Editing Faust

{{Short description|Protagonist of a classic German legend}}
{{About|the German legendary character|other uses|Faust (disambiguation)}}{{use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
[[File:Jean Paul Laurens - Dr. Fausto.jpg|thumb|300px|''Dr. Fausto'' by [[Jean-Paul Laurens]]]]
[[File:1876 'Faust' by Goethe, decorated by Rudolf Seib, large German edition 51x38cm, from Tamoikin Art Fund.jpg|thumb|1876 'Faust' by Goethe, decorated by [[Rudolf von Seitz | Rudolf Seitz]], large German edition {{Convert|51|x|38|cm|in|abbr=on}}]]

'''Faust''' ({{IPAc-en|f|aʊ|s|t}} {{respell|FOWST}}, {{IPA|de|faʊst|lang|de-Faust.ogg}}) is the [[protagonist]] of a classic [[German folklore|German legend]] based on the historical [[Johann Georg Faust]] ({{circa|1480–1540}}). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a [[deal with the Devil]] at a [[Crossroads (folklore)|crossroads]], exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The Faust legend has been the basis for [[Works based on Faust|many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works]] that have reinterpreted it through the ages. "Faust" and the adjective "''Faustian''" imply sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain.<ref>
{{cite dictionary
 |title=Faustian
 |quote=— pertaining to or resembling or befitting Faust or Faustus; especially in insatiably striving for worldly knowledge and power even at the price of spiritual values; 'a ''Faustian'' pact with the Devil'.
 |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Faustian
 |dictionary=The Free Dictionary (thefreedictionary.com)
}}
</ref>

The Faust of early books – as well as the ballads, dramas, movies, and puppet-plays which grew out of them – is irrevocably damned because he prefers human knowledge over divine knowledge: "He laid the [[Holy Scriptures]] behind the door and under the bench, refused to be called [[doctor of theology]], but preferred to be styled [[doctor of medicine]]".<ref>{{EB1911 |inline=y |last=Phillips |first=W.A. |author-link=Walter Alison Phillips |wstitle=Faust |volume=10 |page=211}}</ref> Chapbooks containing variants of this legend were popular throughout Germany in the 16th century. The story was popularised in England by [[Christopher Marlowe]], who gave it a classic treatment in his play ''[[Doctor Faustus (play)|The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus]]'' ({{circa|1592}}).<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Christopher Marlowe
 |website=Biography (biography.com)
 |url=http://www.biography.com/people/christopher-marlowe-9399572
 |access-date=5 May 2018 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323000251/https://www.biography.com/people/christopher-marlowe-9399572
 |archive-date=23 March 2018
}}
</ref>
In [[Goethe's Faust|Goethe's reworking of the story]] over two hundred years later, Faust seduces a pious girl who then commits suicide, but after many further adventures Faust is saved from damnation through the intervention of penitent women, including the girl whose life he ruined.

==Summary of the story==
Faust is unsatisfied with his life as a scholar and becomes depressed. After an attempt to take his own life, he calls on the [[Devil]] for further knowledge and magic powers with which to indulge all the pleasure and knowledge of the world. In response, the Devil's representative, [[Mephistopheles]], appears. He makes a bargain with Faust: Mephistopheles will serve Faust with his magic powers for a set number of years, but at the end of the term, the Devil will claim Faust's soul, and Faust will be eternally enslaved.

During the term of the bargain, Faust makes use of Mephistopheles in various ways. In [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s drama, and many subsequent versions of the story, Mephistopheles helps Faust seduce a beautiful and innocent young woman, usually named Gretchen, whose life is ultimately destroyed when she gives birth to Faust's illegitimate son. Realizing this unholy act, she drowns the child and is sentenced to death for murder. However, Gretchen's innocence saves her in the end, and she enters [[Heaven]]. In Goethe's rendition, Faust is saved by God via his constant striving – in combination with Gretchen's pleadings with God in the form of the [[eternal feminine]]. However, in the early versions of the tale, Faust is irrevocably corrupted and believes his sins cannot be forgiven; when the term ends, the Devil carries him off to [[Hell]].

==Sources==
[[File:Twardowski z diablem.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Sir Twardowski|Pan Twardowski]] and the devil'' by [[Michał Elwiro Andriolli]]. The Polish folklore legend bears many similarities to the story of Faust.]]

The tale of Faust bears many similarities to the [[Theophilus of Adana|Theophilus]] legend recorded in the 13th century writer [[Gautier de Coincy]]'s ''Les Miracles de la Sainte Vierge''. Here, a saintly figure makes a bargain with the keeper of the infernal world but is rescued from paying his debt to society through the mercy of the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Blessed Virgin]].<ref>An 1875 edition is at:
{{cite book
 |last1=Gautier de Coincy |first1=Par 
 |last2=l'Abbé Poquet |first2=Par 
 |date=1857
 |title=Les miracles de la Sainte Vierge 
 |publisher=Parmantier/Didron
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwedgt6DDtoC&pg=PR3
 |lang=fr
}}</ref> A depiction of the scene in which he subordinates himself to the Devil appears on the north [[tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] of the [[Notre Dame de Paris|Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris]].<ref>See, for example, this photo at:
{{cite AV media
 |last = Ballegeer |first = Stephen
 |date = 5 August 2006
 |title = Portal on the north transept
 |place = [[Notre Dame, Paris]], FR 
 |medium = photo
 |website = [[flickr]]
 |url = https://www.flickr.com/photos/uncle_buddha/220748038/
 |url-status = live
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161129065722/https://www.flickr.com/photos/uncle_buddha/220748038
 |archive-date = 2016-11-29
}}
</ref>

The origin of Faust's name and persona remains unclear.{{dubious|date=June 2017}} In the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'', Faustus is the offspring of an incestuous marriage between king [[Vortigern]] and Vortigern's own daughter.<ref>
{{cite book
 | author=[[Nennius]]
 |title=Historia Brittonum |lang=la, en
 |trans-title=History of the Britons
 |publisher=Project Gutenberg
 |translator= Giles, J.A.
 |year=2006
 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1972/1972-h/1972-h.htm
}}
:''See also'' [[Historia Brittonum |Nennius — ''Historia Brittonum'']]
</ref> 

The character is ostensibly based on [[Johann Georg Faust]] ({{circa|1480–1540}}), a magician and [[alchemy|alchemist]] probably from [[Knittlingen]], [[Württemberg]], who obtained a degree in [[Divinity (academic discipline)|divinity]] from [[Heidelberg University]] in 1509, but the legendary Faust has also been connected with an earlier [[Johann Fust]] ({{circa|1400–1466}}), [[Johann Gutenberg]]'s business partner,<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1=Meggs |first1=Philip B.
 |first2=Alston W. |last2=Purvis
 |date=10 May 2016
 |title=Meggs' History of Graphic Design |edition=4th
 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons
 |location=Hoboken, NJ
 |page=73
 |isbn=978-1-118-77205-8
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxUWCgAAQBAJ&q=fust
 |url-access=subscription
}}
</ref>
which suggests that Fust is one of the multiple origins to the Faust story.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last=Jensen |first=Eric
 | title=Liszt, Nerval, and "Faust"
 |journal=19th&nbsp;Century Music
 |volume=6 |issue=2 |page=153
 |publisher=University of California Press
 |date=Autumn 1982
 |doi=10.2307/746273 |jstor=746273
}}
</ref>
Scholars such as Frank Baron<ref>
{{cite book
 |first=Frank |last=Baron
 |year=1978
 |title=Doctor Faustus: From history to legend
 |publisher=Wilhelm Fink Verlag
 |isbn=978-3-7705-1539-4
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NdpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Doctor+Faustus,+from+History+to+Legend
}}
</ref>
and [[Leo Ruickbie|Ruickbie]] (2009)<ref>
{{cite book
 |first=Leo |last=Ruickbie |author-link=Leo Ruickbie
 |year=2009
 |title=Faustus: The life and times of a Renaissance magician
 |publisher=The History Press
 |isbn=978-0-7509-5090-9}}
</ref>
contests many of these{{which|date=June 2017}} previous assumptions.{{clarify|date=June 2017}}

The character in Polish [[folklore]] named [[Sir Twardowski|Pan Twardowski]] (Sir Twardowski in English) presents similarities with Faust. The Polish story seems to have originated at roughly the same time as its German counterpart, yet it is unclear whether the two tales have a common origin or influenced each other. The historical Johann Georg Faust had studied in [[Kraków]] for a time and may have served as the inspiration for the character in the Polish legend.<ref>
{{cite book
 |first = Walter |last = Schamschula
 |year = 1992
 |title = Pan Twardowski: The Polish variant of the Faust legend in Slavic literatures – a study in motif history
 |series = California Slavic Studies |volume = 14
 |editor1-first = Henrik |editor1-last = Birnbaum
 |editor2-first = Thomas |editor2-last = Eekman
 |editor3-first = Hugh   |editor3-last = McLean
 |publisher = University of California Press
 |isbn=978-0-520-07025-7
 |pages = 209–231
 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sMmDOdEmC38C&pg=PA209
}}
</ref>

The first known printed source of the legend of Faust is a small [[chapbook]] bearing the title ''[[Historia von D. Johann Fausten (chapbook)|Historia von D. Johann Fausten]]'', published in 1587. The book was re-edited and borrowed from throughout the 16th century. Other similar books of that period include:
* ''Das Wagnerbuch'' (1593)
* ''Das Widmann'sche Faustbuch'' (1599)
* ''Dr. Fausts großer und gewaltiger Höllenzwang'' (Frankfurt 1609)
* ''Dr. Johannes Faust, Magia naturalis et innaturalis'' (Passau 1612)
* ''Das Pfitzer'sche Faustbuch'' (1674)
* ''Dr. Fausts großer und gewaltiger Meergeist'' (Amsterdam 1692)
* ''Das Wagnerbuch'' (1714)
* ''Faustbuch des Christlich Meynenden'' (1725)

The 1725 Faust chapbook was widely circulated and also read by the young Goethe.

Related tales about a pact between man and the Devil include the plays ''[[Mariken van Nieumeghen]]'' (Dutch, early 16th century, author unknown), ''[[Cenodoxus]]'' (German, early 17th century, by [[Jacob Bidermann]]) and [[The Countess Cathleen]] (Irish legend of unknown origin believed by some to be taken from the French play ''Les marchands d'âmes'').

==Locations linked to the story==
[[Staufen, Germany|Staufen]], a town in the extreme southwest of Germany, claims to be where Faust died ({{circa|1540}}); depictions appear on buildings, etc. The only historical source for this tradition is a passage in the ''Chronik der Grafen von Zimmern'', which was written {{circa|1565}}, 25 years after Faust's presumed death. These chronicles are generally considered reliable, and in the 16th century there were still family ties between the lords of Staufen and the counts of Zimmern in nearby Donaueschingen.<ref>{{cite book |last=Geiges |first=Leif |date=1981 |title=Faust's Tod in Staufen: Sage – Dokumente |location=Freiburg im Breisgau |publisher=Kehrer Verlag KG}}</ref>

In [[Christopher Marlowe]]'s original telling of the tale, Wittenburg—where Faust studied—was also written as Wertenberge. This has led to a measure of speculation as to precisely where his story is set. Some scholars suggest the [[Duchy of Württemberg]]; others suggest an allusion to Marlowe's own Cambridge (Gill, 2008, p.&nbsp;5)

==Literary adaptations==

[[File:Faustus Manuscript in the Huntingdon Library.jpg|240px|thumb|Marlowe ''Faustus'' in the [[Huntington Library]], [[San Marino, California]]]]

===Marlowe's ''Doctor Faustus''===
The [[Historia von D. Johann Fausten (chapbook)|early Faust chapbook]], while in circulation in northern Germany, found its way to England, where in 1592 an English translation was published, ''The Historie of the Damnable Life, and Deserved Death of Doctor Iohn Faustus'' credited to a certain "P. F., Gent[leman]". [[Christopher Marlowe]] used this work as the basis for his more ambitious play, ''[[The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus]]'' (published {{circa|1604}}). Marlowe also borrowed from [[John Foxe]]'s ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs|Book of Martyrs]]'', on the exchanges between [[Pope Adrian VI]] and a rival pope.

[[File:Page 004 (Faust, 1925).png|240 px|thumb|Illustration by [[Harry Clarke]] for Goethe's ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'']]

===Goethe's ''Faust''===
{{main|Goethe's Faust}}
Another important version of the legend is the play ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]],'' written by the German author [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]. The [[Faust, Part One|First Part]], which is the one more closely connected to the earlier legend, was published in 1808, [[Faust, Part Two|the Second]] appeared posthumously in 1832.

Goethe's ''Faust'' complicates the simple Christian moral of the original legend. A hybrid between a play and an extended poem, Goethe's two-part "[[closet drama]]" is epic in scope. It gathers together references from Christian, medieval, [[ancient Rome|Roman]], eastern, and [[Ancient Greek literature|Hellenic]] poetry, philosophy, and literature.

The composition and refinement of Goethe's own version of the legend occupied him, off and on, for over sixty years. The final version, published after his death, is recognized as a great work of German literature.

The story concerns the fate of Faust in his quest for the true essence of life ("{{lang|de|was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält}}"). Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge, power, and enjoyment of life, he attracts the attention of the Devil (represented by Mephistopheles), who makes a bet with Faust that he will be able to satisfy him. Faust is reluctant, believing this will never happen. This is a significant difference between Goethe's "Faust" and Marlowe's; Faust is not the one who suggests the wager.

In the first part, Mephistopheles leads Faust through experiences that culminate in a lustful relationship with Gretchen, an innocent young woman. Gretchen and her family are destroyed by Mephistopheles' deceptions and Faust's desires. Part one of the story ends in tragedy for Faust, as Gretchen is saved but Faust is left to grieve in shame.

The second part begins with the spirits of the earth forgiving Faust (and the rest of mankind) and progresses into allegorical poetry. Faust and his Devil pass through and manipulate the world of politics and the world of the [[Greek god|classical gods]], and meet with [[Helen of Troy]] (the personification of beauty). Finally, in anticipation of having tamed the forces of war and nature and created a place for a free people to live, Faust is happy and dies.

Mephistopheles tries to seize Faust's soul when he dies after this moment of happiness, but is frustrated and enraged when angels intervene due to God's grace. Though this grace is 'gratuitous' and does not condone Faust's frequent errors with Mephistopheles, the angels state that this grace can only occur because of Faust's unending striving and due to the intercession of the forgiving Gretchen. The final scene has Faust's soul carried to Heaven in the presence of God by the intercession of the "Virgin, Mother, Queen, ... Goddess kind forever ... Eternal Womanhood".<ref>Goethe, ''Faust, Part Two'', lines 12101–12110, translation: [[David Luke]], Oxford World Classics, {{ISBN|978-0-19-953620-7}}.</ref> The woman is thus victorious over Mephistopheles, who had insisted at Faust's death that he would be consigned to "The Eternal Empty".

{{Quote box
 |quote  = Goethe's ''Faust'' is a genuinely classical production, but the idea is a historical idea, and hence every notable historical era will have its own ''Faust.''
 |source = [[Søren Kierkegaard|&emsp; — Kierkegaard]]<ref>{{cite book |first=S. |last=Kierkegaard |author-link=Søren Kierkegaard |title=Either / Or: Immediate stages of the erotic |title-link=Either/Or (Kierkegaard book)}}</ref>
 |width  = 40%
 |align  = right
 |salign = right
}}

===Mann's ''Doctor Faustus''===
[[Thomas Mann]]'s 1947 ''{{lang|de|[[Doctor Faustus (novel)|Doktor Faustus: Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde]]}}'' adapts the Faust legend to a 20th&nbsp;century context, documenting the life of fictional composer Adrian Leverkühn, as analog and embodiment of the early 20th&nbsp;century history of Germany and of Europe. The talented Leverkühn, after contracting venereal disease from a brothel visit, forms a pact with a Mephistophelean character to grant him 24&nbsp;years of brilliance and success as a composer. He produces works of increasing beauty to universal acclaim, even while physical illness begins to corrupt his body. In 1930, when presenting his final masterwork (''The Lamentation of Dr.&nbsp;Faust''), he confesses the pact he had made: Madness and syphilis now overcome him, and he suffers a slow and total collapse until his death in 1940. Leverkühn's spiritual, mental, and physical collapse and degradation are mapped on to the period in which [[Nazism]] rose in Germany, and Leverkühn's fate is shown as that of the soul of Germany.

===Benét's ''The Devil and Daniel Webster''===
[[File:Richard Westall - Faust and Lilith.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Faust and [[Lilith]]'' (1831) [[Richard Westall]].]]
[[Stephen Vincent Benét]]'s short story "[[The Devil and Daniel Webster]]" published in 1937 is a retelling of the tale of Faust based on the short story "[[The Devil and Tom Walker]]", written by [[Washington Irving]]. Benet's version of the story centers on a [[New Hampshire]] farmer by the name of Jabez Stone who, plagued with unending bad luck, is approached by the devil under the name of [[Old Scratch|Mr.&nbsp;Scratch]] who offers him seven years of prosperity in exchange for his soul. Jabez Stone is eventually defended by [[Daniel Webster]], a fictional version of the famous lawyer and orator, in front of a judge and jury of the damned, and his case is won. It was adapted in 1941 as a movie,  ''[[The Devil and Daniel Webster (film)|The Devil and Daniel Webster]]'', with [[Walter Huston]] as the devil, [[James Craig (actor)|James Craig]] as Jabez and [[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]] as Webster. It was remade in 2007 as ''[[Shortcut to Happiness]]'' with [[Alec Baldwin]] as Jabez, [[Anthony Hopkins]] as Webster and [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]] as the Devil.

=== Selected additional dramatic works ===
* ''Faust'' (1836) by [[Nikolaus Lenau]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Pagel |first=Louis |title=Doctor Faustus of the popular legend Marlowe, the puppet-play, Goethe, and Lenau, treated historically and critically |pages=46 }}</ref>
* ''Faust'' (1839) by {{interlanguage link|Hermann Ludwig Wolfram|de}}
* ''Doctor Faust: Dance poem'' (1851) by [[Heinrich Heine]]
* ''Faust: The third part of the tragedy'' (1862) by [[Friedrich Theodor Vischer]]
* ''The Death of Doctor Faustus'' (1925) by [[Michel de Ghelderode]]
* ''Mephisto'' (1933) [[Klaus Mann]]
* ''Faust, a Subjective Tragedy'' (1934) by [[Fernando Pessoa]]
* ''[[Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights]]'' (1938) by [[Gertrude Stein]]
* ''My Faust'' (1940) by [[Paul Valéry]]
* ''Faust '67'' (1969) by [[Tommaso Landolfi]]
* ''Doctor Faustus'' (1979) by [[Don Nigro]]
* Temptation (1985) by [[Václav Havel]] (translated by Marie Winn)
* [[Faustus (play)|''Faustus'']] (2004) by [[David Mamet]]
* ''Wittenberg'' (2008) by [[David Davalos]]
* ''Faust'' (2009) by [[Edgar Brau]]
* ''Faust 3'' (2016) by [[Peter Schumann]], [[Bread and Puppet Theater]]
* [[Life and Trust|''Life and Trust'']] (2024) by [[Jon Ronson]]

===Selected additional novels, stories, poems, and comics===
* ''[[The Devil and Tom Walker]]'' (1824) by [[Washington Irving]]
* ''[[Faust (Turgenev)|Faust]]'' (1856) novella by [[Ivan Turgenev]]
* ''The Cobbler and the Devil'' (1863) by [[August Šenoa]]
* ''Fausto'' (1866) by [[Estanislao del Campo]]
* [[Faust (manga)|''Faust'']] (1950) [[manga]] adaptation by [[Osamu Tezuka]]
* ''[[The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant]]'' (1954) by [[Douglass Wallop]] adapts the Faust theme to baseball
* ''[[The Recognitions]]'' (1955) by [[William Gaddis]]
* ''[[The Master and Margarita]]'' (1967) by [[Mikhail Bulgakov]]
* ''Faust'' (1980) by [[Robert Nye]] 
* ''Mefisto'' (1986) by [[John Banville]]
* [[Faust (comics)|''Faust'']] (1987–2012) series of [[American comic book|comic books]] by [[David Quinn (writer)|David Quinn]] & [[Tim Vigil]]
* ''[[Eric (novel)|Eric]]'' (1990) by [[Terry Pratchett]]
* ''[[Jack Faust (novel)|Jack Faust]]'' (1997) by [[Michael Swanwick]]
* ''Frau Faust'' (2014–Present) by [[Kore Yamazaki]] 
* ''[[Soul Cartel]]'' (2014–2017) by [[Haram and Youngji Kim]]
* ''Teeth in the Mist'' (2019) by [[Dawn Kurtagich]]
* ''The Master's Apprentice'' (2020) by [[Oliver Pötzsch]]
* ''The Devil's Pawn'' (2021) by Oliver Pötzsch

== Cinematic adaptations ==
=== Early films ===
[[File:Faust aux enfers (1903).webm|thumb|''[[The Damnation of Faust (film)|The Damnation of Faust]]'' (1903), directed by [[Georges Méliès]]]]
* ''Faust and Marguerite,'' a short copyrighted by Edison Manufacturing Co. in 1900<ref>{{cite web |title=Faust and Marguerite |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/00694201/ |website=Library of Congress |access-date=June 1, 2022}}</ref>
* ''Faust'', an obscure (now lost) 1921 American silent film directed by Frederick A. Todd<ref name=Workman-Howarth-2016>{{cite book |last1=Workman |first1=Christopher |last2=Howarth |first2=Troy |year=2016 |title=Tome of Terror: Horror films of the silent era |publisher=Midnight Marquee Press |isbn=978-1-936168-68-2 |pages=235, 249 }}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|page= 235}}
* ''Faust'', a 14&nbsp;minute-long 1922 British silent film directed by [[Challis Sanderson]]<ref name=Workman-Howarth-2016/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 249}}
* ''Faust'', a 1922 French silent film directed by [[Gérard Bourgeois]], regarded as the first ever [[3D film|3-D film]]<ref name=Workman-Howarth-2016/>

=== Murnau's ''Faust'' ===
[[F.W. Murnau]], director of the classic ''[[Nosferatu]]'', directed a silent version of ''[[Faust (1926 film)|Faust]]'' that premiered in 1926. Murnau's film featured special effects that were remarkable for the era.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=F.W. Murnau (German director) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/F-W-Murnau |lang=en |access-date=2019-06-16 }}</ref> In one scene, Mephisto towers over a town, dark wings spread wide, as a fog rolls in bringing the plague. In another, an extended montage sequence shows Faust, mounted behind Mephisto, riding through the heavens, and the camera view, effectively swooping through quickly changing panoramic backgrounds, courses past snowy mountains, high promontories and cliffs, and waterfalls.

In the Murnau version of the tale, the aging bearded scholar and alchemist is disillusioned by the palpable failure of his supposed cure for a plague that has stricken his town. Faust renounces his many years of hard travail and studies in alchemy. In his despair, he hauls all his bound volumes by armloads onto a growing pyre, intending to burn them. However, a wind turns over a few cabalistic leaves, and one of the books' pages catches Faust's eye. Their words contain a prescription for how to invoke the dreadful dark forces.

Faust heeds these recipes and begins enacting the mystic protocols: On a hill, alone, summoning Mephisto, certain forces begin to convene, and Faust in a state of growing trepidation hesitates, and begins to withdraw; he flees along a winding, twisting pathway, returning to his study chambers. At pauses along this retreat, though, he meets a reappearing figure. Each time, it doffs its hat in a greeting that is Mephisto confronting him. Mephisto overcomes Faust's reluctance to sign a long binding pact with the invitation that Faust may try on these powers, just for one day, and without obligation to longer terms. Upon the end of that day, the sands of twenty-four hours having run out, after Faust's having been restored to youth and, helped by his servant Mephisto to steal a beautiful woman from her wedding feast, Faust is tempted so much that he agrees to sign a pact for eternity (which is to say when, in due course, his time runs out). Eventually Faust becomes bored with the pursuit of pleasure and returns home, where he falls in love with the beautiful and innocent Gretchen. His corruption (enabled, or embodied, through the forms of Mephisto) ultimately ruins both their lives, though there is still a chance for redemption in the end.

Similarities to Goethe's Faust include the classic tale of a man who sold his soul to the Devil, the same Mephisto wagering with an angel to corrupt the soul of Faust, the plague sent by Mephisto on Faust's small town, and the familiar cliffhanger with Faust unable to find a cure for the Plague, and therefore turning to Mephisto, renouncing God, the angel, and science alike.

=== Post-war === 
Films published after 1945. 

; ''[[La Beauté du diable]]'' [''The Beauty of the Devil''] : Directed by [[René Clair]], 1950  – An adaptation in which [[Michel Simon]] plays a [[dual role]] as Mephistopheles and the older Faust, with [[Gérard Philipe]] playing Faust as transformed into a youthful form.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/176360-the-beauty-of-the-devil-2495709614.html|last=Khan|first=Imran|title='The Beauty and the Devil' and the Visual Feast|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=18 November 2013|accessdate=12 March 2021}}</ref>
'''''[[Woe to the Young]]''''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Αλίμονο στους νέους'')

Directed by [[Alekos Sakellarios]], 1961 – The story of a rich old man ([[Dimitris Horn]]), who wants to be young again so as to marry a young girl ([[Maro Kontou]]), and makes a deal with the Devil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SUNDAY 02/07/2023 |url=https://program.ert.gr/details-en.asp?pid=3882783&chid=11 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=[[Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation|ERT]] World}}</ref>
; ''[[Doctor Faustus (1967 film)|Doctor Faustus]]'' : Directed by [[Richard Burton]] and [[Nevill Coghill]], 1967 – A British horror film adaptation of the 1588 [[Christopher Marlowe]] play ''[[Doctor Faustus (play)|The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bevington |first=David |year=2010 |editor=Deats, Sara Munson |title=Doctor Faustus: A critical guide |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-84706-138-6 |pages=41–71 |chapter=The performance history |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uucb6cjjnFUC&pg=PA51}}</ref>

; ''[[Phantom of the Paradise]]'' : Directed by [[Brian DePalma]], 1974 – A vain rock impresario, who has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for eternal youth, corrupts and destroys a brilliant but unsuccessful songwriter and a beautiful ingenue.

; ''[[Mephisto (1981 film)|Mephisto]]'' : Directed by [[István Szabó]], 1981 – Portrays an actor in 1930s Germany who aligns himself with the [[Nazi]] party for prestige.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cinema of István Szabó: Visions of Europe|last=Cunningham|first=John|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|location=New York City|year=2014|isbn=978-0-231-17199-1|pages=157|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1UZBQAAQBAJ}}</ref>

; ''[[Lekce Faust]]'' (''Faust'') : Directed by [[Jan Švankmajer]], 1994 – The source material of Švankmajer's film is the Faust legend; including traditional Czech puppet show versions, this film production uses a variety of cinematic formats, such as stop-motion photography animation and claymation.

; ''[[Faust (2011 film)|Faust]]'' : Directed by [[Aleksandr Sokurov]], 2011 – German-language film starring Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolda Dychauk.

; ''[[American Satan]]'' : Directed by [[Ash Avildsen]], 2017 – A rock and roll modern retelling of the Faust legend starring [[Andy Biersack]] as Johnny Faust.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=American Satan (2017)
 |website=[[Internet Movie Database]] (imdb.com)
 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5451690/plotsummary
 |access-date=5 May 2018 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505153628/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5451690/plotsummary
 |archive-date=5 May 2018
}}
</ref>

; ''[[The Last Faust]]'' : Directed by [[Philipp Humm]], 2019 – a contemporary feature art film directly based on Goethe's [[Faust, Part One|''Faust'', Part One]] and [[Faust, Part Two|''Faust'', Part Two]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=The Last Faust
 |website=[[The Internet Movie Database]] (imdb.com)
 |date=2 December 2019
 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8871254/
 |lang=en |access-date=2019-12-12
}}
</ref> The film is the first filmed version of ''Faust''&nbsp;I and ''Faust''&nbsp;II as well as a part of Humm's [[Gesamtkunstwerk]], an art project with over 150&nbsp;different artworks such as paintings, photos, sculptures, drawings and an illustrated novella.<ref>
{{cite news
 |last=Feay |first=Suzi
 |date=2019-11-29
 |title=The Last Faust: Steven Berkoff stars in Philipp Humm's take on Goethe
 |newspaper=[[Financial Times]]
 |location=London, UK
 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4a9403cc-110e-11ea-a7e6-62bf4f9e548a
 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live  |access-date=2019-12-31
 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/4a9403cc-110e-11ea-a7e6-62bf4f9e548a
 |archive-date=2022-12-10
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Humm |first=Philipp
 |title=The Last Faust – Ein Gesamtkunstwerk
 |website=philipphumm.art
 |url=https://philipphumm.art/the-last-faust/
 |access-date=2019-12-31
}}
</ref>

==Audio adaptations==
The Christopher Marlowe play has been broadcast on radio many times, including:
* On 29 June 1932, the [[BBC Regional Programme]] broadcast "A Tragical History of the Renaissance Arranged in ten Scenes for Broadcasting by Barbara Burnham",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e00918503a9445d69526eed295a9a65d|title=BBC Regional Programme: Christopher Marlowe's 'Doctor Faustus' (1932)|website=BBC Programme Index|date=29 June 1932 }}</ref> with Ion Swinley as Faustus and Robert Farquharson as Mephistophilis.
* On 13 April 1934, the [[Oxford University Dramatic Society]] performed ''The Tragicall Historie of Doctor Faustus'' on the [[BBC National Programme]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5dc18e68a5e34bb589f54bb3b5fc0067|title=BBC National Programme: The Tragicall Historie of Doctor Faustus (1934)|website=BBC Programme Index|date=13 April 1934 }}</ref> with R.F. Felton as Faustus and P.B.P. Glenville as Mephistophilis. 
* On 11 October 1946, the [[BBC Third Programme]] broadcast an adaptation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/20398ab8ac7e4095a0194fa2c90d171c|title=BBC Third Programme: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1946)|website=BBC Programme Index|date=11 October 1946 }}</ref> with [[Alec Guinness]] as Faustus and [[Laidman Browne]] as Mephistophilis.
* On 18 October 1949, the [[BBC Light Programme]] broadcast an adaptation adapted by E.J. King Bull,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e3914337bf944cb8b8c22d7b967166f9|title=BBC Light Programme: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1949)|website=BBC Programme Index|date=18 October 1949 }}</ref> with Robert Harris as Faustus, [[Peter Ustinov]] as Mephistophilis, [[Rupert Davies]] as Lucifer, [[Richard Hurndall]] (of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fame) as Frederick/Third Scholar and [[Donald Gray]] as The Emperor of Germany.
* On 1 June 1964, the [[BBC Home Service]] broadcast an adaptation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4db5ee651c4b4e0984863c3d478f2001|title=BBC Home Service: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1964)|website=BBC Programme Index|date=June 1964 }}</ref> with Stephen Murray as Faustus and [[Esme Percy]] as Mephistophilis.
* On 24 December 1985, [[BBC Radio 3]] broadcast an adaptation directed by Sue Wilson,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/TheTragicalHistoryOfDoctorFaustus1995_201902|title=The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus (1995)|website=Internet Archive|date=24 December 1995 }}</ref> directed by Sue Wilson with [[Stephen Moore (actor)|Stephen Moore]] as Faustus, [[Philip Voss]] as Mephistophilis, [[Maurice Denham]] as the Old Man, [[John Hollis]] as Lucifer and [[Barrie Rutter]] as Robin.
* The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] broadcast an adaptation of the Marlowe play in 2001, with [[Kenneth Welsh]] as Faustus and [[Eric Peterson]] as Mephistopheles/The Chorus/The Evil Angel.
* In September 2007, [[BBC Radio 3]] broadcast an adaptation directed by Nadia Molinari,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/b007zshv|title=Drama on 3: Dr. Faustus|website=BBC Programme Index|date=23 September 2007 }}</ref> with [[Paterson Joseph]] as Faustus, [[Ray Fearon]] as Mephistopheles, [[Toby Jones]] as Wagner, [[Anton Lesser]] as The Emperor and [[Janet McTeer]] as The Evil Angel.
* On 19 September 2021, a third [[BBC Radio 3]] adaptation of the Marlowe play, adapted and directed by Emma Harding, was broadcast,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/m000zsst|title=Drama on 3: Dr. Faustus|website=BBC Programme Index|date=19 September 2021 }}</ref> with [[John Heffernan (British actor)|John Heffernan]] as both Faustus and Mephistopheles, [[Pearl Mackie]] as Wagner and [[Frances Tomelty]] as The Good Angel.

A five-part adaptation by Martin Jenkins dramatized by [[Jonathan Holloway (playwright)|Jonathan Holloway]] was broadcast as part of [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''15-Minute Theatre'' 18–22 February 2008. The cast included [[Julian Rhind-Tutt]] as Faustus, [[Mark Gatiss]] as Mephistopheles, [[Thom Tuck]] as Wagner, [[Jasmine Guy]] as Gretchen/Demon and Pippa Haywood as Martha.

==Musical adaptations==

[[File:Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii - Feodor Chaliapin as Mephisto.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Feodor Chaliapin]] as Méphistophélès, 1915]]

===Operatic===
The Faust legend has been the basis for several major operas: for a more complete list, visit [[Works based on Faust]]
* ''[[Mefistofele]]'', the only completed opera by [[Arrigo Boito]]
* ''[[Doktor Faust]]'', begun by [[Ferruccio Busoni]] and completed by his pupil [[Philipp Jarnach]]
* ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'', by [[Charles Gounod]] to a French [[libretto]] by [[Jules Barbier]] and [[Michel Carré]] from Carré's play ''Faust et Marguerite'', in turn loosely based on Goethe's ''[[Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy|Faust, Part 1]]''
* [[Faust (Spohr)|''Faust'' (Spohr)]], one of the earliest operatic adaptations of the story, with separate versions premiering in 1816 and 1852 respectively
* [[Hector Berlioz]]'s ''[[La Damnation de Faust]]'' (1846)
* [[Havergal Brian]]'s ''Faust'' (1955–6), set on Part I and in German
* [[Alfred Schnittke]]'s ''[[Historia von D. Johann Fausten (opera)|Historia von D. Johann Fausten]]'', composed between 1983–1994, and premiered in 1995
* Rudolf Volz's ''Rock Opera Faust'' with original lyrics by [[Goethe]] (1997)<ref>{{cite report |last = Malone |first = Paul M. |year = 2004 |title = Faust as rock opera |series=Icons of Modern Culture Series |url = https://rudolf-volz.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Icons-of-Modern-Culture-Series-Faust.pdf |via = rudolf-volz.de }}</ref><ref>{{cite report |last = Maierhofer |first = Waltraut |year = 2017 |section = Devilishly good: Rudolf Volz's rock opera ''Faust'' and event culture  |title = Music in Goethe's Faust, Goethe's Faust in Music |url = https://rudolf-volz.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Music-in-Goethes-Faust.pdf |via = rudolf-volz.de }}</ref>

===Symphonic===
Faust has inspired major musical works in other forms: 
* ''[[Faust Overture]]'' by [[Richard Wagner]]
* ''[[Scenes from Goethe's Faust]]'' by [[Robert Schumann]]
* ''[[Faust Symphony]]'' by [[Franz Liszt]]
* Second movement (German) of [[Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)|''Symphony No. 8'']] by [[Gustav Mahler]]
* ''[[Histoire du soldat]]'' by [[Igor Stravinsky]]

===Other adaptations===
* ''[[Abraxas (ballet)|Abraxas]]'', a ballet based on the Faust legend by [[Werner Egk]] which has been choreographed by several different creatives<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Abraxas|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Dance (2 ed.)|author=Debra Craine|author2=Judith Mackrell|date=19 August 2010 |publisher=[[ Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-956344-9}}</ref>
* ''Faust'' was the title and inspiration of [[Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps]]' 2006 show
* ''[[Faustian Echoes]]'' by American [[black metal]] band [[Agalloch]].
* "Faust Arp" by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Radiohead]]. From the album ''[[In Rainbows]]''.
* "The Small Print" by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Muse (band)|Muse]]. From the album [[Absolution (album)|''Absolution'']]. Originally title ''Action Faust'', it is an interpretation of the tale from the Devil's perspective.
* "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Queen (band)|Queen]]. From the album [[A Night at the Opera (Queen album)|''A Night at the Opera'']].
* "Faust" by singer songwriter Paul Williams from the original soundtrack of ''[[The Phantom of the Paradise]]''.
* "Faust" by English [[virtual band]] [[Gorillaz]], from their album ''[[G-Sides]]''.
* "Absinthe with Faust" by English [[extreme metal]] band [[Cradle of Filth]], from their album ''[[Nymphetamine]]''.
* "Urfaust", "The Calling", "The Oath", "Conjuring the Cull", and "The Harrowing" by American [[death metal]] band [[Misery Index (band)|Misery Index]]. The first five tracks from the album ''[[The Killing Gods]]''. A five-song, modern interpretation of ''[[Goethe's Faust]]''.
* [[Epica (Kamelot album)|''Epica'']] and ''[[The Black Halo]]'' by international [[power metal]] band [[Kamelot]]. A two-album interpretation of the tale.
* "Faust" by American [[metalcore]] band [[The Human Abstract (band)|The Human Abstract]], from their album ''[[Digital Veil]]''.
* "Faust" by [[horrorcore]] rapper ''[[SickTanicK]]'' feat. "[[Texas Microphone Massacre]]", from the album ''[[Chapter 3: Awake (The Ministry of Hate)]]''.
* "Faust, Midas and Myself" by American [[alternative rock]] band ''[[Switchfoot]]''. From the album ''[[Oh! Gravity]]''.
* "The Faustian Alchemist" by Finnish [[black metal]] band ''[[Belzebubs]]''. From the album ''[[Pantheon of the Nightside Gods]].''
* ''[[Randy Newman's Faust]]'', a rock opera written and co-produced by [[Randy Newman]] with [[Don Henley]] as Faust, Randy Newman as the devil, [[James Taylor]] as the Lord, [[Bonnie Raitt]] as Martha, and [[Linda Ronstadt]] as Margaret. 
* ''[[Damn Yankees]]'' is a 1954 musical adaptation of the novel ''[[The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant]]'', which set the Faust theme in the world of mid-20th century American baseball. The stage musical was [[Damn Yankees (1958 film)|adapted to film in 1958]] and  [[Damn Yankees! (1967 film)|for television in 1967]]
* [[Crossroads (1986 film)|''Crossroads'']], starring Ralph Macchio as the Daniel Webster-like savior of an elderly Blues harpist.
* [[Faust (Guilty Gear)|"Faust"]], a character from the video game franchise ''[[Guilty Gear]]''.
* [[Faust (musician)|Bård Guldvik "Faust" Eithun]], Norwegian drummer and convicted murderer, known primarily for his work for [[black metal]] band [[Emperor (Norwegian band)|Emperor]].
* Faust, a character in the 2023 video game ''[[Limbus Company]]'' created by South Korean studio Project Moon.
* 'The Wicked Trilogy', a set of three albums by German symphonic power metal band [[Avantasia]], consisting of ''The Scarecrow'', ''The Wicked Symphony'', and ''Angel of Babylon''; the trilogy is loosely based on the story of Faust

==In psychotherapy==
Psychodynamic therapy uses the idea of a Faustian bargain to explain [[defence mechanisms]], usually rooted in childhood, that sacrifice elements of the self in favor of some form of psychological survival. For the neurotic, abandoning one's genuine feeling self in favour of a [[True self and false self|false self]] more amenable to caretakers may offer a viable form of life, but at the expense of one's true emotions and affects.<ref>{{cite book |first=Diana |last=Fosha |date=5 May 2000 |title=The Transforming Power of Affect: A model for accelerated change |page=83 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-09567-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMlrAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Transforming+Power+of+Affect |url-access=subscription }}</ref> For the psychotic, a Faustian bargain with an [[omnipotence|omnipotent-self]] can offer the imaginary refuge of a [[John Steiner (psychoanalyst)#Psychic retreat|psychic retreat]] at the price of living in unreality.<ref>{{cite book |first=Paul |last=Williams |year=2001 |title=A Language for Psychosis: Psychoanalysis of psychotic states |page=23 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-93325-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6R68EVWmgfsC&q=faust |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Robert Johnson]]
* "[[The Little Mermaid]]", the fairy tale by [[Hans Christian Andersen]], that has a similar plot and themes, and is often considered a child friendly retelling
* [[Jonathan Moulton]], also known as the "Yankee Faust"
* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', an anime franchise significantly inspired by Faust
* ''[[Shinigami#Classical literature|Shinigami]]'', an [[Edo period]] [[rakugo]] work with a similar premise

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|small=yes}}
* {{cite book
 |first=Christopher |last=Marlowe |author-link=Christopher Marlowe
 |year=1969
 |title=Doctor Faustus
 |editor=Barnet, S. |editor-link=Sylvan Barnet
 |publisher=Signet Classics
}}
* {{cite book
 |first=J. |last=Scheible
 |date=c. 1840s
 |title=Das Kloster
 |title-link=Das Kloster
}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|colwidth=25em|small=yes}}
* {{cite book
 |author-link = T. K. Seung |last = Seung |first = T.K.
 |year = 1976
 |section = A philosophical interpretation
 |title=Cultural Thematics: The formation of the Faustian ethos
 |publisher = Yale University Press
 |isbn=978-0-300-01918-6
}}
* {{Cite book |last=Simon |first=Ed |year=2024 |title=Devil's Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain |url= |url-access= |edition= |location=Brooklyn, NY |publisher=Melville House Publishing |isbn=9781685891046 |oclc=1404818872 |access-date=}}
{{Refend}}
* {{cite book
 |editor1=van der Laan, J.M.
 |editor2=Weeks, Andrew
 |year=2013
 |title=The Faustian Century: German literature and culture in the age of Luther and Faustus
 |publisher=Camden House
 |isbn=978-1-57113-552-0
}}

==External links==
* {{cite episode
 |title=Faust
 |date = 23 December 2004
 |network=[[BBC Radio 4]]
 |people=Discussion with [[Juliette Wood]], Osman Durrani & [[Rosemary Ashton]]
 |series = [[In Our Time (radio series)|In Our Time]]
 |type=Audio recording
 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y2bt
}}

{{Faust navbox}}
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[[Category:Faust| ]]
[[Category:Characters in Goethe's Faust]]
[[Category:Fictional characters based on real people]]
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[[Category:Legendary German people]]