Faust
  by　Johann　W。　　Geothe
  Translated　by　Anna　Swanwick　　（　1808　）
  Introductory　Note
  Johann　Wolfgang　von　Goethe；　the　greatest　of　German　men　of　letters；　was
  born　at　Frankfort…on…the…Main；　August　28；　1749。　His　father　was　a　man　of
  means　and　position；　and　he　personally　supervised　the　early　education　of　his
  son。　The　young　Goethe　studied　at　the　universities　of　Leipsig　and　Strasburg；
  and　in　1772　entered　upon　the　practise　of　law　at　Wetzlar。　At　the　invitation　of
  Karl　August；　Duke　of　Saxe…Weimar；　he　went　in　1775　to　live　in　Weimar；
  where　he　held　a　succession　of　political　offices；　becoming　the　Duke's　chief
  adviser。　From　1786　to　1788　he　traveled　in　Italy；　and　from　1791　to　1817
  directed　the　ducal　theater　at　Weimar。　He　took　part　in　the　wars　against
  France；　1792…3；　and　in　the　following　year　began　his　friendship　with　Schiller；
  which　lasted　till　the　latter's　death　in　1805。　In　1806　he　married　Christiane
  Vulpius。　From　about　1794　he　devoted　himself　chiefly　to　literature；　and　after　a
  life　of　extraordinary　productiveness　died　at　Weimar；　March　22；　1832。　The
  most　important　of　Goethe's　works　produced　before　he　went　to　Weimar　were
  his　tragedy　〃Gotz　von　Berlichingen〃　（1773）；　which　first　brought　him　fame；　and
  〃The　Sorrows　of　Young　Werther；〃　a　novel　which　obtained　enormous
  popularity　during　the　so　called　〃Sturm　und　Drang〃　period。　During　the　years　at
  Weimar　before　he　knew　Schiller　he　began　〃Wilhelm　Meister；〃　wrote　the
  dramas；　〃Iphigenie；〃　〃Egmont；〃　and　〃Torquato　Tasso；〃　and　his　〃Reinecke
  Fuchs。〃　To　the　period　of　his　friendship　with　Schiller　belong　the　continuation　of
  〃Wilhelm　Meister；〃　the　beautiful　idyl　of　〃Hermann　and　Dorothea；〃　and　the
  〃Roman　Elegies。〃　In　the　last　period；　between　Schiller's　death　in　1805　and　his
  own；　appeared　〃Faust；〃　〃Elective　Affinities；〃　his　autobiographical　〃Dichtung
  und　Wahrheit〃　（〃Poetry　and　Truth〃）；　his　〃Italian　Journey；〃　much　scientific
  work；　and　a　series　of　treatises　on　German　Art。
  Though　the　foregoing　enumeration　contains　but　a　selection　from　the　titles　of
  Goethe's　best　known　writings；　it　suffices　to　show　the　extraordinary　fertility　and
  versatility　of　his　genius。　Rarely　has　a　man　of　letters　had　so　full　and　varied　a　life；
  or　been　capable　of　so　many…sided　a　development。　His　political　and　scientific
  activities；　though　dwarfed　in　the　eyes　of　our　generation　by　his　artistic
  production；　yet　showed　the　adaptability　of　his　talent　in　the　most　diverse
  directions；　and　helped　to　give　him　that　balance　of　temper　and　breadth　of
  vision　in　which　he　has　been　surpassed　by　no　genius　of　the　ancient　or　modern
  world。
  The　greatest　and　most　representative　expression　of　Goethe's　powers　is
  without　doubt　to　be　found　in　his　drama　of　〃Faust〃；　but　before　dealing　with
  Goethe's　masterpiece；　it　is　worth　while　to　say　something　of　the　history　of　the
  story　on　which　it　is　founded　…　the　most　famous　instance　of　the　old　and
  widespread　legend　of　the　man　who　sold　his　soul　to　the　devil。　The　historical
  Dr。　Faust　seems　to　have　been　a　self…called　philosopher　who　traveled　about
  Germany　in　the　first　half　of　the　sixteenth　century；　making　money　by　the
  practise　of　magic；　fortune…telling；　and　pretended　cures。　He　died　mysteriously
  about　1540；　and　a　legend　soon　sprang　up　that　the　devil；　by　whose　aid　he
  wrought　his　wonders；　had　finally　carried　him　off。　In　1587　a　life　of　him
  appeared；　in　which　are　attributed　to　him　many　marvelous　exploits　and　in
  which　he　is　held　up　as　an　awful　warning　against　the　excessive　desire　for
  secular　learning　and　admiration　for　antique　beauty　which　characterized　the
  humanist　movement　of　the　time。　In　this　aspect　the　Faust　legend　is　an
  expression　of　early　popular　Protestantism；　and　of　its　antagonism　to　the
  scientific　and　classical　tendencies　of　the　Renaissance。
  While　a　succession　of　Faust　books　were　appearing　in　Germany；　the　original
  life　was　translated　into　English　and　dramatized　by　Marlowe。　English　players
  brought　Marlowe's　work　back　to　Germany；　where　it　was　copied　by　German
  actors；　degenerated　into　spectacular　farce；　and　finally　into　a　puppet　show。
  Through　this　puppet　show　Goethe　made　acquaintance　with　the　legend。
  By　the　time　that　Goethe　was　twenty；　the　Faust　legend　had　fascinated　his
  imagination；　for　three　years　before　he　went　to　Weimar　he　had　been　working
  on　scattered　scenes　and　bits　of　dialogue；　and　though　he　suspended　actual
  composition　on　it　during　three　distinct　periods；　it　was　always　to　resume；　and
  he　closed　his　labors　upon　it　only　with　his　life。　Thus　the　period　of　time　between
  his　first　experiments　and　the　final　touches　is　more　than　sixty　years。　During　this
  period　the　plans　for　the　structure　and　the　signification　of　the　work　inevitably
  underwent　profound　modifications；　and　these　have　naturally　affected　the　unity
  of　the　result；　but；　on　the　other　hand；　this　long　companionship　and　persistent
  recurrence　to　the　task　from　youth　to　old　age　have　made　it　in　a　unique　way　the
  record　of　Goethe's　personality　in　all　its　richness　and　diversity。
  The　drama　was　given　to　the　public　first　as　a　fragment　in　1790；　then　the
  completed　First　Part　appeared　in　1808；　and　finally　the　Second　Part　was
  published　in　1833；　the　year　after　the　author's　death。　Writing　in　〃Dichtung　und
  Wahrheit〃　of　the　period　about　1770；　when　he　was　in　Strasburg　with　Herder；
  Goethe　says；　〃The　significant　puppet　…　play　legend　。　。　。　echoed　and　buzzed　in
  many　tones　within　me。　I　too　had　drifted　about　in　all　knowledge；　and　early
  enough　had　been　brought　to　feel　the　vanity　of　it。　I　too　had　made　all　sorts　of
  experiments　in　life；　and　had　always　come　back　more　unsatisfied　and　more
  tormented。　I　was　now　carrying　these　things；　like　many　others；　about　with　me
  and　delighting　myself　with　them　in　lonely　hours；　but　without　writing　anything
  down。〃　Without　going　into　the　details　of　the　experience　which　underlies　these
  words；　we　can　see　the　beginning　of　that　sympathy　with　the　hero　of　the　old
  story　that　was　the　basis　of　its　fascination　and　that　accounted　for　Goethe's
  departure　from　the　traditional　catastrophe　of　Faust's　damnation。
  Hungarian　March　from　the　〃Damnation　of　Faust〃Op。24　by　Hector
  Berlioz（1803　…　1869）。
  Of　the　elements　in　the　finished　Faust　that　are　derived　from　the　legend　a　rough
  idea　may　be　obtained　from　the　〃Doctor　Faustus〃　of　Marlowe；　printed　in　the
  present　volume。　As　early　as　1674　a　life　of　Faust　had　contained　the　incident　of
  the　philosopher's　falling　in　love　with　a　servant　…　girl；　but　the　developed　story　of
  Gretchen　is　Goethe's　own。　The　other　elements　added　to　the　plot　can　be　noted
  by　a　comparison　with　Marlowe。
  It　need　hardly　be　said　that　Goethe's　〃Faust〃　does　not　derive　its　greatness　from
  its　conformity　to　the　traditional　standards　of　what　a　tragedy　should　be。　He
  himself　was　accustomed　to　refer　to　it　cynically　as　a　monstrosity；　and　yet　he
  put　himself　into　it　as　intensely　as　Dante　put　himself　into　〃The　Divine　Comedy。〃
  A　partial　explanation　of　this　apparent　contradiction　in　the　author's　attitude　is　to
  be　found　in　what　has　been　said　of　its　manner　of　composition。　Goethe　began　it
  in　his　romantic　youth；　and　availed　himself　recklessly　of　the　supernatural
  elements　in　the　legend；　with　the　disregard　of　reason　and　plausibility
  characteristic　of　the　romantic　mood。　When　he　returned　to　it　in　the　beginning　of
  the　new　century　his　artistic　standards　has　changed；　and　the　supernaturalism
  could　now　be　tolerated　only　by　being　made　symbolic。　Thus　he　makes　the
  career　of　Faust　as　a　whole　emblematic　of　the　triumph　of　the　persistent　striving
  for　the　ideal　over　the　temptation　to　find　complete　satisfaction　in　the　sense；　and
  prepares　the　reader　for　this　interpretation　by　prefixing　the　〃Prologue　in
  Heaven。〃　The　elaboration　of　this　symbolic　element　is　responsible　for　such
  scenes　as　the　Walpurgis　…　Night　and　the　Intermezzo　scenes　full　of　power　and
  infinitely　suggestive；　but　destructive　of　the　unity　of　the　play　as　a　tragedy　of
  human　life。　Yet　there　remains　in　this　First　Part　even　in　its　final　form　much　that
  is　realistic　in　the　best　sense；　the　carousal　in　Auerbach's　cellar；　the　portrait　of
  Martha；　the　Easter　…　morning　walk；　the　character　and　fate　of　Margaret。　It　is
  such　elements　as　these　that　have　appealed　to　the　larger　reading　public　and　that
  have　naturally　been　emphasized　by　performance　on　the　stage；　and　by　virtue　of
  these　alone　〃Faust〃　may　rank　as　a　great　drama；　but　it　is　the　result　of　Goethe's
  broodings　on　the　mystery　of　human　life；　shadowed　forth　in　the　symbolic　parts
  and　elaborated　with　still　greater　complexity　and　still　more　far　…　reaching
  suggestiveness　…　and；　it　must　be　added；　with　deepening　obscurity　…　in　the
  Second　Part；　that　have　given　the　work　its　place　with　〃Job；〃　with　the
  〃Prometheus　Bound；〃　with　〃The　Divine　Comedy；〃　and　with　〃Hamlet。〃
  The　Tragedy　Of　Faust　…　Dedication
  Ye　wavering　shapes；　again　ye　do　enfold　me；　As　erst　upon　my　troubled　sight
  ye　stole；　Shall　I　this　time　attempt　to　clasp；　to　hold