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In his
study, Faust dabbles in black magic. He meets the
devil (Mephistopheles) and makes a pact which gives
him access to the devil’s powers under the condition
that if the devil can ever completely satisfy Faust,
he wins Faust’s soul. Mephisto takes Faust out into
the world—first to a wine cellar and then to a
witch’s kitchen where Faust receives a potion which
turns him into a young man. Thus rejuvenated, Faust
meets a young girl, Gretchen. With help from
Mephisto, Faust woos Gretchen and eventually seduces
her. Gretchen becomes pregnant, and Mephisto takes
Faust away to the carnal pleasures of Walpurgis
Night. When Faust returns, Gretchen has killed her
baby and is in prison waiting to be executed. Faust
tries to help her escape, but she refuses to leave.
SUMMARY - PART II
Faust and
Mephisto take on their next adventure: serving the
Emperor at his court. Faust helps the Emperor out of
financial troubles by inventing paper money. When
the Emperor demands to see Helen of Troy and Paris,
Mephisto helps Faust summon the mythic couple, but
when he tries to embrace Helen, there is an
explosion and she vanishes.
Faust
sleeps in the study where the story began. Mephisto
meets Wagner, Faust’s former assistant, who is
trying to create human life in a test tube. When he
brings Homunculus to life, the tiny creature
recommends a trip to Classical Walpurgis Night.
There, Faust continues his search for Helen;
Homunculus pursues his quest for life but ends up
shattering his vial on Galatea’s shell; and Mephisto
meets the Phorcides and transforms himself into one
of them, Phorkyas.
Helen
appears at Menelaus’ palace, where she meets
Phorkyas. She is transported to a medieval European
castle where she meets Faust. She is attracted to
the way Faust’s people speak in rhyme, and she
learns this skill. Then the scene shifts to Arcadia,
where Helen and Faust appear with their son
Euphorion. His brief life consists of constant
striving for new heights, and after plunging to his
death, Helen also vanishes into the air.
Faust
tells Mephisto he would like to rule over land
reclaimed from the sea. Mephisto tells him he can
have his wish by helping the Emperor win a battle.
If he can help him win, the Emperor will give him
the coastline he desires. With Mephisto’s help Faust
wins the battle and receives his reward.
At the
height of his career, ruling over his reclaimed
property, Faust is unsatisfied because there is
still a plot of land owned by an elderly couple that
isn’t his. He sends Mephisto and a few henchmen to
move them to another location, but in the event,
their house is burned down and the couple is killed.
Shortly afterwards Faust dies, old and blind.
Mephisto struggles with a host of angels over
Faust’s soul, but the angels prevail and Faust is
saved, his eternal soul floating heavenward. |
