Implications of Christian Ideology in Goethes Faust
In Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe builds a dramatic poem around the basis of human strengths and weaknesses, two traits exemplified by Goethe through his main character, Johann Faust. Throughout his life, Faust becomes knowledgeable in math, science, and the Holy Scripture, yet desires to find happiness as a result of his persistent struggle for power. Faust seeks not power through knowledge, but power resultant from knowledge achieved through transcendence. Infinitely, it is this desire that is the downfall of Faust; he sacrifices his beliefs and morals to his pursuit of ultimate knowledge, and, in doing so, he becomes detached from reality. Through his ignorance of the surrounding humanity, Faust becomes obliterated by emptiness. During the time period of the poem's setting, Christians and society considered this type of greedy pursuit to be immoral and unjust, and thus, many Christian elements play key roles in Goethe's interpretation of the legendary figure. Through allusions to religious archetypes, along with symbolic Christian principles, the "tragedy" of Faust shows the lifelong struggle of a man who longs for transcendence and the world, yet, remains imprisoned by his own mind.
Thus, it can be concluded that Goethe's Faust embodies aspects of Christian principles in its composition. Through the symbolism of events and physical objects, along with the paralleling of characters to Christian archetypes, the play exonerates a Christian overtone. Through Goethe's description of Faust's search for truth,meaning, and how he renounced his faith then repented, show that the drama is more than just the story of Faust's promised salvation, it is the celebration of heroic ideals deep-rooted in religious principalities. Although Faust turns from his religious principles, in the end, he still receives Salvation. In the Prologue to Heaven, God tells the Devil that he has faith in Faust standing by his belief in the Divine Principles. Yet when the Devil bargains with Faust, the plot turns toward a downward spiral. Initially, Faust is seen with Mephistopheles as his companion and servant, but the reality is that Faust is merely a puppet of Mephistopheles, and in turn, it is revealed that Faust has been the true servant all along. Throughout the twenty-four years of this "Faustian Bargain," it can still be seen that Faust is continually striving for excellence. Through his heroic striving for knowledge and power, God sees that he is still worthy of salvation, and the archangels carry him to Heaven. The Redem
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Approximate Word count = 902
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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