Study Questions, Johann Wolgang von Goethe, Faust I, lines 2337-4614

 

Witch’s Kitchen

  1. What are the two ways for Faust to become young again? What does he choose and why? (2338-65)
  2. What does Faust see in the mirror? (2429-47, 2456-264, 2599-2604)
  3. What kind of relationship is there between Mephistopheles and the witch? (2465-2517).
  4. How does the witch’s magic function, and what does Faust think of it? (2519-2586)
  5. What is the image of witches that one has from the “Witches Kitchen” scene?

A Street

  1. What does Faust like about Margaret? (2609-15)
  2. What do Faust and Mephistopheles argue about? (2616-2658)
  3. What do Faust and Mephistopheles decide to do? (2663-2677)

Evening

  1. What does Margaret think about Faust? (2678-83)
  2. What doubts does Faust have in Margaret’s room? (2685-2730)
  3. What does Margaret sing about? (2759-2782)
  4. How does Margaret react to the jewelry box? (2784-2804)

Promenade

  1. Why is Mephistopheles so angry at the beginning of Promenade? (2805-2848)
  2. How does Faust react to Mephistopheles’ frustration? (2849-2864)

The Neighbor’s House

  1. What do Margaret and Martha want to do with the jewelry box? (2874-2894)
  2. What is Mephistopheles’ strategy for dealing with Margaret? (2901-2912, 2943-2950, 3005-3008, 3018-22)
  3. What is the theme of the stories that Mephistopheles tells about Martha’s husband? (2937-40, 2951-58, 2962-67, 2970-84)
  4. What does Martha think of her husband? (2929-36, 2959-61, 2968-69, 2985-87, 2992-97)

A Street

  1. Why do Faust and Mephistopheles argue? (3025-3050)
  2. Why does Faust change his mind? (3051-3072)

Martha’s Garten

  1. Why do Faust and Margaret argue at the beginning? (3073-84, 3096-3105)
  2. Why is Martha worried about Mephistopheles? (3089-3095, 3149-3162)
  3. What kind of life has Margaret had up to this point? (3109-3148)
  4. What does it mean when Faust says that his „ecstasy“ is „everlasting“? (3188-94)

A Summer Cabin

  1. What does Margaret think of Faust? (3205-3216)

Forest and Cavern

  1. What has the Earth Spirit given to Faust? (3217-3250)
  2. What does Mephistopheles think of Faust’s experiences of nature? (3278-3292)
  3. Why do Faust and Mephistopheles argue? (3305-3344)
  4. Why does Faust describes his relation to Margaret as a relation between a “homeless roamer” and someone “in her cabin on an alpine meadow”?
  5. Why does Faust think he should return to Margaretl? (3361-3365)
  6. Why does Mephistopheles think that Faust should return to Margaret? (Z. 3365-73)
  7. What is the main conflict of this scene for Faust?
  8. What is Mephistopheles’ role in Faust’s conflict?

Gretchen’s Room

  1. How does Margaret express her love in the form of this poem? (3374-3413)

Martha’s Garden

  1. What is Faust’s answer to Margaret’s question of whether he believes in God? (3426-3458)
  2. Why is this question about God important to her according to Mephistopheles and to Faust (3522-3543)?
  3. How would you characterize the relation between Faust and Mephistopheles in this scene?
  4. What should Margaret do in order for Faust and Margaret to spend a night together? (3503-16)

At the Well

  1. What was Barbara’s error according to Lieschen? (3544-3569)
  2. How does Margaret react to the story? (3577-86)

By the Ramparts

  1. How does Margaret’s prayer to the Mater dolorosa (3587-3619) compare to Faust’s speech to the Earth Spirit (3217-3250)?

Night

  1. What does Valentine complain about? (3620-45)
  2. Why does Mephistopheles provoke Valentine with his song? (3679-3697)
  3. What strategy does Valentine use to criticize Margaret? (3725-3763)
  4. How would you assign the guilt for Valentine’s death in the scene?

Cathedral

  1. What do we learn about Margaret’s mother from the Evil Spirit? (3776-3793)
  2. Whose perspective does the Evil Spirit represent?
  3. What is the source of Margaret’s pain? (3800-3834)

Walpurgis Night

  1. How does Mephistopheles first describe the path into the mountains? (2835-37, 3848-59)
  2. How does Faust describe this path? (3838-47)
  3. How do Faust, Mephistopheles, and the Will-O’-The-Wisp describe the path? (3871-3911)
  4. How do Faust and Mephistopheles describe the air and the landscape on the mountain? (3912-3955)
  5. How do the witches describe themselves and each other? (3974-4015)
  6. How does Faust react when he believes that he sees Margaret? How does Mephistopheles react? (4183-4214)
  7. What kind of play is „Walpurgis Night’s Dream“? What happens? What is entertaining about it? (4223-4398)
  8. What kind of theater is being staged in Walpurgis Night? How does it compare to the preceding and subsequent scenes?

Gloomy Day - Field

  1. Why do Faust and Mephistopheles argue?
  2. Who is guilty of causing Margaret’s suffering?
  3. This is the only scene in the play that is in prose instead of verse? What is the effect of this change and why would Goethe do this?

Night – Open Field

  1. Why is this scene included? What does it show? (4399-4404)

Dungeon

  1. What does Margaret think when Faust first enters? (4423-4440)
  2. Why does Margaret at first not want to leave the dungeon? (4479-4496)
  3. What does Margaret still not want to leave later on? (4501-4517, 4530-4550, 4580-94)
  4. What is the nature of Margaret’s insanity? (4412-440, 4442-4450, 4453-4459, 4551-4562)
  5. What happens to Faust and Margaret at the end? (4604-4612)
  6. Why should Margaret be saved?