Editor's Choice

In Faust, what is the fate of Mephistopheles and Faust?

Quick answer:

Faust ends with the titular character evading damnation and finding redemption in God's grace and love for other people, with Mephistopheles losing his hope of attaining Faust's soul.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

At the end of Goethe's Faust, Faust dies, but rather than being damned, his soul is reclaimed by the angels and he rejoins Gretchen in heaven. By part 2 of Faust, Faust has become an old and powerful man. However, the sight of a chapel and the hut of an old married couple disturbs him, since he knows neither grace nor human love in his own life. He orders that the peasant couple be evicted so he will not have to bear their presence, but Mephistopheles ends up killing the couple as well, which Faust had not intended.

Motivated by his guilt, Faust decides to help his people. While going through his plans to improve the lives of his people, he feels a great moment of happiness, which he tries to prolong. However, he falls down dead. When Mephistopheles comes to claim Faust's soul with a party of demons, a flock of angels appear and takes Faust away just in time, leaving Mephistopheles frustrated and defeated. He is brought to the presence of the Virgin Mary, Gretchen, and three women mentioned in the New Testament, where Gretchen and the women plead for the salvation of Faust's soul. The Virgin grants their desire.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In Goethe's Faust, at the beginning, to prove to Mephisopheles that all men are not evil, The Lord wagers with the other that Faust, The Lord's servant, can be saved. Mephistopheles has taken the wager and does all that he can to win Faust's soul, by tempting him in every way.

Faust uses Gretchen poorly, but when she dies, she is saved by The Lord in the end. There is a segment of the story where Faust becomes enchanted with Helen of Troy and tries to take her away, but Paris stops him and Mephisto takes Faust away. In the next segment of Part I, Faust and Mephisto travel to Walpurgis Night, the witches' Sabbath. Faust sees many amazing sights there, but leaves still wanting to find Helen. In Part II, Faust is successful in liberating Helen from the Underworld and winning her. They have a son, who dies. At this point Helen must return to the Underworld and leave Faust.

Helen then leaves Faust, expressing that happiness and beauty cannot be permanently combined.

By Act IV of Part II, Faustconsoles himself with a new plan. He has decided to take back land that the sea has overrun. Ready to wage war against nature, Faust finds himself in a war, helping the Emperor he had met earlier to be victorious. At the end, he is given his own ship.

As Faust tries to carry out his plan from the previous act, he attempts to buy land from an old couple, who refuse. Faust asks Mephisto to evict and relocate the peasants, but instead, they are killed and Faust is overcome with anger and remorse. Believing he is at fault, he commences to doing penance to try to make right the wrong that has been committed. He is told that he cannot be successful in his plan for the land, and even blinded, but he refuses to give up, wanting to achieve this last good for the people.

At the end of the summary, we discover Faust's fate: as The Lord has wagered...

Faust has a vision of people living on his reclaimed lands and proudly says the words from his agreement with Mephisto in Part I: 'Stay, Thou art so fair.' He immediately dies, but his soul is saved before Mephisto and his demons have a chance to claim it.

Faust goes to Heaven. There he finds Gretchen, his intercessor, waiting for him. In the company of the heavenly host, he will now endeavor to reach his "ultimate salvation."

Ironically, Mephistopheles is an integral part of the Lord’s design, as he tells Faust: 'A part of that power which always wills evil, but always does good.' While Mephisto represents negation, by tempting Faust toward surrender, he only succeeds in leading Faust toward his salvation.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial