Goethe's Influence On Faust

History has shaped and molded modern time as we know it, from every war and battle taken place on this earth to every piece of art created. In turn, civilizations and culture had an impact on the people and their doings. Germany has evolved as a country growing from past wars and ever changing culture. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt. At school he studied Law. He did practice law for a while, but in the 1770s he had became one of the most prominent figure in writing. He would go on to write one of the greatest tragedies of the nineteenth century, Faust. The first of the two part play was published in 1808. In the first part Goethe told the story of a Doctor named Faust and his encounter with Mephistopheles. Goethe continued to write until he died in 1832. Faust was influenced by a number of ideas including the Enlightenment, religion, and politics. Faust is the story of a Doctor named Heinrich Faust. The Lord and Mephistopheles make a bet to see if Mephistopheles can get Faust to turn on The Lord. Faust is sadden by his life because he feels there is

For much of history, humans have centered their lives around higher beings or ideas. The dominant religion during the time that Faust was written was Christianity. Faust and the Holy Bible have similar stories like in the book of Job, where God and Satan are discussing how Job is loyal to God. Satan wanted to test if Job would curse God or not. To test if he is loyal, God gave Satan permission to take his wealth and children away from him (New International Version 462). “But now stretch your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse your name” (New International Version 462) While this was uneffective, Satan tried again by making sores on the soles his feet and on the crown of his head (New International Version 463). Mephistopheles made a similar kind of wager with The Lord to see if he can turn