As they try to come after Mephistopheles and kill him, the Devil transports them into an alternate reality while he and Faust make their escape.įaust and the Devil then travel to a witch's cave where they encounter two apes brewing a potion in a cauldron. As soon as one of the men spills his wine, however, flames jump out from the spilled liquid. He drills holes in the side of one of the tables and pours wine out of the holes. Faust is unconvinced, however, by their crude cares and simple lives. He tries to convince Faust that the men there have found their true pleasure they are men who enjoy their lives in the tavern. Mephistopheles takes Faust first to Auerbach's Cellar, a drinking tavern. The Student leaves, preparing to abandon his study to pursue women. The Devil and the Student talk of the student's future learning endeavors, and Mephistopheles tempts him into a more libertine lifestyle. Mephistopheles tells Faust to prepare for their journey, and while Faust does so, the Devil poses as the doctor as one of Faust’s new students arrives for a lesson. Faust takes the wager, believing that the Devil can never give him such a moment. If Mephistopheles succeeds, Faust must then be his servant for the rest of eternity in hell. The Devil promises to serve Faust and to give Faust a moment of transcendence, a moment in which he hopes to stay forever. Faust continues discussing his inability to find a satisfying higher power, and Mephistopheles makes him an offer. When Faust awakens, Mephistopheles returns, this time with a wager. Mephistopheles leaves the study with a promise to return and show Faust more. To show Faust a taste of his power, Mephistopheles summons a group of spirits that take Faust on a hallucinatory journey while Faust falls asleep. Faust and Mephistopheles begin a conversation about Faust's work and despair at his current situation in life. Soon, the dog transforms, and Mephistopheles appears where the dog once was. He begins his own translation of the work, but the barking dog interrupts him. In his study, Faust attempts to find new inspiration by reading the Gospel of John. As Wagner and Faust return home to their studies, they meet a black dog on the road that follows Faust back to his room.
Faust, however, feels that he probably did more harm than good with his crude medicines. The townspeople crowd around Faust, cheering him because as a young man he and his father helped the people with medicine during a time of plague. The townspeople celebrate Easter, and although Faust feels that he should be with them, he cannot shake his despair at his current situation. Faust describes his passion for nature and for a higher mode of life, but Wagner cannot fathom it.
Just as he is about to take the poison, a chorus of angels appears announcing Easter day and stops him from completing the act.įaust walks outside his town with Wagner, a fellow scholar. In his despair, Faust brews a poison to commit suicide. He summons a Spirit to come and be with him, but this only reinforces the fact that he is human and not spirit and therefore cannot share the Spirit’s higher knowledge. Books and chemistry can no longer define his life for him, and he longs to live a life in harmony with Nature and with the universe. He has been a scholar and an alchemist, and he feels as though he has come to the end of all knowledge. The play introduces Faust while he sits in his study in despair over his life. The Lord agrees, claiming that Faust will remain a loyal follower. Mephistopheles makes a bet with The Lord that he will be able to turn one of his servants, Dr. Mankind is corrupt, he claims, and he revels in the evil and disaster that he is able to cause. While angels worship The Lord for his creation, Mephistopheles, the Devil, complains about the state of affairs in the world.
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