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Something that I found extremely interesting while reading Faust, was that Margaret knew that the devil surrounded Mephistopheles and Faust but she could not exactly pinpoint why she felt that way. I think it is ironic that she started off as this (seemingly) innocent young girl, but then she takes a turn for the worst. Just being caught up in a passion-filled relationship with Faust, causes her almost to sign a deed with the devil, herself. She is the one who really ends up doing his bidding because she kills her whole family just to be with a man who abandons her for a while when all this happens. In the end, it is Margaret that suffers for who Faust decided to be loyal to.
I also find it super interesting that even though Mephistopheles main goal with Faust was to make him more miserable in his life, he allowed for the relationship between Faust and Margaret to go on.... But maybe that was just his way of fooling and playing with Faust. He allowed for him to grasp for a minute what he truly wanted (which was happiness, I guess, and Margaret), but then he just took it from him. So maybe that was the whole point all along. Mephistopheles just wanted his bidder to do his bidding in hell.

On a deeper note (I think), how does this work tie into the God we meet at the beginning in the Prologue in Heaven, and to the real God that we know in our time?

I commented on Will's

Comments

  1. Nathanael C. CarrollOctober 30, 2017 at 6:45 PM

    Comment: Mephistopheles goal is yes, to eventually enslave/ be served by Faust below, but in order to do so, he must not make him miserable, BUT satisfy him with a full knowledge of everything in human experience. Part of that obviously includes misery, but it is important to keep the full picture.

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  2. Michael TurnerOctober 30, 2017 at 7:06 PM

    "We must suffer into truth." Suffering is a brutal but wise teacher. It is does not discriminate between race, religion, or gender. The sad thing about suffering is that it often effects the people around us before it touches our own lives. Margaret is one of those unfortunate victims. As you pointed out she gives up herself in order to be with someone who would leave her. I think this sums up society in general. In a way, everyone sells themselves out for things that are temporary; with unfortunately devastating results in some cases.

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  3. Will BradyOctober 30, 2017 at 8:13 PM

    The God in the Prologue was insistent that Faust would find the right path in the end… I don't think our God would let Faust run amok dealing in witchcraft, devilry, adultery, murder, and a love/hate relationship with Satan himself and just say "It's all cool, Faust will have a deathbed conversion or something." God let Satan tempt Job because He knew Job would resist; if He knew that Job would lead an innocent girl to insanity-driven murder, I don't think He would've allowed that to happen. I would say this is a giant leap over the line for Goethe's beliefs; his god seems a lot more careless than our God.

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  4. Natalie SchulerOctober 30, 2017 at 8:37 PM

    I think part of the reason Mephistopheles allowed the affair to go on for so long is because it gave Faust more time to become attached to Margaret and thus harder to leave her. It increased Mephistopheles' chances of winning Faust's soul if Faust was overly attached to Margaret.

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  5. Phillip VoOctober 30, 2017 at 9:04 PM

    What Nate said I agree with, in a contract with even the Devil, or even especially with the Devil, he has to hold up to what Faust wants in order to gain Faust as his "bidder in hell" as you put it. The affair does play to us Faust's weakness, which each and every one of us has.

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  6. Ty GoramOctober 30, 2017 at 10:04 PM

    I think Faust is a prime example of what you think you want isn't exactly what you need sorta deal. Especially since he just ends up causing margaret more and more pain the longer he is around her.

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  7. UnknownOctober 30, 2017 at 10:36 PM

    It's also kinda crazy how Faust is supposed to be this philosopher that is all enlightened and what not, yet as soon as he gets a taste of youth and power he goes crazy with lust. It's like his brain is gone and he's just an animal. He says he loves Margaret, but all we see is the desire to disrobe her.

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