Plot

Plot (By Setting)

**__ Prelude in the Theatre __** The comedian, poet, and director have a conversation about the purpose of the theater. They all have different perspectives on what the main purpose is. The director believes that the sole purpose is to make money, the comedian believes that it's purpose is to bring him fame, and the poet believes that the theater is to display his work.

**__ Prologue in Heaven __** This is where the actual plot begins. Mephistopheles(the devil) makes a bet with The Lord on the soul of Faust. The wager is that if Mephistopheles can convince Faust to break his moral ways and bend to evil, his soul belongs to Mephistopheles; if remains a good human being and resists the temptation, The Lord will have his soul when he dies. The Lord accepts this challenge only as a test to Faust, but believes that he will remain pure.

** Night **

__** Faust's Study(I) **__ Faust is in his study recalling all of the areas that he has mastered ( Philosophy, law, medicine, theology, etc). He is intelligent and important enough to have the titles of Master and Doctor, but still feels an emptiness. He feels that he has learned nothing still and seeks help from three other sources. First he looks to nature and the art of necromancy for answers but has no success. Next, "The Sign of the Macrocosms," a book, and then finally by conjuring an Earth Spirit. He becomes frustrated by his inability to learn through magic and contemplates suicide. Faust and the spirit are interrupted by Wagner, his assistant. Wagner tries to convince him that learning is the most important thing in life. Faust considers death as an option but is interrupted by a bell sounding and a chorus of angels and is reminded of his happier youth.

**__ Outside the City Gate __** The town is full of many people discussing their plans for the night, a beggar sings, and many servants and towns people are bustling around. Faust and Wagner enter and people clearly respect Faust, for his father cured the plague. Despite the cheers of the townspeople, Faust cannot break his bad mood and he and Wagner discuss how empty Faust feels. The two find a poodle and it follows the men into the town.

__** Faust's Study(II) **__ Faust enters the study with the poodle, and he begins reading and translating the bible. He reads the verse "In the beginning was the Word " and after a while, the dog will not stop whining and barking and it turns into a terrible monster. The monster is finally revealed as Mephistopheles, then as a scholar. He is trapped but spirits rescue him and sing Faust to sleep. When he returns, her proposes that he can show Faust different ways of life. The deal is that only if Mephistopheles can give Faust a moment in which he is no longer striving and make him want that moment to last, he wins Faust's soul. Faust agrees to this and signs the pact in blood.

__** Auerbauch's Cellar in Leipzig **__  Mephistopheles takes Faust through many different "worlds" to shows him the wonders of life. Their first stop is at Auerbauch's cellar at a drinking party. Throughout the story Faust is doubting that he will lose the bet, so Mephistopheles begins to try to tempt him and make him guilty. At the cellar, there are 3 men, Brander and Frosch are customers at the bar, and Siebel is the bartender. Mephistopheles performs magic on a table at the bar and makes wine flow from it, but when the wine turns to fire as they spill it, they attack him and accuse him of evil magic. Mephistopheles disorients the men with a spell that makes them believe they are in a vineyard and as soon as he lifts the spell, disappears with Faust. Mephistopheles' plan is foiled since Faust is only disgusted by this journey.

**__ Witch's Kitchen __**  Faust and Mephistopheles arrive here because Mephistopheles believes it is time for Faust to regain his youth. They visit a witch who can brew a drink to make Faust young again. Faust is repulsed by all everything that's going on around him( witchcraft, monkeys stirring cauldrons, devil worship, etc). Despite this disgust, Faust does long for his youth and agrees to take the drink. The potion takes 30 years off of Faust's life and Helen of Troy appears in the mirror. Mephistopheles says that every woman will now appear that beautiful to Faust.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ A Street/ Evening __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The character of Margarete is introduced. Faust spots her walking on the street and vows to seduce her. Mephistopheles feels that she will be troublesome due to her pure nature. Mephistopheles provides jewels for Faust to give to Margarete and he leaves them in a casket in her room. When she shows them to her mother, she insists that the jewels be taken to the church. Mephistopheles scorns the idea of churches taking money. They send a second bunch of jewels.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Neighbour's House __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Martha mourns for her husband and wishes to know where he is when Margaret enters. Margaret tells her of the jewels she received and how she is keeping them hidden from her mother. As they are talking, Mephistopheles enters, and pronounces Martha's husband is dead. After this, they decide that Faust and Margaret will meet outside in Martha's garden that night.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ A Street __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Faust and Mephistopheles discuss the meeting that he will have with Margaret. Mephistopheles mentions that Martha asked for a second witness to her husband's death but Faust does not think it right to lie, but when he thinks more about it, he is willing to lie in order to see Margaret.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Martha's Garden __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Mephistopheles and Martha walk together as do Margaret and Faust. She confesses her love to him, and he does to her. After a while they must depart.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">__** Forest and Cavern **__

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Faust remains troubled. He has great happiness in Margaret, but the price is to be always with Mephistopheles. Faust still is slightly disturbed by the fact that Mephistopheles can just use magic to give him whatever he wants.Mephistopheles reminds Faust that Margaret thinks she was deserted so they go back to her house.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Margareta's Room __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Margaret yearns for Faust and confesses again how much she loves him. She sits at her spinning wheel talking about how deeply she loves him and is lost without him.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Martha's Garden __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Margaret admits that she is worried about Faust's lack of religion and says that Mephistopheles scares her and gives her a sick feeling. Faust and Margaret want to be together but since her mother doesn't sleep well, it would be near impossible. Faust gives her a sleeping potion for her mother.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ At the Well __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Margarete hears from a friend that another girl is unwed and pregnant, but she knows she is in no position to criticize the girl. Margaret expresses her pity for the girl but her friend feels no sympathy.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Night __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Valentine, Gretchen's brother, is in front of her house. When he sees Faust and Mephistopheles serenading her, he is furious. Mephistopheles continues to sing a song and Valentine smashes his instrument and draws his sword. Faust kills Valentine and he and Mephistopheles flee. Valentine dies cursing his sister as a whore.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Cathedral Nave __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">An evil spirit haunts Margaret while she is in the church and she faints.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Walpurgis Night __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Faust attends an annual nocturnal gathering of sorcerers and evil spirits, called in the Harz mountain chain of Germany between the Weser and Elbe Rivers. But a fraction of his former self surfaces when he thinks of poor Margaret and has a vision that she has been imprisoned. Guilt-ridden, he persuades Mephistopheles to help him rescue her. After riding magic steeds to the prison in darkest night

__**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Prison **__ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Mephistopheles gets the key to the prison and puts a spell on the guards to make them sleep so that Faust can get in. Margaret doesn't see Faust as young anymore and is frightened and doesn't recognize him at first. Faust tries to get her to leave but as Margarete realizes who Faust is she also realizes that pity is behind his eyes, not love. When she sees Mephistopheles, she is frightened and calls to Heaven. She is saved at the end.