Faust - A Classic Drama of Knowledge, Temptation, and the Human Soul - Softcover

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1935238345 ISBN 13: 9781935238348

Publisher: Richer Resources Publications, 2014

Synopsis

What would you give to know everything that can be known? For the German scholar Heinrich Faust, the answer is, everything. In Goethe s dramatic epic poem Faust, perhaps the best-known version of this age-old legend, Faust pledges his soul to Mephistopheles if and only if he is satisfied with the knowledge he attains. Following the Dedication, Prelude in the Theater, and Prelude in Heaven, the action in this sprawling drama moves rapidly from scene to scene including a witch s kitchen, a dungeon, an imperial throne room, and, ultimately the scene of Faust s burial. Along the way, we are treated to a variety of characters, most notably Faust himself and the sly and witty Mephistopheles. Behind the often bantering dialogue lie serious metaphysical questions on the nature of temptation, the struggle of good and evil, and humankind s incessant striving for a rightful place in the universe. Written over a period of some three decades, Faust is a drama of epic proportions: theatrical productions of the uncut two-part text can take more than 20 hours. In this new translation, commissioned by the Target Margin Theater and produced in 2006 at the Classic Stage Company in New York, the play was presented in two three-hour sections. In its review, The New York Times praised the lucid and direct language of Douglas Langworthy s translation. Indeed, bringing a modern sound and sensibility to Goethe s poetry, Langworthy has created a stageworthy rendition of a major literary classic.

About this title

About the Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was a German writer, poet, dramatist, and philosopher widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in world history. His works helped shape German literature and European intellectual culture. Goethe’s Faust is considered his masterpiece and remains one of the most influential works of dramatic literature ever written.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Once more draw near me, flickering shapes, Who drew my weary gaze so long ago. This time shall I try to hold you close? Is my heart seduced by these mad visions? You’re crowding in! All right, take charge, Come out of this fog, envelop me; Youthful feelings quicken in my breast Roused by the magic breezes in your wake. You bring back memories of happier days; Many beloved ghosts emerge again Like in an old and half-forgotten myth, First love and friendship rising with it; The pain feels fresh, repeating the lament Of the twisted labyrinth of life, Telling of the friends who now are gone, Cheated by fortune of their brightest hours. They won’t hear the ending of this song, The eager souls who were the first to hear it, Those friends of mine have now been pushed aside, Their first reactions disappeared with them. My song will now be heard by strangers’ ears— Eager for their praise, my heart grows timid; And those who once took pleasure in my song, If still alive, are scattered far and wide. A long-forgotten yearning overcomes me For that solemn, silent spirit realm, As if from a harp, my whispered tones Begin to sound again uncertainly, 10 A shudder seizes me, tears follow tears, My hardened heart feels tender once again; All that I have recedes into the distance, And what I’ve lost becomes reality

Edition details

• Publisher: Richer Resources Publications
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1935238345
• ISBN 13: 9781935238348
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• Illustrator: Ian Crowe
• Number of pages: 247