Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

CentreStage Theatre Archives

Faust

Caroline Rose-Marie 

Stephan Happe

Luca Stromann

Und steh beschämt, wenn du bekennen musst:

Ein guter Mensch in seinem dunkeln Drange

"Parts One and Two published separately ... in 1992 and 1998."--Title page verso.

A Tragedy, Parts One and Two, Fully Revised

Part one, all day, part 2, what is happening ?

Adam Scharf

Faust (Bantam Classics)

faust ist ein ekelhafter groomer und die geschichte ist irgendwie jetzt auch nicht ihren hype wert, wenn ich ganz ehrlich bin. ich fand’s, bis auf den anfang, ziemlich langweilig.

the original German and a new translation and introduction

Goethe's Faust

Dimitris Papastergiou

I liked it. 

The first part that is. The second part, I guess Goethe ate something questionable and then wrote the second part. But all in all it was good and interesting and it had its good moments, its shocking moments and some really fucked up ones. If the story had ended with the first part, I'd be equally satisfied if not more than reading the second. Oh well, you should read it. It's good.

Maria . M . S

I need to read it another time, but my impression is still there. The writing is great, the plot is really interesting even if it is similar of the Job story from the Bible at least the beginning. Because Faust tired of all, tired of avoiding pleasure and regretting his life decisions, agreed.
I love the way was written the first scene definitely one my favourite scenes in theatre.

— lae

read in german, was a real pain in the ass, but a beautiful engaging book

D. D.

lena

** spoiler alert **
           So I was a bit biased after hearing such bad things, but I can honestly say I liked it!
Mephisto was a bit of the ironic bad boy you often get to read about in today's novels - he was really a good character.
Faust himself may seem a bit strange at times, but actually we can all relate to him at some point, right? 
He sought knowledge, learned to love, and underwent tremendous development in the play.
Of course - I don't want to slander that at all - he ruined Gretchen's life. 

But still: This is definitely my favorite play by Goethe so far with great characters!

Ale ♡

dnf @ p. 40.

it's not personal (maybe it is), but my homework from this play is for the 24th and i have 7 more homeworks, so, this is a big no from me, sorry.

i'm gonna be honest: i didn't understand many things of this play. a friend (who is a very religious and cool person) told me that this is some sort of like job story, yeah, the dude from the bible. so i'm gonna research more about him and watch tons of videos of faust because the lack of time (and my lack of will to read this properly) is stressing the shit out of me. and if i'm stressed, i'm not gonna read this and enjoy it as i'd wish to.

also, i don't own the physical book of faust and the ebook is making me go insane (i was reading it in spanish lol), so, yikes.

will i pick it up some day to read it properly? yes, i might do that. but for now, 2 stars for summoning a spirit!

super spannendes verstehen buch aber nicht verständlich beim lesen. fack ju goethe!

Karla Grünewald

Zeke Taylor

** spoiler alert **
           Don’t remember the ending being that poignant

Erfan Abedi

Would have been a wonderful masterpiece if is wasn't for the changing rhythm; now it's just a normal masterpiece.
I didn't like how he noted every fucking detail in the beginnings and how he skipped time in order of months in the final chapters.

Some of its quotes are awesome, the way this guy dissed his contraries was perfect, and my God, the amount of German folklore in this books.
Speaking of the quotes:

1970 - Mephistopheles:
Laws drag on from old to new generations and creep about from place to place.
Good sense is foolishness and human decency plague!

Also more at lines 1100, 1550, 1600, 1770, 1810, 1910, 1940, 2180, 2048.

Deluxe hardcover edition of Goethe's masterpiece features illustrations by Harry Clarke, a leading figure in the Irish Arts & Crafts movement. Twenty-one plates, eight in color, complement the text.

Lily

'How strangely through the hollows glimmering
Like a false dawn the dull light glows!
Into crevasses glinting, shimmering,
Into each deep abyss it goes.'

If you can get your hands on any of the editions with Harry Clarke's illustrations, I highly recommend it.

der Tragödie erster Teil.

Isa s

Another book I had to read in school (like probably every single student in Germany) and at the time and didn't have much love for it (like probably every student having to read it). But since the play has grown on me and by now I quite like it.

Part 1 (Faust)

Olivera Mitić

Pff, not sure how to rate this. It really wasn't anything spectacular.

Goethe’s Faust reworks the late-medieval myth of Dr Faust, a brilliant scholar so disillusioned he resolves to make a contract or wager with the devil, Mephistopheles. The devil will do all he asks on Earth and seek to grant him a moment in life so glorious that he will wish it to last for ever. But if Faust does bid the moment stay, he falls to Mephisto and must serve him after death. In this first part of Goethe’s great work the embittered thinker and Mephistopheles enter into their agreement, and soon Faust is living a life beyond his study and – in rejuvenated form – winning the love of the charming and beautiful Gretchen. But in this compelling tragedy of arrogance, unfulfilled desire and self-delusion, Faust, served by the devil, heads inexorably towards destruction.

The First Part of the Tragedy

Mari

3.5 stars 

I need to read this in German because I skipped so much out of boredom and confusion.

OR 
I need to read this is a literature class where I can get insight. 

OR 
Maybe long-form poetry is not for me.

lola

absolutely fascinating, beautifully composed into the last detail. Every word, every stylistic device has a meaning. Spent more than a year reading and discussing it over and over again and the more time I spent with it, the more fascinating things I discovered. Definitely worth reading, don’t be afraid of the language, you will get used to it, but you might need to read it twice. Also I’d recommend to read and discuss it with a group of people.

Sans

WARNING!!!!! THIS REVIEW APPARENTLY CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!! PLEASE TURN BACK NOW TO SPARE YOURSELF THE TRAUMA FROM ALL OF THESE SPOILERS!!!!!! 











I'M SERIOUS, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T READ THIS. MY WRIST WAS PROPERLY SLAPPED DUE TO THE SPOILERS I LET LOOSE IN THIS REVIEW.














FOR GOD'S SAKE, THINK OF THE CHILDREN AND TURN BACK WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!!












ARE YOU SURE YOU REALLY WANT TO READ THIS REVIEW, CHOCKED FULL OF SPOILERS??













WELL THEN, BE IT ON YOUR OWN HEAD. I DID TRY TO WARN YOU. 











DON'T COME CRYING TO ME WHEN YOU HAVE THE ENTIRE BOOK SPOILED FOR YOU IF YOU KEEP READING.











(view spoiler)[Ok. I get that this an important novel. It's full of metaphors and meaning and humor (of a sort) and blahblahblah. Just...seriously? No. Just no. I liked the idea, the Faustian myth. This...was not a thing I liked. I mean, what did Mephistopheles even show Faust other than drunken composers, an underaged girl (TOTAL. CREEPER. PEDOPHILE.), and some weird party for witches on a mountain? How is that searching for knowledge? How does that help Faust crack the mysteries of the metaphysical? How does knocking up a fifteen year old girl (and killing her brother AND helping her accidentally kill her mother, wtf, seriously, what EVEN) help him reach transcendental knowledge??

I'm pretty sure I was like

for most of the book

With the occasional


Followed by


And

for good measure

When I finally finished I was all
 (hide spoiler)]

The legend of Faust grew up in the sixteenth century, a time of transition between medieval and modern culture in Germany. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) adopted the story of the wandering conjuror who accepts Mephistopheles's offer of a pact, selling his soul for the devil's greater knowledge; over a period of 60 years he produced one of the greatest dramatic and poetic masterpieces of European literature. David Luke's recent translation, specially commissioned for The World's Classics series, has all the virtues of previous classic translations of Faust, and none of their shortcomings. Cast in rhymed verse, following the original, it preserves the essence of Goethe's meaning without sacrifice to archaism or over-modern idiom. It is as near an `equivalent' rendering of the German as has been achieved. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Faust: Part One

Caitlin Berger

Gosh, it got more and more confusing and convoluted as it went on...also Goethe doesn't know how to write women and/or he unfortunately participated in perpetuating the idea that women only exist to further a man's journey/self-discovery, whether in print or in real life. This contributes to all of the centuries of literature that imply this. Kinda gross.
But otherwise, an interesting read! A bit of a let-down since it's one of the most hyped books in history, though.

Karla

anna 

Linda Queißer

Anna M. Siem

Faust. Der Tragödie Erster Teil

Iwa✨

Sanatta hiçbir zaman kusursuz yoktur, en iyi sayılabilecek bir yapıt ancak 'oldukça iyidir'" sözleriyle sanat anlayışını belirten Goethe, sadece Almanya'nın değil, bütün Avrupa'nın en önemli dehalarından biridir. Yaşamı boyunca şiirden romana, felsefeden bilime kadar farklı alanlarda sayısı yüzlerle ifade edilen yapıta imza atmıştır. 

Faust, Goethe'nin yazarlık yaşamının elli yıllık emeğini alarak, haklı bir üne kavuşmuş en önemli yapıtıdır.

Ruhsal özgürlüğe ulaşmanın maddi arzulardan sıyrılmak ve bencil olmamakla mümkün olabileceği fikrini işlediği bu yapıt, yazarın sanatının da doruk noktasıdır.

İnsanın şeytanla vardığı bir anlaşma ve bunun sonuçları üzerine kurulu bu yapıtıyla Goethe'ye yeniden hayranlık duyacak ve bu yapıtının yazarın elli yıllık emeğine değdiğini göreceksiniz.

Faust

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