Faust, Part One

What is the purpose of the Earth Spirit in the play? Why does Faust choose to summon it, and what effect does it have on him after it vanishes? Why does he believe that it is still helping to guide him, as he says during his monologue in the forest cavern?

Does Mephistopheles help Faust in his quest for passion and meaning? After the two strike their deal, how do the subsequent events reflect what Faust says he wants from Mephistopheles?

Goethe wrote Faust during and soon after the Age of Enlightenment, and Enlightenment-era ideals are frequently brought up in the play (particularly through the character of Wagner). What can you learn about the ideals of the Enlightenment movement through Faust Part I, and what view does Goethe appear to hold of it?

What has Faust learned or accomplished on his quest for feeling and meaning by the end of Faust Part I? How has his character developed from the start of the play?

How is Gretchen significant to Faust and his journey as a character in Faust Part I? Why does he need her and to fall in love with her, and what does he learn through her downfall?

Examine how Goethe uses religion throughout the play. What point does Goethe make about religion, and what does the use of religion and religious themes add to the piece’s broader message?

Faust Part I contains numerous references throughout its text to the idea of the part versus the whole. Faust asks Mephistopheles, “You seem complete and whole, yet you say you are a part?” (I.6.1345), for instance, and Faust takes in the Sign of the Macrocosm and comments on its wholeness before summoning the Earth Spirit. What is the significance of these repeated references? How do they relate to Faust and his conception of the world?

Examine Faust as a character. Is he the “good man” that the Lord says he is (I.3.328), or is he more in line with Mephistopheles? Despite the sins he commits throughout Faust Part I (poisoning Gretchen’s mother, stabbing Valentine, etc.), is he an essentially good person?