Discuss the meaning of the “Prologue in Heaven” and its similarity to the Biblical Book of Job
The songs of the
three archangels express Goethe’s belief that the universe is a dynamic
continuum where action is the law that dominates Nature and man. In this system
the only absolute sin is non-action; man, despite many errors of judgment or
wrong turns can find the path of righteousness, but only if he continues
striving. He eventually will succeed if he keeps up the struggle because
striving is itself a moral act and his intuitive yearnings all point toward a
good end.
Mephisto
represents the spirit of negativistic cynicism, of endless denial. He can be a
force for good or evil inducing a man to surrender to his lowest instincts and
give up the quest, or driving him by persistent prodding and frustration to
find the fulfilment of his ideals, i.e. salvation. He is unmoved by Mephisto’s
threats to Faust because he knows that man has an innate will for good, and
that errors or backsliding are natural incidents in the human progression
toward righteousness.
The conversation
and bargain between god and Mephistopheles are reminiscent of a similar scene
at the opening of the Book of Job. This Biblical connection is emphasized by
Goethe’s use of an archaic German style in this section. It creates an exalted
and sacred background for the worldly tribulations of Faust and invites the
reader to compare Goethe’s conception of the universe, where man is free to err
and strive, with that of Job, where he must blindly accept his fate.
The setting of
the prologue to the poem in Heaven implies that the life and fate of Faust are
matters of universal significance, which will clarify the relationship of God
and man, good and evil, existence and non-existence. Aside from this important
purpose, the prologue, presents another crucial question, which is symbolically
expressed in Mephisto’s ager-whether the Lord has been competent as a Creator
and whether his creation, the world and its inhabitants, is worthy of survival.
Traditional
portrayals of the devil? What philosophical principles does he represent? What
is his function in the divine plan an din regard to Faust’s ultimate attainment
of salvation?
Mephistopheles
Goethe’s
Mephisto is very different from the crude devil of medieval legend and the
original Faust story. He is a cultivated, witty, and cynical exponent of
materialism and nihilism, and preaches a sophisticated doctrine of
philosophical negation. Mephisto’s most outstanding characteristic is scepticism;
the inability to believe in anything. Ironically, although Mephisto represents
evil, he can also be an unconscious force for good. This is first indicated by
his presence at the side of God in the “Prologue in Heaven,” which implies that
evil is an accepted and natural part of God’s universal system. This view is
emphasized by Mephisto’s relationship with Faust.
Mephisto’s
specific observations about humanity and the universe are usually right,
because it is easy form him in his role as a “cosmic outsider” to discern real
faults in the established system. At the same time, however, his vision is
narrow and his total outlook is wrong. As a result he never fully understand
Faust, makes inadequate plans for the seduction of his victim, and is finally defeated
by Love, a force which he never recognized or comprehended.
On another level
Mephisto represents the negative elements in Faust’s own personality. This is
why the devil and his intended victim are able to remain so close throughout
both parts of the poem, and why, at certain points, like the Walpurgis Night in
Part One where Faust’s evil side is dominant, Mephisto is able to come so close
to winning him. Mephisto fails, however, because he cannot understand or
appreciate the positive sides of Faust’s character (or human nature in
general), and does not attribute any powers of resistance or resilience to
Faust in the struggle for his soul.
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