Johann
Wolfgang Von Goethe, “Faust” (99-122)
Faust:
·
Is depressed, frustrated and in despair
over humanity’s helplessness
·
He is a scholar and alchemist
·
He feels that he exhausted the limits of
human understanding: “Oh God, how hard I’ve slaved away, with what result? Poor
foolish old man, I’m no whit wiser than when I began” (105).
·
Studied philosophy, laws and medicine,
recto and verso and theology.
·
He has a Master of Arts degree and a
Ph.D.
·
He feels that he is far more intelligent
than others: “Of course I’m far cleverer than those stuffed shirts, These
Doctors, M.A.s, Scribes and Priests” (105).
·
He is definitely arrogant.
·
He isn’t afraid of the Devil or Hell.
·
Holds himself to high regard in human
life.
·
He feels that he lost his amusement and
no longer thinks he is entirely complete until he can merge with nature and the
universe.
·
Ex: “So I no longer need to sweat
painfully explaining what I don’t know anything about: So I may penetrate the
power that holds the universe together, behold the source whence all proceeds
and no more torture words, words, words” (106). He definitely wants to obtain a
higher power and a higher intelligence than he already has. This wanting is
like human nature: where a typical human will just want more and more and more.
This definitely places him as being only just a human that’s knowledgeable
limits only go so far and as a human who lives off emotions.
·
Wants to be of higher power so he even
goes as far as to claim he is equal as a being who knows more than a human and
goes to farther places than a human could go: “Faust: We’re equals I know! I
feel so close to you, near, you busy spirit ringing everywhere! Spirit: It’s
your idea of me you’re equal to, Not me!” (109) This statement from the spirit
could be stating that the spirit is so much higher in level than Faust, or a
normal human; that humans can’t even comprehend that high level of power and
knowledge.
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