Faust sold his soul to the Devil for power, knowledge, prosperity, love...
depending on whose version of the story you happen to like.
What I find interesting, though, is a pattern that seems to be present in how
the stories end. Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor
Faustus", published posthumously in 1604 or 1616 (depending on which version
you prefer) is the earliest version of the story that I know of. At that time,
religion was an overwhelmingly dominant force in English society, and it wasn't
a particularly kind or gentle religion. "Doctor Faustus" ends with Faustus
praying for forgiveness, but going to Hell anyway. Two centuries later (1808
for part 1, 1832 for part 2), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published "Faust".
Although a much longer, more complex, and vastly more highly regarded work, it
is in general outline similar. But in the still religious but somewhat less
severe climate 200 years later, when Faust prays for forgiveness as his time
runs out and the demons come for him, he is forgiven, by the Grace of God, and
saved from the demons. At about the same time (1817), Lord Byron published
"Manfred". This "dramatic poem" deals only with the very end of the story:
Manfred (Faust) has only a short time left before the bill comes due. Byron
was a romantic and (for his time) very modern in his outlook: the force of
religion is weakening; science is taking hold, and with it the attitude that Man
must solve his own problems. Unlike the other stories, in this version Manfred
accepts his fate. He's made his bargain and will keep it, despite the
consequences. Moving on to the 20th century and the United States, in 1937
Stephen Vincent Benet wrote "The Devil and Daniel Webster", in which Jabez
Stone makes a deal with the Devil for 10 years of prosperity. When the 10
years are up, Stone neither prays for forgiveness, nor accepts his fate.
Instead, he hires a clever lawyer, Daniel Webster, to argue his case.
Subsequent events have, I think, demonstrated that this was a truly American
solution. And in Canada? In W. O. Mitchell's "The Black Bonspiel of Wullie
MacCrimmon" (play written in 1980, later turned into a novel), Wullie
MacCrimmon challenges the Devil to a curling match, a truly Canadian solution.
So there you have it, folks (if anybody's still reading). To understand
the essence of a culture, just look at how its version of Faust ends.
depending on whose version of the story you happen to like.
What I find interesting, though, is a pattern that seems to be present in how
the stories end. Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor
Faustus", published posthumously in 1604 or 1616 (depending on which version
you prefer) is the earliest version of the story that I know of. At that time,
religion was an overwhelmingly dominant force in English society, and it wasn't
a particularly kind or gentle religion. "Doctor Faustus" ends with Faustus
praying for forgiveness, but going to Hell anyway. Two centuries later (1808
for part 1, 1832 for part 2), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published "Faust".
Although a much longer, more complex, and vastly more highly regarded work, it
is in general outline similar. But in the still religious but somewhat less
severe climate 200 years later, when Faust prays for forgiveness as his time
runs out and the demons come for him, he is forgiven, by the Grace of God, and
saved from the demons. At about the same time (1817), Lord Byron published
"Manfred". This "dramatic poem" deals only with the very end of the story:
Manfred (Faust) has only a short time left before the bill comes due. Byron
was a romantic and (for his time) very modern in his outlook: the force of
religion is weakening; science is taking hold, and with it the attitude that Man
must solve his own problems. Unlike the other stories, in this version Manfred
accepts his fate. He's made his bargain and will keep it, despite the
consequences. Moving on to the 20th century and the United States, in 1937
Stephen Vincent Benet wrote "The Devil and Daniel Webster", in which Jabez
Stone makes a deal with the Devil for 10 years of prosperity. When the 10
years are up, Stone neither prays for forgiveness, nor accepts his fate.
Instead, he hires a clever lawyer, Daniel Webster, to argue his case.
Subsequent events have, I think, demonstrated that this was a truly American
solution. And in Canada? In W. O. Mitchell's "The Black Bonspiel of Wullie
MacCrimmon" (play written in 1980, later turned into a novel), Wullie
MacCrimmon challenges the Devil to a curling match, a truly Canadian solution.
So there you have it, folks (if anybody's still reading). To understand
the essence of a culture, just look at how its version of Faust ends.
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
[Edited on Nov 18, 2004 7:59PM]