Doctor Faustus. The sorcerer doctor faustus Faust in Russia

His trace is lost.

"Faust" by Goethe

Doctor Faustus

The theme of Faust reaches its most powerful artistic expression in Goethe's tragedy. The tragedy reflected in significant relief all the versatility of Goethe, all the depth of his literary, philosophical and scientific quests: his struggle for a realistic worldview, his humanism, etc.

If in “Prafaust” (1774-1775) the tragedy is still fragmentary, then with the advent of the prologue “In Heaven” (written 1797, published 1808) it takes on the grandiose outlines of a kind of humanistic mystery, all the numerous episodes of which are united by the unity of the artistic concept. Faustus grows into a colossal figure. He is a symbol of the possibilities and destinies of humanity. His victory over quietism, over the spirit of negation and disastrous emptiness (Mephistopheles) marks the triumph of the creative forces of humanity, its indestructible vitality and creative power. But on the path to victory, Faust is destined to go through a number of “educational” steps. From the “small world” of burgher everyday life, he enters the “big world” of aesthetic and civic interests, the boundaries of his sphere of activity are ever expanding, more and more new areas are included in them, until the cosmic expanses of the final scenes are revealed to Faust, where the searching creative spirit of Faust merges with creative forces of the universe. The tragedy is permeated with the pathos of creativity. There is nothing frozen or unshakable here, everything here is movement, development, constant “growth,” a powerful creative process that reproduces itself at ever higher levels.

In this regard, the very image of Faust is significant - a tireless seeker of the “right path”, alien to the desire to plunge into inactive peace; A distinctive feature of Faust's character is “discontent” (Unzufriedenheit), which always pushes him onto the path of tireless action. Faust destroyed Gretchen, because he grew eagle wings and they draw him beyond the stuffy burgher's upper room; he does not confine himself to the world of art and perfect beauty, for the kingdom of classical Helen ultimately turns out to be just an aesthetic appearance. Faust longs for a great cause, tangible and fruitful, and he ends his life as the leader of a free people, who builds their well-being on a free land, winning from nature the right to happiness. Hell loses its power over Faust. The tirelessly active Faust, who has found the “right path,” is awarded cosmic apotheosis. Thus, under the pen of Goethe, the ancient legend of Faust takes on a deeply humanistic character. It should be noted that the final scenes of Faust were written during the period of the rapid rise of young European capitalism and partially reflected the successes of capitalist progress. However, Goethe's greatness lies in the fact that he already saw the dark sides of new social relations and in his poem tried to rise above them.

The image of Faust in the era of romanticism

At the beginning of the 19th century. The image of Faust with its Gothic outlines attracted romantics. Faust - a traveling charlatan of the 16th century. - appears in Arnim's novel “Die Kronenwächter”, I Bd., 1817 (Guardians of the Crown). The legend of Faust was developed by Grabbe (“Don Juan und Faust”, 1829, Russian translation by I. Kholodkovsky in the magazine “Vek”, 1862), Lenau (“Faust”, 1835-1836, Russian translation by A. Anyutin [A. V. Lunacharsky], St. Petersburg, 1904, the same, trans. N. A-sky, St. Petersburg, 1892), Heine [“Faust” (poem intended for dancing, “Der Doctor Faust.” Ein Tanzpoem..., 1851) and etc.]. Lenau, the author of the most significant development of the theme of Faust after Goethe, portrays Faust as an ambivalent, hesitant, doomed rebel.

Vainly dreaming of “uniting the world, God and himself,” Faust Lenau falls victim to the machinations of Mephistopheles, who embodies the forces of evil and corrosive skepticism, which makes him similar to Goethe’s Mephistopheles. The spirit of denial and doubt triumphs over the rebel, whose impulses turn out to be wingless and worthless. Lenau's poem marks the beginning of the collapse of the humanistic concept of the legend. In the conditions of mature capitalism, the theme of Faust in its Renaissance-humanistic interpretation could no longer receive full embodiment. The “Faustian spirit” flew away from bourgeois culture, and it is no coincidence that at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. we do not have significant artistic adaptations of the legend of Faust.

Faust in Russia

In Russia, A. S. Pushkin paid tribute to the legend of Faust in his wonderful “Scene from Faust.” We encounter echoes of Goethe’s “Faust” in “Don Juan” by A.K. Tolstoy (prologue, Faustian features of Don Juan, languishing over the solution to life - direct reminiscences from Goethe) and in the story in letters “Faust” by J.S. Turgenev.

Faust by Lunacharsky

In the 20th century The most interesting development of the theme of Faust was given by A.V. Lunacharsky in his drama for reading “Faust and the City” (written in 1908, 1916, ed. Narkompros, P., in 1918). Based on the final scenes of the second part of Goethe's tragedy, Lunacharsky portrays Faust as an enlightened monarch ruling over the country he conquered from the sea. However, the people under Faust’s tutelage are already ripe for liberation from the bonds of autocracy, a revolutionary coup takes place, and Faust welcomes what has happened, seeing in it the fulfillment of his long-standing dreams of a free people on a free land. The play reflects a premonition of a social revolution, the beginning of a new historical era. The motives of the Faustian legend attracted V. Ya. Bryusov, who left a complete translation of Goethe’s “Faust” (part 1 published in), the story “The Fire Angel” (-1908), as well as the poem “Klassische Walpurgisnacht” ().

List of works

• Historia von Dr. Johann Fausten, dem weitbeschreiten Zauberer und Schwartzkünstler etc. (The story of Doctor Faustus, the famous wizard and warlock), (1587)
• G. R. Widman, Wahrhaftige Historie etc., (1598)
• Achim von Arnim "Die Kronenwächter" (Guardians of the Crown), (1817)
• Heinrich Heine: Faust (Der Doktor Faust. Ein Tanzpoem), a poem appointed for dancing (1851)
• Theodore Storm: Puppeteer Field (Pole Poppenspäler), novella (1875)
• Heinrich Mann: Teacher Unrat, (1904)
• Thomas Mann: Doctor Faustus (1947)
• Roger Zelazny & Robert Sheckley: "If at Faust you don't succeed" (1993)
• Michael Swanwick: Jack\Faust (1997)
• Roman Mohlmann: Faust und die Tragödie der Menschheit (2007)

Plays

Rembrandt. "Faust", engraving

• Christopher Marlowe: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, (1590)
• John Rich: The Necromancer (1723)
• Goethe:
  • Prafaust (Urfaust)
  • Faust, part 1 (Faust I)
  • Faust, part 2 (Faust II)
• Friedrich Maximilian Klinger: Faust, his life, deeds and descent into hell (Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt) (1791)
• Ernst August Klingemann: Faust (1816)
• Christian Dietrich Grabbe: Don Juan and Faust (1828)
• A. S. Pushkin. Scene from Faust
• Nikolaus Lenau: Faust (1836)
• I. Turgenev. Faust, (1856)
• Friedrich Theodor Fischer: Faust. Tragedy in two parts (Faust. Der Tragödie dritter Teil) (1862)
• A. V. Lunacharsky: Faust and the city, 1908
• Michel de Gelderod. Death of Doctor Faustus, 1926
• Dorothy Sayers: (The Devil to Pay) (1939)
• Wolfgang Bauer: Herr Faust spielt Roulette (Herr Faust plays roulette) (1986)
• Günther Mahal (Hrsg.): Doktor Johannes Faust - Puppenspiel (Doctor John Faust - Puppet Theater).
• Werner Schwab: Faust: Mein Brustkorb: Mein Helm. (1992)
• Pohl, Gerd-Josef: Faust - Geschichte einer Höllenfahrt Textfassung für die Piccolo Puppenspiele, 1995

Faust in the visual arts

Faust in cinema

• Gonzalo Suarez: The Strange Case of Doctor Faustus ()
• Brian Yuzna: Faust - prince of darkness ()

Other

A character in the computer game Faust: Seven Traps for the Soul is named after Faust - the player playing as Faust must unravel several stories in which the demon Mephistopheles was the character.

Faust is also found in the anime-style fighting game series Guilty Gear. However, unlike the real Faust, this character is in no way connected with Mephistotle, although he was also a doctor. According to the legend of the game, one day a girl died during an operation, and Faust went crazy. Putting a bag on his head and taking his scalpel with him, he began to fight the Giaras, trying to defend some of his crazy ideas and principles.

Bibliography

• Faligan Z., Histoire de la légende de Faust, P., 1888;
• Fischer K., Goethes Faust, Bd I. Die Faustdichtung vor Goethe, 3. Aufl., Stuttgart, 1893;
• Kiesewetter C., Faust in der Geschichte und Tradition, Lpz., 1893;
• Frank R., Wie der Faust entstand (Urkunde, Sage und Dichtung), B., 1911;
• Die Faustdichtung vor, neben und nach Goethe, 4 Bde, B., 1913;
• Gestaltungen des Faust (Die bedeutendsten Werke der Faustdichtung, seit 1587), hrsg. v. H. W. Geissler, 3 Bde, Munich, 1927;
• Bauerhorst K., Bibliographie der Stoff- und Motiv-Geschichte der deutschen Literatur, B. - Lpz., 1932;
• Korelin M., Western legend of Doctor Faustus, “Bulletin of Europe”, 1882, book. 11 and 12;
• Frishmuth M., The Type of Faust in World Literature, “Bulletin of Europe”, 1887, book. 7-10 (reprinted in the book: Frishmut M., Critical essays and articles, St. Petersburg, 1902);
• Beletsky A.I., The Legend of Faust in connection with the history of demonology, “Notes of the Neophilological Society at St. Petersburg University,” vol. V and VI, 1911-1912;
• Zhirmunsky V., Goethe in Russian literature, Leningrad, 1937.

See also articles dedicated to the writers mentioned in this article.

At the beginning of the 16th century, a certain learned man named Johann Faust traveled around the cities of Germany, posing as an omniscient doctor. They said about him that he was actually a warlock, a sorcerer, an alchemist, an astrologer, in short, a devil. Faust did not deny this, boasting that all the secrets of nature were open to him. He supposedly can make gold from lead, cure any disease, determine a person’s fate by the stars, and most importantly, knows the secret of making the elixir of immortality.

In reality, after studying at the university, Faust did not want to engage in medical practice. Taking advantage of the ignorance and gullibility of rich people, he fished gold out of their wallets. Faust was an educated charlatan, and his fame spread as a great miracle worker.

Gradually, legends arose about an extraordinary doctor, wizard and magician who allegedly entered into an agreement with the devil, sold his soul to him and for this received immortality. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who knew the story of the “doctor” well, wrote a tragedy poem on this topic, which he called “Faust.”

The trace of the real Doctor Faustus was lost in European history. No one really knew what happened to him, where he went. Although the date of his death is known, 1540, many believed that he did not die, but actually fell under the power of the devil, completely submitted to him and carried out all his instructions. He lived in the underworld, but sometimes took human form and flew out of there. He has a long black cloak and a hat with a brim and ostrich feathers. He has a thick black beard and very lively eyes. If anyone looks into them, he will begin to obey his will and become his servant. Doctor Faustus was seen more than once on horseback, with a dog running next to him. It was believed that his animals were former people who became demons who could turn into anyone.

But all these fantastic stories were not at all frightening, but, on the contrary, made the image of Doctor Faustus attractive. Many German residents, especially the wealthy, sought a meeting with him. Some influential electors and feudal lords were ready to pay a lot of money to receive him at home, listen to his stories about the other world, about immortality, and watch his experiments.

In 1587, a folk book by Johann Spies was published in Frankfurt am Main, in which he brought together many legends about Johann Faust, the famous sorcerer and warlock, whom he described as an atheist, an unrighteous man, dangerous to people.

According to Spies's notes, Doctor Faust became overly interested in understanding the world around him. He spent most of his time in his laboratory, where he performed various magical experiments. But he was unable to solve many of the mysteries of nature. He was very annoyed. It was the thirst for knowledge and his own powerlessness that led to the fact that for the sake of discovering various secrets, comprehending the secrets of heaven and earth, he agreed to sell his soul to the devil.

As soon as he thought about conspiring with evil spirits, a strange man not from this world immediately appeared in front of him. In a short cloak, with a sly smile and horns barely visible in his hair. It was the spirit of evil Mephistopheles.

A lively conversation ensued between them. Faust wanted to know everything about the world around him; he was interested in the cycle of nature, the structure of the Universe. He wanted to know the meaning of the sunrise, its sunset, the meaning of the change of day and night, the appearance of stars in the sky. Mephistopheles tried to satisfy the doctor’s curiosity, but he also lacked knowledge. Then he invited Faust to do the research himself. For this purpose, Mephistopheles gave him a magic cart drawn by two dragons, on which Faust could rise up to heaven, and from there survey the Universe and the entire earth. And after returning, he and Faust could travel together across the entire earth and see other countries and cities.

They made an agreement, and everyone went about their business. Rising above the ground, Faust became convinced that the sun, which from the ground appears to be the size of a gold taler, is in fact much larger than the earth. And getting close to him is dangerous. Having descended to earth, he and Mephistopheles went on a trip to different countries and cities.

One day Faust met a pig dealer and decided to deceive him. Casting his witchcraft spell on the merchant, he sold him a bundle of straw, which he mistook for a purebred pig and paid him in gold.

Another time, Faust encountered a peasant on the road who was carrying hay for sale. A squabble arose between them; no one wanted to give way to the other. Then Faust threatened the peasant with immediate and terrible punishment and said that he would eat him along with his horse if he did not get out of the way. The peasant was not afraid and said, just let him try. And then Faust opened his mouth, which began to expand and expand. It could fit more than one cart.

The peasant ran in horror for help, met the burgomaster and told him about what he had seen. When, together with the guards, they ran to the place, the peasant’s cart with a horse and hay, as before, stood on the road. Faust was nearby, of course. The peasant began to justify himself, brought God as a witness, and said that it was Faust who had bewitched him. He needs to be caught and publicly punished.

According to another legend, Faust is called a professor at the University of Leipzig. The professor demonstrated various tricks to the students, feasted with them, drank wine and continued to amaze them with his extraordinary miracles.

The wine cellar of the owner Auerbach was chosen for the feasts, which still exists today in Leipzig and is called Auerbachs-Keller. In it, Doctor Faustus demonstrated his magical powers. He made a barrel of wine bounce up the steps. The same barrel itself filled the students’ glasses with wine. Faust invited monkeys into the cellar, who danced on the floor and on the tables so hilariously that some students fell to the floor laughing, looking at their antics.

In the same cellar, Faust told the students the story of the Trojan War and, at their request, evoked the image of Helen the Beautiful. The girl was so good that the professor himself fell in love with her,
his wife, and she bore him a son. Mephistopheles also visited this cellar. From this cellar Faust himself jumped out onto the street on a barrel.

As death approached, the legendary Faust began to think about the meaning of his own life, about his connection with the devil. He began to understand that the knowledge he acquired gave him little; he paid too high a price for it, losing his soul. He repented of what he had done and regretted his ruined soul. Mephistopheles answered him that Faust himself was to blame for everything, and suddenly disappeared. At night, a storm hit Faust’s house, and the hissing of snakes was heard in the rooms. The next morning Faust was found dead.

Booker Igor 06/13/2019 at 14:33

Everyone has heard the name of Doctor Faustus. Became a cult hero of literature back inXVI century eke, he will forever remain in the memory of descendants. But the real man named Faust has little in common with his famous image, and little is known about him for certain.

According to reliable sources, Johann Georg Faust, or Georg Faust, was born around 1480 in Knittlingen, and died in 1540 (1541) in or near the city of Staufen im Breisgau. His entire life was spent in approximately one geographical place - the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Faust combined the combined talents of an alchemist, a magician, a healer, an astrologer and a fortuneteller.

If you happen to see on the counter of a bookstore a plump volume dedicated to the biography of Faust, do not believe your eyes. No, you are not being led by the nose: that hypothetical book could describe in detail everyday life at the end of the 15th - first half of the 16th centuries, the literary and artistic image of Faust, and many other interesting things. The tome will not contain a biography of Faust, since even the most complete and scrupulous biography will easily fit on several A4 sheets of paper, and not everything written on them will be true.

As the modern German literary historian Günther Mahal noted, “a jungle of question marks surrounds the historical figure of Faust.”

In all the testimonies of contemporaries about Faust, he is called Georg, or Jörg. The name Johann first appears two decades after the alchemist's death. A medicine man and healer, Faust at the end of the last century would be called a psychic in Russia. Unlike Kashpirovsky or Chumak, Faust did not have a huge television audience, but his name crossed the borders of not only Germany, but also Europe and remained in the memory of posterity.

Unlike the seven ancient Greek cities that argued among themselves as the birthplace of the great Homer, only three German towns claim to be the cradle of the famous Faust: the already named Knittlingen, Helmstadt near Heidelberg and the town of Roda in Thuringia, mentioned only in legend. Knittlingen won, where today there is a Faust Museum and its archive. As a matter of fact, the winner was determined thanks to a document that has survived to this day about the magician’s acquisition of real estate in these parts. It is dated 1542.

Unfortunately, only a copy of this document, made in pencil by Karl Weisert in 1934, has survived to this day. The original burned down during World War II. The authenticity of the archival document, handwritten by a school teacher, is officially certified by the signature and seal of the then burgomaster of the city of Lener dated March 3, 1934. In addition to this paper, the testimony of Johann Manlius has been preserved. In a letter to his teacher, written in 1563, he mentions meeting Faust of Knittlinger, whom he called “a cesspool full of devils” ( Scheißhaus vieler Teufel).

The teacher of this witness was the famous theologian and reformer, an associate of Luther, nicknamed the Teacher of Germany (Praeceptor Germaniae), the humanist Philip Melanchthon. And he called Faust by the Latinized pseudonym Faustus, adopted during the Renaissance, which translated meant “lucky one.”

After so many centuries, it is very difficult to judge who the mentioned Faust actually was. Some saw him as a deceiver, a charlatan and an adventurer, while others saw him as a philosopher, alchemist, fortune teller, palm reader and healer. In some sources, Faust is insultingly referred to as “a tramp, an empty talker and a tramp-deceiver.” Apparently, it was about a traveling magician.

By the way, it is worth noting that even today some people are negatively disposed towards psychics (at the same time they did not approach them even within a cannon shot), others were cautious out of envy of their successes, etc. In addition, before 1506 there is not a single document that would cover the activities of Doctor Faustus.

In one of the letters, our hero is certified in the following words: “Master Georg Sabellicus Faust the Younger (Georg Sabellicus Faust der Jüngere) is a treasure trove for necromancers, an astrologer, the second of the magicians, a palmist, an aeromancer, a pyromancer, the second of the hydromancers.” Perhaps this is an example of a successful “PR” for a sorcerer who posed as a specialist in reading lines on the hand, clouds, fog and the flight of birds (auspicion), as well as being able to predict and tell fortunes by fire, water and smoke.

The Vatican Library preserves a letter from the Benedictine abbot of Würzburg, Johannes Trithemius, sent by him on August 20, 1507 to the mathematician and court astrologer in Heidelberg, Johann(es) Virdung, 1463-1535, in which the kabbalist Trithemius describes the tricks of Faust with boys. According to this learned man, when the pedophile Faust was in danger of having his homosexual addictions exposed, he went into hiding. Doctor Faustus was called the great sodomite and necromancer in documents kept in the archives of the city of Nuremberg.

According to Abbot Trithemius, Faustus boasted of such knowledge of all sciences and such a memory that if all the works of Plato and Aristotle and all their philosophy were completely forgotten, then he, “like the new Ezra of Judea, would have completely restored them from memory even in a more elegant form". And also, as Faustus said more than once, he “undertakes himself at any time and as many times as he wants to do everything that the Savior did,” reports Trithemius.

It is not known whether Trithemius was an initiate, but some claimed that he predicted the schism of the church two years before the appearance of Luther; the English translator of his works announced in 1647 a fire in London that would devastate the capital of that island 19 years later.

The natural philosopher Johann Trithemius, whose students were the well-known Agrippa of Nettesheim and Theophrastus Paracelsus, spoke rather disparagingly about Faust and his abilities, which involuntarily makes one wonder whether envy was driving his pen and whether he was laying false accusations against his fellow craftsman.

However, much more was said about the other abilities of the magician and wizard, which were more reminiscent of circus tricks than playful adventures with boys. During the next toast in honor of his drinking companion, Faust in the tavern swallowed a servant boy who poured wine over the edge of the mug. And once at a fair, Faust covered a basket of chicken eggs with his cloak, and chickens immediately hatched from it. Vogel’s “Leipzig Chronicle” records: “There are rumors among the people that once, when the cellar workers in the Auerbach wine cellar were unable to roll out an unopened barrel of wine, the famous warlock Doctor Faustus sat astride it and, by the power of his spell, the barrel itself galloped out into the street.” .

In 1520, Faust cast a birth horoscope for the influential Bamberg Archbishop-Elector George III. It should be noted that this is a sign of considerable recognition of the sorcerer’s merits, since His Eminence was one of the highest church hierarchs in German-speaking countries. “Also X guilders were given and sent to Doctor Faustus the philosopher,” - this is exactly what the valet of the Archbishop-Elector pedantically testified in lowercase letters. Ten guilders at that time was a princely fee.

So, continuing the topic,

I decided to make a small selection of the most famous doctor in the world and

Part-time warlock Faust.

Johann Faust (ca. 1480-1540)

Doctor, warlock, who lived in the first half of the 16th century. in Germany,

His legendary biography took shape already in the era of the Reformation and

Over the course of several centuries, it has been the theme of numerous works.

European literature

Mikhail Vrubel.

Flight of Faust and Mephistopheles

Portrait of Faust by an anonymous German artist of the 17th century

Legend

About Doctor Faustus, a warlock scientist who sold his soul to the devil,

Originated in Germany in the 16th century. Johann Faust is a historical figure.

From 1507 to 1540 his name appears repeatedly in various

Documents. In 1909, Faust is mentioned among the students of philosophical

The income and expenditure book of the Bishop of Bamberg notes: “Appointed and

The philosopher Doctor Faustus was awarded 10 guilders for compiling

Horoscope".

Faust and Wagner notice a poodle (the embodiment of Mephistopheles).

However, on less specific biographical data about Faust

Very little. There is an assumption that he was the so-called

"wandering schoolboy", that is, one of the representatives of the medieval

Intellectuals who received a university education but did not have

Permanent service and moving from city to city in search of temporary

Earning money. Faust became famous as an expert in the occult sciences, a predictor and

Compiler of horoscopes.

Rembrandt, engraving "Faust"

Legend

The idea that Faust sold his soul to the devil arose during his lifetime. Myself

Faust did not refute these rumors, but, on the contrary, supported them. One of

Contemporaries of Faust, the doctor Johann Wier, who knew him personally, writes: “There are

I know someone, he has a black beard, his face is dark,

Indicative of a melancholic construction (due to illness

Spleen).

Illustration by L.D. Goncharova

When he somehow

I met Faust, who immediately said: “You look so much like mine.”

Kumanka, that I even looked at your legs, would I see long ones?

Claws." It was he who mistook him for the devil, whom he was waiting for and

Usually called a kumanko. The reality of a deal with the devil at that time was not

Who was not in doubt. Another acquaintance of Faust, a scholar-theologian

Johann Gast wrote: “He had a dog and a horse, which, I believe, were

Demons, because they could do whatever they wanted. I heard from people that

The dog sometimes turned into a servant and delivered food to the owner."

Faust

Died in 1540. In one of the historical chronicles written

Twenty-seven years after his death, it is said: "This Faust

He accomplished so many wonderful deeds in his life that they would be enough to

The writings of a whole treatise, but in the end the evil one still strangled

Him."Both during the life of Faust and after his death, many people circulated

Stories about him. They existed both orally and in writing,

Moreover, these notes were considered the notes of Faust himself. In 1587,

Frankfurt am Main book publisher Johann Spies released a book under

The title is "The Story of Doctor Johann Faust, the Famous Sorcerer and

Warlock", the subtitle of which stated: "For the most part

Extracted from his own posthumous writings."

So...Image

The legendary Faust differs significantly from his historical

Prototype. In Spies's book, the main idea was clearly articulated for the first time

Legends of Doctor Faustus - a thirst for knowledge, to satisfy which

The scientist is ready to sacrifice his soul, renounce God and surrender

Committed to science,” and “he became winged like an eagle, he wanted to comprehend everything

The depths of heaven and earth." For this, Faust entered into an alliance with the devil, and he

He assigned an unclean spirit named Mephistopheles to him, who should

Was to fulfill all the wishes of the scientist and answer all his questions.

Faust and Mephistopheus. Artist E. Delacroix.

"People's Book"

Title

Page of the “People's Book” During the Renaissance, when faith was still alive

Into magic and the miraculous, and, on the other hand, outstanding victories

The science liberated from the bonds of scholasticism, which many imagined

The fruit of the union of a daring mind with evil spirits, the figure of Doctor Faustus

It quickly acquired legendary shape and widespread popularity. In 1587

Germany, in the publication of Spies, the first literary adaptation appeared

Legends about Faust, the so-called “folk book” about Faust: “Historia

Von Dr. Johann Fausten, dem weitbeschreiten Zauberer und

Schwartzkünstler etc.” (The story of Doctor Faustus, the famous wizard

And the warlock). The book is woven into episodes dedicated at one time to

Various sorcerers (Simon Magus, Albertus Magnus, etc.) and attributed to

Ney to Faust. In addition to oral legends, the source of the book was

Modern works on witchcraft and “secret” knowledge (books by theologian

Lerheimer, student of Melanchthon: “Ein Christlich Bedencken und

Erinnerung von Zauberey", 1585; book by I. Virus, student of Agrippa

Nettesheim: “De praestigiis daemonum”, 1563, German. translation 1567, and

A wicked man who entered into an alliance with the devil to acquire great

Knowledge and powers (“Faust grew eagle wings and wanted to penetrate

And explore all the foundations of heaven and earth." “His falling away does not affect

What other than arrogance, despair, insolence and courage like those

The Titans, about whom the poets tell that they piled mountains upon mountains and

Wanted to fight against God, or similar to the evil angel who

He opposed himself to God, for which he was overthrown by God as impudent and

Conceited"). The final chapter of the book tells about the “terrible and

The terrifying end of Faust: he is torn apart by demons, and his soul goes to hell.

It is characteristic that Faust is given the features of a humanist. These traits

Noticeably strengthened in the 1589 edition.

Faust and Mephistopheles

Cahier's Faust

In 1603 Pierre Caillet published a French translation of the folk book about Faust.

Faust

Gives lectures on Homer at the University of Erfurt, at the request of students

Evokes the shadows of heroes of classical antiquity, etc. Addiction

Humanists to antiquity are personified in the book as a “godless” connection

Lustful Faust and Beautiful Helen. However, despite the desire

Yet shrouded in a well-known heroism; everything is reflected in his face

The Renaissance with its inherent thirst for limitless knowledge, the cult

Unlimited possibilities of the individual, a powerful rebellion against

Medieval quietism, dilapidated church-feudal norms and foundations.

Marlowe's Faust

People's

The book about Faust was used by an English playwright of the 16th century. Christopher

Marlowe, who wrote the first dramatic adaptation

Legends. His tragedy “The tragical history of the life and death of

Doctor Faustus" (ed. 1604, 4th ed. 1616) (Tragic story

Doctor Faustus, Russian translation by K. D. Balmont, Moscow, 1912, earlier in

Thirst for knowledge, wealth and power. Marlowe enhances heroic traits

Legends, turning Faust into a bearer of the heroic elements of the European

Renaissance. From the folk book Marlowe learns the alternation of serious and

Comic episodes, as well as the tragic ending of the legend of Faust, -

The ending, which is associated with the theme of the condemnation of Faust and his daring

Gusts.

Widmann's Faust

Folk

The book also forms the basis of a lengthy essay by G. R. Widman about

Faust (Widman, Wahrhaftige Historie etc.), published in Hamburg in

1598. Widmann, in contrast to Marlowe, strengthens the moralistic and

Clerical-didactic tendencies of the “people's book”. History for him

About Faust first of all - a story about “terrible and disgusting

Sins and Misdeeds” of the famous warlock; your presentation

He meticulously equips the legends of Faust with “necessary reminders and

Excellent examples” that should serve the general

"education and warning."

Faust in the 18th century

Pfitzer followed in Widmann's footsteps, publishing his adaptation of the folk book about Faust in 1674.

Exceptional

The theme of Faust gained popularity in Germany in the second half of the 18th century.

V. among writers the period of “storm and stress” [Lessing - fragments

Unrealized play, Müller the painter - tragedy "Fausts Leben

Dramatisiert" (Life of Faust, 1778), Klinger - novel "Fausts Leben,

Thaten und Höllenfahrt" (Life, deeds and death of Faust, 1791, Russian

Transl. A. Luther, Moscow, 1913), Goethe - tragedy “Faust” (1774-1831),

Russian translation by N. Kholodkovsky (1878), A. Fet (1882-1883), V.

Bryusova (1928), etc.]. Faust attracts sturmer writers with his

With its daring titanism, its rebellious encroachment on

Traditional norms. Under their pen, he acquires the features of a “stormy genius”,

Trampling the laws of the environment in the name of unlimited individual rights

Mira. Sturmers were also attracted by the “Gothic” flavor of the legend, its

Irrational element. At the same time, the Sturmers, especially Klinger, combine

The theme of Faust with sharp criticism of the feudal-absolutist order

(for example, the picture of the atrocities of the old world in Klinger’s novel: arbitrariness

Feudal lords, crimes of monarchs and clergy, depravity

The ruling classes, portraits of Louis XI, Alexander Borgia and

"Faust" by Goethe

Most

The theme of Faust reaches its powerful artistic expression in

Goethe's tragedies. The tragedy reflected in significant relief all

The versatility of Goethe, the whole depth of his literary, philosophical and

Scientific quest: his struggle for a realistic worldview, his

Humanism, etc.

If in "Prafaust"

(1774-1775) the tragedy is still fragmentary in nature, then with the advent

In the prologue “In Heaven” (written 1797, published 1808), she assimilates grandiose

The outlines of a kind of humanistic mystery, all numerous

The episodes of which are united by the unity of artistic design. Faust

Grows into a colossal figure. He is a symbol of opportunities and destinies

Humanity. His victory over quietism, over the spirit of denial and

The disastrous void (Mephistopheles) marks the triumph of creative forces

Humanity, its indestructible vitality and creative power.

But on the way to victory, Faust is destined to go through a series of “educational”

Steps. From the “small world” of burgher everyday life he enters the “big world”

Aesthetic and civil interests, the boundaries of the scope of his activities

All are expanding, more and more new areas are included in them, until before Faust

The cosmic expanses of the final scenes, where the seeker

Faust's creative spirit merges with the creative forces of the universe.

The tragedy is permeated with the pathos of creativity. There's nothing frozen here

Unshakable, everything here is movement, development, constant “growth”,

A powerful creative process that reproduces itself at ever higher levels

On the steps.

The very image of Faust, the tireless seeker, is significant in this regard.

“the right path”, alien to the desire to plunge into inactive peace;

A distinctive feature of Faust's character is "discontent"

(Unzufriedenheit), forever pushing him onto the path of tireless action.

Faust ruined Gretchen because he grew eagle wings and they

They draw him beyond the stuffy burgher's room; he does not isolate himself and

In a world of art and perfect beauty, for the kingdom of classical Helen

It turns out in the end to be just an aesthetic appearance.

Faustus thirsts

A great deed, tangible and fruitful, and he ends his life

The leader of a free people who builds their own on a free land

Well-being, winning back the right to happiness from nature. Hell is losing over

Faustus his strength. The tirelessly active Faust, who found the “right path”,

Honored with cosmic apotheosis. So under the pen of Goethe the ancient

The legend of Faust takes on a deeply humanistic character. Should

Note that the final scenes of Faust were written during the period

The rapid rise of young European capitalism and partly

Reflected the successes of capitalist progress. However, the greatness of Goethe in

The fact that he had already seen the dark sides of new social relations and in

With his poem he tried to rise above them.

Ary Scheffer (1798-1858)

Faust and Margarita in the Garden, 1846

Frank Cadogan Cooper "Faust" - Margaret Possessed by an Evil Spirit in the Cathedral

The image of Faust in the era of romanticism

Early 19th century The image of Faust with its Gothic outlines attracted

Romantics. Faust - a traveling charlatan of the 16th century. - appears in the novel

Arnima "Die Kronenwächter", I Bd., 1817 (Guardians of the Crown). The legend of

Faust was developed by Grabbe (“Don Juan und Faust”, 1829, Russian translation.

I. Kholodkovsky in the magazine “Vek”, 1862), Lenau (“Faust”, 1835-1836,

Russian translation A. Anyutina [A. V. Lunacharsky], St. Petersburg, 1904, the same, trans.

N. A-sky, St. Petersburg, 1892), Heine ["Faust" (poem intended for dancing,

"Dr Doctor Faust". Ein Tanzpoem..., 1851) etc.]. Lenau, author of the most

Significant development of the theme of Faust after Goethe, depicts Faust

An ambivalent, hesitant, doomed rebel.

Faust and Margarita. E. Delacroix.

In vain

Dreaming of “uniting the world, God and himself,” Faust Lenau falls victim

The machinations of Mephistopheles, who embodies the forces of evil and corroding

Skepticism, which makes him similar to Goethe's Mephistopheles. Spirit of denial and doubt

Triumphant over the rebel, whose impulses turn out to be wingless and

Worthless. Lenau's poem marks the beginning of the collapse of the humanistic

Legend concepts. In the conditions of mature capitalism, the theme of Faust in its

could no longer receive a Renaissance-humanistic interpretation

Full implementation. The "Faustian spirit" flew away from the bourgeois

Culture, and it is no coincidence that at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. we have no significant

Artistic adaptations of the legend of Faust.

Tatiana Fedorova “Faust and Mephistopheles” 1994

Faust in Russia

A. S. Pushkin paid tribute to Russia to the legend of Faust in his wonderful

"Scene from Faust." We encounter echoes of Goethe's Faust in

“Don Juan” by A.K. Tolstoy (prologue, Faustian features of Don Juan,

Languishing over the solution to life - direct reminiscences from Goethe) and in

The story in letters “Faust” by I. S. Turgenev.

Faust by Lunacharsky

XX century the most interesting development of the theme of Faust was given by A. V. Lunacharsky

In his reading drama “Faust and the City” (written 1908, 1916, ed.

Narkompros, P., in 1918). Based on the final scenes of the second part

Goethe's tragedy, Lunacharsky paints Faust as an enlightened monarch,

Dominant over the country he conquered from the sea. However, the ward

With Faust, the people are already ripe for liberation from the bonds of autocracy, it is happening

A revolutionary coup, and Faust welcomes what happened, seeing in it

Realizing your long-held dreams of a free people in a free

Earth. The play reflects the premonition of a social revolution, the beginning

New historical era. The motives of the Faustian legend attracted V. Ya.

Bryusov, who left a complete translation of Goethe’s Faust (part 1 published in

1928), the story “Fire Angel” (1907-1908), as well as a poem

"Klassische Walpurgisnacht" (1920

Faust Alexandra Zhumailova-Dmitrovskaya

Feona-Doctor Faustus

BOOK OF JOB. William Blake.

Artist I. Tishbein. Portrait of I.V. Goethe.