Notes

Faust — Part 1 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Faust — Part 1 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe…MEPHISTOPHELESI to the upper ranks do not belong;Yet if, by me companion’d, thouThy steps through life forthwith wilt take;Upon the spot myself I’ll makeThy comrade;— Should it suit thy need,I am thy servant, am thy slave indeed!FAUSTAnd how must I thy services repay?MEPHISTOPHELESThereto thou lengthen’d respite hast!FAUSTNo! …

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Goethe’s Mephistopheles’ Conception….

Goethe’s Mephistopheles’ Conception.“It is a moot question whether Goethe at first conceived Mephistopheles as the Earth-spirit’s envoy, sent for the express purpose of showing Faust about the world, or whether the Devil was thought of as coming of his own accord. Be that as it may, Faust is an experience-drama, and the Devil’s function is …

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Mephistophilis….

Mephistophilis. Of this name the etymology is very doubtful. P143: Old English drama – select plays; (1878)Ward, Adolphus William, Sir, 1837-1924http://www.archive.org/details/oldenglishdramas00warduoft

The Fortunes of Faust….

The Fortunes of Faust.From the web page:Historian Jeffrey Burton Russel writes:“The Faustbook tells how Faustus, abandoning Philosophy, turns to magic. Given the antischolastic bias of the Protestant Reformation, it was natural that the Faustbook should make the figure of the man who sells his soul to Satan a scholar: Faust desires to obtain knowledge by …

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YouTube Video – Faust 1926 – The Evocation of Mephisto

YouTube Video – Faust 1926 – The Evocation of MephistoPasted from

YouTube Video – Svankmajer’s Faust 1994 – Faustus summons Mephistophilis

YouTube Video – Svankmajer’s Faust 1994 – Faustus summons Mephistophilis. from Svankmajer’s 1994 film

Goethe’s Margaret on Mephistopheles

Goethe’s Margaret on Mephistopheles:Mephistopheles is Faust’s demonic companion who manages Faust’s seduction of her. But she is a pure, devout and innocent young woman and who in her “innermost soul” intuits the evil and the danger in Mephistopheles, and she speaks to Faust. Margaret:I’ve long been grievedTo see you in such company. Faust:Why, who? Margaret:That …

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Goethe’s Mephistopheles ruminates on Faust

Goethe’s Mephistopheles ruminates on FaustGoethe’s Mephistopheles (In Faust’s long gown.)Reason and Science you despise,Man’s highest powers: now the liesOf the deceiving spirit must bind youWith those magic arts that blind you,And I’ll have you, totally – Fate gave him such a spiritIt urges him ever onwards, wildly,And, in his hasty striving, he has leapt Beyond …

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I am the spirit that negates/ever, that denies!/that always denies!

Comparing Goethe’s Faust Translations — Kaufmann and Kline — and Google Translate. It’s an art form. Translations vary. And rightly so. Even Google is subjective, though it’s but a homunculus or golem: Here’s the original German: Mephistopheles.Ich bin der Geist der stets verneint!Und das mit Recht; denn alles was entstehtIst werth daß es zu Grunde …

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Goethe’s Faust – God speaks with Mephistopheles:

Goethe’s Faust – God speaks with Mephistopheles:God:Have you nothing else to name?Do you always come here to complain?Does nothing ever go right on the Earth? 295Mephistopheles: No, Lord! I find, as always, it couldn’t be worse.I’m so involved with Man’s wretched ways,I’ve even stopped plaguing them, myself, these days.Pasted from

Mephistopheles and Christianity

Mephistopheles and Christianity“It should be noted that the name Mephistopheles is used by some people to refer to the Devil, but it is a mere folkloric custom, and has nothing to do with Christian demonology and Christian tradition. Prince of Darkness and Lord of Darkness are also folkloric names, although they tend to be incorporated …

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More Tony Kline on Mephistopheles

More Tony Kline on Mephistopheles“(Goethe’s) Faust turns away from unnatural learning, and from the pursuit of intellectual Truth. Rejected by the overpowering Earth-Spirit, he makes his pact with Mephistopheles. Mephisto will provoke him to activity in order to find what will content Faust, and make him desire the Moment to continue, winning the wager if …

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More More Tony Kline on Mephistopheles

More More Tony Kline on Mephistopheles“Worded as it is, the pact makes Mephistopheles the agent of finding Faust a reason to rest, without which he, Mephistopheles, could not win, and yet his true role is the opposite, to make sure Faust never rests. “Pasted from

Tony Kline on Mephistopheles

Tony Kline on Mephistopheles“Mephistopheles can be regarded legitimately as that aspect of Faust that denies: the aspect that undermines human activity, and declares it worthless, since the results of all human effort are doomed to vanish. Gretchen, Galatea, Helen, and the Virgin represent the aspect of Faust that aspires and is drawn towards the higher. …

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Mephisto Finest Walking Shoes….

Mephisto Finest Walking Shoes….. “Mephisto, Inc. is a manufacturer of shoes and sportswear based in Sarrebourg, France. Founded by designer Martin Michaeli in 1965, the company’s success was founded on its moccasin model. Today Mephisto is a major shoe producer, with more than 2800 employees and 100 million pairs of shoes sold per year. Sales …

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Mephistopheles is not your name….

Mephistopheles is not your name. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” is from The Police‘s 1983 album Synchronicity. Pasted from Inspired by Carl Jung’s theory of Synchronicity, it references the German legend of Faust (below). So did Jung, for that matter. Jung called Goethe’s Faust an “alchemical drama.” This paper (Goethe, Faust, Alchemy, and Jung) argues it’s …

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Where does the name Mephisto/Mephistopheles (Mephistophilus…

Where does the name Mephisto/Mephistopheles (Mephistophilus, Mephistophilis, Mephostopheles, Mephastophilis and etc.) come from?It’s an invented name appearing in the first known chapbook. He is not the Devil (Satan/Lucifer). -In the sixteenth century chapbooks, his name was Mephostophiles. -In the first English translation by P. F. (Gent.), he is Mephistophilis. -In Marlowe’s play, he is Mephastophilis …

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Cornelius Agrippa & His Dog….

Cornelius Agrippa & His Dog. “After Agrippa’s death, rumors circulated about his having summoned demons. In the most famous of these, Agrippa, upon his deathbed, released a black dog which had been his familiar. This black dog resurfaced in various legends about Faustus, and in Goethe’s version became the ‘schwarze Pudel’ Mephistopheles.” Pasted from [Heinrich …

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Marlowe’s Faustus

Marlowe’s FaustusFaustus. How pliant is this Mephistophilis,Full of obedience and humility! Such is the force of magic and my spells. [Now,] Faustus, thou art conjuror laureat, Thou canst command great Mephistophilis:Pasted from Scene III. Marlowe, Christopher. 1909-14. Doctor Faustus. The Harvard ClassicsMarlowe’s MephistophilisMeph. I am a servant to great Lucifer,And may not follow thee without …

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