The Faustian Bargain in Classical Literature
[ send me this essay ]
A five page paper looking at the way a number of classical sources treat the 'Faustian Bargain' -- the exchange of short-term gratification for long-term misery. Sources discussed are the Bible, Machiavelli's 'The Prince,' Homer's 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey,'; Aeschylus' 'Agamemnon,' Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex,' Virgil's 'Aeneid,' Dante's 'Divine Comedy,' Cervantes' 'Don Quixote,' and Goethe's 'Faust.' No additional sources.
Filename: KBfaust2.wps

Goethe's 'Faust' / The Devil's Funnybone -- A Comic Episode
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper examining one episode of comic relief in Goethe's Faust. It concerns the Devil's advice to a first-year student trying to decide on a field of study, and contains considerable irony and satire. The paper concludes that the Devil's cynicism actually serves to throw Faust's sincerity into higher relief. Bibliography lists three sources.
Filename: Devilfun.wps

Goethe’s Faust – A Soul Torn Between Gretchen and Mephistopheles
[ send me this essay ]
This 5 page report discusses Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s masterpiece “Faust” and whether or not Faust will give his soul over to God, to Gretchen or to Mephistopheles. Throughout the story, it could be resolved in a number of ways. However, what Faust never seems to realize is his fundamental helplessness in the face of powers much greater than his own. No bibliography.
Filename: BWfaust.rtf

Magic In Shakespeare & Goethe
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper that details the passage of magic, dreams, and incantations in a Midsummer Nights Dream and Goethe's Faust. The writer also examines how both works display these qualities and goes into significant plot analysis as well.
Filename: Midg.wps

Messages for Today in Goethe’s “Faust”
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper examining the issues Goethe raises in Faust and determining the extent to which they are relevant to our own time. The paper concludes that Faust is redeemed through not only an acknowledgment of his mistakes but an understanding of them; he is also redeemed through an increased knowledge of the importance of giving of oneself. No additional sources.
Filename: KBfaust.wps