come back ever with the same result?

MEPHISTOPHELES. Man, My lord, still wretched as he ever was, Vexes himself in vain! He calls himself better Than all the other denizens of earth, Yet is he, with his boasted consciousness, More foolish than the very fool he scorns! To heaven he fondly yearns with all his powers; And yet, howe'er he strive with might and main, His weakness still betrays him; and he falls Back to the level of the poor, blind mole, That in its native element, the darkness, And in the narrow sphere to which 'tis bounded, Feels satisfied and lives contented there!

THE LORD. Hast thou no knowledge, then, of Faust?

MEPHISTOPHELES. The Doctor Faust?

THE LORD. My servant, yea!

Faust, Part 1 (Translated by Anna Swanwick with an Introduction by F. H. Hedge)

by Drew Lindsay

4.4 out of 5