FAUST

Faust, a two-part play by Goethe based on a traditional topic that was finally finished in 1831, explores that restless intellectual and emotional impulse that reached its maximum expression during the European Romantic movement, to which Goethe was a prominent and early contributor. The first section of the piece describes a deal Faust makes with Mephistopheles, the devil, and includes the tragic story of Gretchen, whom Faust seduces. As the book progresses toward its conclusion, Part II, which was created over a significant amount of Goethe's later life, reflects Goethe's personal change from a largely Romantic to a broader worldview and examines more vast issues, including the virtues of the Classical past.