Analyze Faust’s religious belief as they are explained by him Gretchen. Do Faust’s ideas on this subject reflect those of Goethe
Faust and
Gretchen are together in the garden. She has noticed that he never participates
in any religious rites, and she is concerned about the state of his soul. She
asks whether he believes in religion.
In answer Faust
states his tolerance for the beliefs of other people, despite his contempt for
conventional religion and orthodox theology. He defines God as the creative
spirit of the universe and describes his personal faith in Nature and human
emotions as manifestations of this cosmic guiding force. He explains:
Then call it
what you will-Happiness! Heart! Love! God! I have no name for it! Feeling is
all;
Name is mere
sound and reek Clouding Heaven’s light.
Faust’s answer
is an equivocating one and demonstrates contempt for reason and analytical
thought. His creed, as given here, visualizes God as a dynamic force that
imbues all of life with vitality and form. It can only be known by feeling and
intuition, and not through artificial rituals or system of belief. To recognize
this force is to worship it, and the name one uses is of no importance. To a
certain extent this is a statement of Goethe’s own beliefs, but Faust
overemphasizes the importance of sensory experience because of the influence
Mephisto has on him. Faust’s real concern here is not to give a complete or
even a truthful answer, although he is truthful, but only to overcome a
potential barrier between himself and Gretchen.
Faust’s reply
has not fully satisfied Gretchen, but she turns to another source of
anxiety—her intuitive distrust and fear of Mephistopheles. Faust reassures her,
then asks permission to come to her room that night. Gretchen’s only objection
is that her mother might overhear. Faust gives her a sleeping potion for the
old woman. They arrange their rendezvous and Gretchen leaves.
The devil’s keen
understanding of Faust’s character is shown by his observation that Faust is
really not loathe to violate Gretchen’s trust and that the spirituality in her,
that Faust continually praises, is just another source of her sensual
attraction for him.
Comments
Post a Comment