Folk legend about Doctor Faustus. "The People's Book of Doctor Faustus" Castle courtyard

The choir comes on stage and tells the story of Faust: he was born in the German city of Roda, studied in Wittenberg, received a doctorate. “Then, filled with daring conceit, / He rushed to the forbidden heights / On wings of wax; but the wax melts - /And the sky doomed him to death.”

Faust in his office reflects on the fact that, no matter how successful he is in earthly sciences, he is only a man and his power is not unlimited. Faust became disillusioned with philosophy. Medicine is also not omnipotent, it cannot give people immortality, it cannot resurrect the dead. Jurisprudence is full of contradictions, the laws are absurd. Even theology does not provide an answer to the questions tormenting Faust. Only magical books attract him. “A powerful magician is like God. / So, refine your mind, Faust, / Striving to achieve divine power.” A good angel persuades Faust not to read cursed books full of temptations that will bring the wrath of the Lord upon Faust. The evil angel, on the contrary, incites Faust to engage in magic and comprehend all the secrets of nature: “Be on earth, as Jupiter is in the heavens - / Lord, master of the elements!” Faust dreams of making the spirits serve him and becoming omnipotent. His friends Cornelius and Valdez promise to initiate him into the secrets of magical science and teach him how to conjure spirits. Mephistopheles appears at his call. Faust wants Mephistopheles to serve him and fulfill all his desires, but Mephistopheles obeys only Lucifer and can serve Faust only by order of Lucifer. Faust renounces God and recognizes Lucifer, the lord of darkness and ruler of spirits, as the supreme ruler. Mephistopheles tells Faustus the story of Lucifer: he was once an angel, but he showed pride and rebelled against the Lord, for which God cast him down from heaven, and now he is in hell. Those who rebelled against the Lord with him were also condemned to hellish torment. Faust does not understand how Mephistopheles has now left the realm of hell, but Mephistopheles explains: “Oh no, here is hell, and I am always in hell. / Or do you think that I, the ripened face of the Lord, / Having tasted eternal joy in paradise, / am not tormented by a thousand-fold hell, / Having irretrievably lost bliss?” But Faust is firm in his decision to reject God. He is ready to sell his soul to Lucifer in order to “live, tasting all the bliss” for twenty-four years and have Mephistopheles as his servant. Mephistopheles goes to Lucifer for an answer, and Faust, meanwhile, dreams of power: he longs to become a king and subjugate the whole world.

Faust's servant Wagner meets the jester and wants the jester to serve him for seven years. The jester refuses, but Wagner summons two devils, Baliol and Belcher, and threatens that if the jester refuses to serve him, the devils will immediately drag him to hell. He promises to teach the jester to turn into a dog, a cat, a mouse or a rat - anything. But if the jester really wants to turn into anything, it’s into a little frisky flea, so that he can jump wherever he wants and tickle pretty women under their skirts.

Faust hesitates. A good angel persuades him to quit practicing magic, repent and return to God. The evil angel instills in him thoughts of wealth and fame. Mephistopheles returns and says that Lucifer ordered him to serve Faust until the grave if Faust writes a will and deed of gift for his soul and body in blood. Faust agrees, he plunges the knife into his hand, but his blood runs cold and he cannot write. Mephistopheles brings a brazier, Faust's blood warms up, and he writes a will, but then the inscription “Homo, fuge” (“Man, save yourself”) appears on his hand; Faust does not pay attention to her. To entertain Faust, Mephistopheles brings devils, who give Faust crowns and rich clothes and dance in front of him, then leave. Faust asks Mephistopheles about hell. Mephistopheles explains: “Hell is not limited to a single place, / There are no limits to it; where we are, there is hell; / And where hell is, we must be forever.” Faust can’t believe it: Mephistopheles talks to him, walks on the earth - and all this is hell? Faust is not afraid of such hell. He asks Mephistopheles to give him the most beautiful girl in Germany as his wife. Mephistopheles brings the devil to him in female form. Marriage is not for Faust; Mephistopheles offers to bring the most beautiful courtesans to him every morning. He hands Faust a book where everything is written: how to get wealth, and how to summon spirits, it describes the location and movement of the planets and lists all the plants and herbs.

Faust curses Mephistopheles for depriving him of heavenly joys. The good angel advises Faust to repent and trust in the mercy of the Lord. The evil angel says that God will not take pity on such a great sinner, however, he is sure that Faust will not repent. Faust really does not have the courage to repent, and he starts an argument with Mephistopheles about astrology, but when he asks who created the world, Mephistopheles does not answer and reminds Faust that he is cursed. “Christ, my redeemer! / Save my suffering soul!” - exclaims Faust. Lucifer reproaches Faust for breaking his word and thinking about Christ. Faust swears that this will not happen again. Lucifer shows Faust the seven deadly sins in their true form. Before him pass Pride, Greed, Fury, Envy, Gluttony, Laziness, Debauchery. Faust dreams of seeing hell and returning again. Lucifer promises to show him hell, but in the meantime he gives him a book so that Faustus can read it and learn to accept any image.

The chorus says that Faust, wanting to learn the secrets of astronomy and geography, first goes to Rome to see the pope and take part in the celebrations in honor of St. Peter.

Faust and Mephistopheles in Rome. Mephistopheles makes Faust invisible, and Faust amuses himself by snatching dishes of food from his hands in the refectory when the pope is treating the Cardinal of Lorraine and eating them. The holy fathers are at a loss, the pope begins to be baptized, and when he is baptized for the third time, Faust slaps him in the face. The monks curse him.

Robin, the groom of the inn where Faust and Mephistopheles are staying, steals a book from Faust. He and his friend Ralph want to learn how to work miracles with it and first steal the cup from the innkeeper, but then Mephistopheles, whose spirit they inadvertently summoned, intervenes, they return the cup and promise never to steal magic books again. As punishment for their insolence, Mephistopheles promises to turn one of them into a monkey and the other into a dog.

The chorus says that, having visited the courts of the monarchs, Faust, after long wanderings through heaven and earth, returned home. The fame of his learning reaches Emperor Charles the Fifth, and he invites him to his palace and treats him with honor.

The Emperor asks Faust to show his art and summon the spirits of great people. He dreams of seeing Alexander the Great and asks Faust to make Alexander and his wife rise from the grave. Faustus explains that the bodies of long-dead persons have turned to dust and he cannot show them to the emperor, but he will summon spirits who will take on the images of Alexander the Great and his wife, and the emperor will be able to see them in their prime. When the spirits appear, the emperor, to ensure their authenticity, checks whether Alexander’s wife has a mole on her neck, and, having discovered it, is imbued with even greater respect for Faust. One of the knights doubts Faust's art; as punishment, horns grow on his head, which disappear only when the knight promises to be more respectful to scientists in the future. Faust's time is coming to an end. He returns to Wittenberg.

A horse dealer buys a horse from Faust for forty coins, but Faust warns him not to ride it into the water under any circumstances. The horse dealer thinks that Faust wants to hide some rare quality of the horse from him, and the first thing he does is ride it into a deep pond. Having barely reached the middle of the pond, the horse dealer discovers that the horse has disappeared, and under him, instead of a horse, there is an armful of hay. Miraculously not drowning, he comes to Faust to demand his money back. Mephistopheles tells the dealer that

Faust is fast asleep. The dealer drags Faust by the leg and tears it off. Faust wakes up, screams and sends Mephistopheles for the constable. The dealer asks to let him go and promises to pay another forty coins for it. Faust is happy: his leg is in place, and the extra forty coins won’t hurt him. Faust is invited by the Duke of Anhalt. The Duchess asks to get her grapes in the middle of winter, and Faust immediately hands her a ripe bunch. Everyone marvels at his art. The Duke generously rewards Faust. Faust is drinking with students. At the end of the feast, they ask him to show them Helen of Troy. Faust fulfills their request. When the students leave, the Old Man arrives and tries to return Faust to the path of salvation, but to no avail. Faust wants the beautiful Helen to become his beloved. By order of Mephistopheles, Helen appears before Faust, he kisses her.

Faust says goodbye to the students: he is on the verge of death and condemned to burn forever in hell. The students advise him to remember God and ask him for mercy, but Faust understands that he has no forgiveness and tells the students how he sold his soul to the devil. The hour of reckoning is near. Faust asks the students to pray for him. The students leave. Faust has only one hour left to live. He dreams that midnight would never come, that time would stop, that an eternal day would come, or that midnight would at least not come longer and he would have time to repent and be saved. But the clock strikes, thunder rumbles, lightning flashes, and the devils take Faust away.

The chorus calls on the audience to learn a lesson from the tragic fate of Faust and not to strive for knowledge of the reserved areas of science, which seduce a person and teach him to do evil.

Retold

From the depths of centuries, a legend has come to us about a man who, with the help of Satan - an angel cast into hell because of pride and the desire to equal the Creator in power - also decided to challenge God, mastering the secrets of the world and his own destiny. For this sake, he did not even spare his immortal soul, which was promised to the owner of the underworld as payment for this union. This is one of the “eternal images” of world literature. During the Renaissance, he found his embodiment in the person of Doctor Faustus - the hero of the German medieval legend, a scientist who entered into an alliance with the devil for the sake of knowledge, wealth and worldly pleasures.

This hero had his own prototypes. According to the Historical Lexicon, entries in German church books, lines from letters, and notes from travelers indicate that in 1490, a certain Johann Faust was born in the city of Knitlingen (principality of Württemberg).

The name of Johann Faust, bachelor of theology, is listed in the lists of the University of Heidelberg for 1509. Sometimes he is mentioned as Faust of Simmern, sometimes as a native of the town of Kundling, who studied magic in Krakow, where at that time it was taught openly. It is known that Faust practiced magic tricks, witchcraft, alchemy, and compiled horoscopes. It is clear that this did not cause approval among respectable citizens. Faust was expelled from Nornberg and Ingolstadt. He led a chaotic life and suddenly, like a ghost, appeared here and there, confusing and outraged the public. What little is known about Faust testifies to the great wounded pride of this man. He liked to call himself “the philosopher of philosophers.”

Even during his lifetime, legends began to take shape about this strange personality, intertwining ancient legends about magicians, anecdotes about wandering students, motifs from early Christian lives and medieval demonological literature. Moreover, among the people they did not take Faust seriously, but rather with regret and ridicule:

“Faust rode out, holding his sides, from the Auerbach cellar, sitting astride a barrel of wine, and everyone around saw it. He comprehended black magic, and was rewarded with the devil for it.”

The Church treated Faust more harshly. In 1507, the abbot of the Sponheim monastery, Johann Trithemius, wrote to the court astrologer and mathematician of the Elector of the Palatinate: “The man about whom you are writing to me... who has the audacity to call himself the head of the necromancers is a vagabond, an idle talker and a swindler. So, he came up with a suitable title, in his opinion, “Master George Sabellicus Faust the Younger, a fount of necromancy, astrologer, successful magician, palmist, aeromancer, pyromancer and outstanding hydromancer.” The priests also told me that he boasted of such knowledge of all sciences and such a memory that if all the works of Plato and Aristotle and all their philosophy were completely forgotten, he would completely restore them from memory and even in a more elegant form. And having appeared in Würzburg, he no less arrogantly spoke in a large meeting that there was nothing worthy of surprise in the miracles of Christ, so he himself undertakes at any time and as many times as he wants to do everything that the Savior did.” True, Faust's boasts remained just boasts - he failed to accomplish anything outstanding.

It was said that Faust enjoyed the patronage of the rebel imperial knight Franz von Sickengen and the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and that he was always accompanied by “a dog in whose guise the devil was hiding.” On the outskirts of the city of Wittenberg there are still preserved castle ruins, which are called the “house of Faust”. Alchemists worked here for many years after the death of Faust, among whom Christophor Wagner, who called himself a disciple of Faust, stood out. Wittenberg alchemists made various magical objects, in particular the mysterious “black mirrors”. Various desperate people who were eager to join magic were trained here.

The real Faust died in 1536 or 1539 in the city of Staufer (Breisgau). And in the second third of the 16th century, folk stories about Doctor Faustus were written down, and on their basis, in 1587, the Frankfurt publisher I. Spies published the book “The Story of Doctor Faustus, the Famous Sorcerer and Warlock.” It told how a scientist named Faust made a pact with the devil, because otherwise he could not find out “what moves the world and what this world rests on”; how at the imperial court he evoked images of ancient heroes and philosophers, how he showed students the living Helen of Sparta, because of whom the Trojan War broke out and with whom the sorcerer himself subsequently entered into a love affair; how before his death he repented of what he had done, but this did not save Faust from the clutches of the devil, who dragged the warlock’s soul to the underworld.

Among the many adaptations, alterations and translations of this book that flooded Europe, experts highlight the books of the French doctor of theology Victor Caillet (1598), the Nuremberg doctor Nikolaus Pfitzer (1674), who first spoke about Faust’s love for a certain “beautiful but poor maid,” and the anonymous book “The Believing Christian” (1725).

But the greatest success awaited the drama of the Englishman Christopher Marlowe, “The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus,” first published in 1604. Marlowe himself claimed that his drama was based on some ancient manuscript he found in one of the Scottish castles, but it is known that Marlowe was prone to hoaxes and, moreover, this story was already well known in Europe by that time. But, of course, Goethe made the name of Faust truly immortal. Under his pen, the image of Faust became a symbol of the entire modern Western civilization, which, under the influence of Gnostic teachings, abandoned God and turned to the technocratic path of development in the name of mastering the secrets of the world, in the name of knowledge, wealth and worldly pleasures. The price of this turn is known - renunciation of immortality. And the end of this path is also known:

“There is no Faust. His terrible end may make us all see how a brave mind is defeated when it breaks the law of heaven.”

Despite the fact that the name of Faust is surrounded by a huge number of legends and myths, both oral and literary, such a person existed in real life.

Was Faust a powerful sorcerer who sold his soul to the devil, or just a charlatan?
Information about the life of the historical Faust is extremely scarce.

He was born, apparently, around 1480 in the city of Knittlingen; subsequently, through Franz von Sickingen, he received a position as a teacher in the Kreuznach, but was forced to flee from there due to persecution of his fellow citizens. As a warlock and astrologer, he traveled around Europe, posing as a great scientist.
Faust's full name is George Sabellicus.
If you delve into the documents of that period, you can meet the mentioned George more than once, and again in the same combination with the name Faust.
The census in Ingolstatt recorded the presence of "Dr. Jörg (Georg) Faust von Heideleberg", who was expelled from the city. The record states that the said Doctor Faustus, before being expelled, allegedly claimed to be a knight of the Order of St. John and the head of one of the branches of the order from Carinthia, a Slavic province of Austria.
In addition, there is evidence from townspeople that he made astrological forecasts and predicted the birth of prophets. Moreover, in their memoirs he is specifically named - George Faust of Helmstedt, that is, from the town of Helmstedt.
Looking through the records of the University of Heidelberg, you can easily find a student who received a master's degree - he came to study from the indicated place and bore the same name.
Further, Faust's path is not lost in the wilds of history and does not disappear in the desert of time, as happens with almost all characters of the Middle Ages.
Then he pops up in Nuremberg.
In the municipal book, with the firm hand of the burgomaster, it is written: “Doctor Faustus, the Known Sodomite and Expert in Black Magic, is denied a Security Certificate.”
It is quite calmly mentioned, along with the fact that he is a sodomite, that he is also a black magician. Not with squeals and shouts of “to the fire!”, but simply with Dry Language with a Resolution “to refuse a safe conduct letter.”
And two years later, new documents appear on the investigation of the uprising in Munster, when the city was captured by sectarians who declared this city the new Jerusalem and their leader the king of Zion. Local princes suppressed the uprising and recorded the entire investigative process in this case.
Here the omnipresent Doctor Faustus emerges again, but without any connection with the uprising or with any otherworldly forces.
Just one phrase - “The philosopher Faustus hit the spot, since we had a bad year.”
That's all.

Obviously, the real Faust had an amazing ability to survive and adapt, since every time, having experienced shame and defeat, he resurfaced. With blissful carelessness, he handed out business cards right and left with the following content: “Great Medium, Second Among Magicians, Astrologer and Palmist, Tells Fortunes by Fire, Water and Air.”
In 1536, at least two famous clients tried to use it to look into the future: a senator from Würzburg wanted an astrological prediction about the outcome of the war between Charles V and the French king, and a German adventurer, going in search of the El Dorado, tried to find out the chances of success of his expeditions.

In 1540, on a late autumn night, a small hotel in Württemberg was rocked by the crash of falling furniture and the stomping of feet, followed by heart-rending screams. Screams, groans, and incomprehensible sounds continued for at least two hours. Only in the morning did the frightened owner and servants dare to enter the room from where all this was coming. On the floor of the room, among the fragments of furniture, lay the crumpled body of a man. It was covered with monstrous bruises and abrasions, one eye was gouged out, the neck and ribs were broken. It seemed as if the unfortunate man was being beaten with a sledgehammer!
It was the disfigured corpse of Doctor George Faust.
The townspeople claimed that the doctor's neck was broken by the demon Mephistopheles, with whom he entered into a contract for 24 years. At the end of the period, the demon killed Faust and took his soul.

From Germany, Faustus's fame began to spread like wildfire, partly thanks to the publication of a collection of rather primitively told legends called "The Story of Doctor Faustus" (1587. The legends were also supplemented by several ingenuously humorous scenes in which people fooled by Faustus served as targets for ridicule Nevertheless, individual passages, such as the description of eternal torment in hell, had the power of true conviction, and the depiction of Mephistopheles as the worst enemy of the human race, and Faust as a mortally frightened sinner, unmistakably affected the public, touching the sensitive strings of readers.
Over the next century, two more new, revised editions of the book appeared, which enjoyed no less success.

Meanwhile, the oral tradition of stories about the amazing abilities of the sorcerer has not lost its strength. His alliance with Satan, judging by these stories, was manifested even in everyday life.
So, as soon as Faust knocked on a simple wooden table, a fountain of wine began to flow from there, or, by his order, fresh strawberries appeared in the depths of winter. In one legend, a very hungry sorcerer swallowed a whole horse with a cart and hay. When he got bored with the hot summer, dark forces poured snow so that he could ride a sleigh.
They also said that one night in a tavern, in the midst of a drunken revelry, Faust noticed four hefty men trying to roll a heavy barrel out of the cellar.
“What fools!” he cried. “Yes, I alone can do this!” In front of the visitors and the innkeeper, dumbfounded with amazement, the sorcerer went down the stairs, sat astride a barrel and triumphantly rode up the steps straight into the hall.
The first to use the legend of Doctor Faustus in literary work was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe. In 1592, he wrote “The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus,” where his character is presented as a powerful epic hero, overwhelmed by a thirst for knowledge and wanting to bring its light to people. Marlowe's drama combined the funny and the serious, and modern British society was severely criticized in it. Marlowe's Faustus is not just a buffoon or a tool of the devil - he resorts to the help of Satan to explore the boundaries of human experience. Often drama rises to the brilliant heights of true poetry, for example in the scene of the appearance of the ghost of Helen the Beautiful. But the most powerful impression is made by Marlowe’s lines depicting Faust’s futile repentance when he finally realizes the exorbitance of the payment and understands the inevitability of the consequences of the deal.
The Renaissance spectator shuddered when Faust painted before him a picture of the eternal suffering that awaited him:
“Oh, if my soul must be tormented for my sins, set a limit to this endless torment!
Let Faust live in hell for at least a thousand, even a hundred thousand years, but he will finally be saved. Faust himself died, unable to withstand the condemnation of his fellow citizens who did not accept his daring impulses to master universal knowledge.

The most famous work of the 20th century dedicated to the legendary character was the novel by the German writer Thomas Mann “Doctor Faustus”. The novelist gives this name to the brilliant composer Adrian Leverkühn, who makes a deal with the devil in order to create music that can leave an outstanding mark on the national culture.
So where did the so well-known parable about Faust’s connection with Satan come from?
Rumors of a pact between the doctor and the devil come mainly from Martin Luther.
Even when the real George Faust was alive, Luther made statements in which the doctor and warlock was declared an accomplice of otherworldly forces.
It was based on this accusation that the writers went on a rampage.
However, why did the great reformer Martin Luther suddenly turn his attention to an inconspicuous and ordinary petty charlatan and sorcerer?
For Luther, such alchemists and apologists of magic as Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Reuchlin, Agrippa were peaks that he could not even dare to aspire to, since among the people and higher circles there was a persistent opinion that their mastery of natural magic allowed them to easily eliminate any obstacle and especially any person standing in the way.

And then Luther attacks “Little” Faust with all the fervor of his propaganda skill:
“Simon the Magus tried to fly to heaven, but Peter’s prayer made him fall. Faust tried to do the same in Venice. But he was forcefully thrown to the ground,” the great reformer broadcasts from the porch.
Of course, Faust never flew and was never thrown to the ground, but in the minds of the people he was already ranked among the accomplices of the devil.
His name "George" was forgotten and was replaced by "Johann".
Indeed, what was good within the framework of mystical experiments under the pseudonym of the first (and this is how “Faust” is translated from the Old German language) winner or, moreover, the successful winner, was not suitable for counter-propaganda.
Here it was appropriate to present him simply as a representative of the first “Ivans,” which gave a certain generalized image of the first initiates, who were initiated only because they contacted the black forces.
The greatest contribution to the creation of the image of Faust as the great disciple of the devil was made by Martin Luther's favorite comrade-in-arms, Philip Melanchthon, the main ideologist of the Reformation. He wrote a biography of Johann Faust that was so popular that the bestseller was reprinted nine times at the time. It is not surprising that Faust was constantly accompanied by the evil spirit Mephistopheles, but he was not incorporeal, but appeared in the guise of a black dog.

So what is the reason for the hatred of Luther and his circle towards him? Why was the ordinary black magician Faust rejected and accused of all mortal sins? Why is the spearhead of propaganda directed at him as a typical representative of the mystical forces and magical societies of the Middle Ages? What is the essence of his agreement with the devil, condemned on all sides?
The reason for the curse is not a contract with Satan or a thirst for power.
In any story about Doctor Faustus, including Goethe's most recent version, the main motivation of the protagonist is the thirst for knowledge. It is this thirst that puts on him the mark of “Sinner” and it is precisely this that is the reason for condemnation! Indeed, from the point of view of the Renaissance, the era of the transition of a mystical civilization to a realistic one, the desire to learn, in essence, was sinful. This is truly a diabolical need, since knowledge in the era of rationalism should not be penetration into the harmony of the cosmos, but a limited set of symbols and concepts that power offers.
Thus, the polemical fervor of Martin Luther and his colleague Melanchthon was not directed against the master of the University of Heidelberg, who lived on prophecies and predictions and moonlighted in small matters of black magic.

Doctor Faustus in this case is an allegorical figure, moreover, chosen not by chance, but taking into account the historical context.
Simon the Magus, mentioned by Luther in his first revealing speech about Faust, had two students - Faust and Fausta (that is, the first and the first. Faust betrayed his teacher by betraying his spells to Peter, which helped the apostle in competition with Simon.
What figures of that time posed a real threat to the coming reformation, bringing with it the down-to-earth philosophy of rationality? At whom did the stinging arrows of pamphlets and false biographies fly?
Firstly, this is Trithemius, the author of the book “Stenography”, which was sensational at that time, which discussed in detail the methods and techniques of telepathy. Everyone soon forgot about telepathy, but the book still remained the main basis of cryptography, a kind of manual for spies in terms of secret writing, quick learning of foreign languages ​​and “Many Other Subjects Not Subject to Public Discussion.” His works on magic and alchemy still remain unsurpassed.
Other targets of the Protestants were those who, through their practical activities, refuted the rationalism of Martin Luther - pico dela Mirandola, Agrippa and Paracelsus.
It was against them that the weapons of the sermons of Luther and Melanchthon were directed in the form of the condemnation of Doctor Faustus.
However, apparently, the devil’s accomplice and friend of the black dog Mephistopheles, about whose life and fall hundreds of pages were written, was not so simple. And Faust received the highest satisfaction due to the fact that he became the prototype of the immortal work of Goethe, who saw in him a figure equal to Prometheus. And this is natural, because the poet himself was similar to Faust in terms of dedication. Goethe's interest in Faust was caused by his fascination with German antiquity, but above all by the opportunity to embody his views on man, his quests, spiritual struggles, and the desire to comprehend the secrets of the universe.
The idea for the drama "Faust" first appeared in 1773, when... V. Goethe was only 24 years old, and he completed his epoch-making work as an 81-year-old man, in 1830, shortly before his death. The first part of the famous work appeared in 1808, and the second only in 1832.
By creating a new image of the main character, Goethe makes a sharp break with the previous tradition.
In other words, Goethe's Faust is a positive hero.
Disillusioned with science and intellectual pursuits, he is ready to give his soul to the devil for just one moment of such an experience that will bring him complete satisfaction. “Low” pleasures are unable to satiate Faust’s soul; he finds the meaning of life in the faithful love of a simple girl whom he seduced and abandoned. Ultimate salvation, however, is granted to Faustus because he strives to create a better society for all mankind.
Thus, Goethe argues that a person can achieve virtue and spiritual greatness, despite the evil inherent in his nature. Probably no one else has managed to create a work from the legend of Faust that is distinguished by such philosophical depth and psychologism, although it inspired many to create true masterpieces that were destined for a long life.

"The People's Book of Doctor Faustus."

People of the Middle Ages, poor, unhappy, frightened people of the Middle Ages. They could not understand much in the world around them and therefore were terribly afraid of it. Both young and old were afraid of the unknown. As soon as the sun dropped below the horizon, fears and horrors frightened with triple force, crawled out of all the cracks and oppressed the souls of people. Creepy fantasies, floating in the vastness of mysticism, crept into the subconscious itself. Chilling questions arose before feelings numbed by nightmares.

Who gallops, who rushes under the cold darkness?
The rider is late, his young son is with him.
The little one came close to his father, shuddering;
The old man hugs him and warms him.
“Child, why are you clinging to me so timidly?”
“The dear king of the forest sparkled in my eyes:
He wears a dark crown and a thick beard.”
“Oh no, the fog is white over the water.”
“My dear forest king speaks to me:
It promises gold, pearls and joy.”
“Oh no, my baby, you misheard:
Then the wind, waking up, shook the sheets.”
“Come to me, my baby! In my oak grove
You will recognize my beautiful daughters;
They will play and fly for three months,
Playing, dreaming, putting you to sleep.”
“Darling, the forest king called his daughters:
I see they are nodding to me from the dark branches.”
“Oh no, everything is calm in the depths of the night:
The gray willows stand to the side.”
“Child, I was captivated by your beauty:
Willy-nilly or willy-nilly, you will be mine.”
“Darling, the king of the forest wants to catch up with us;
Here it is: I’m stuffy, it’s hard for me to breathe.”
The timid rider does not gallop, he flies;
The baby yearns, the baby cries;
The rider urges, the rider gallops...
In his hands lay a dead baby. (Goethe)

Mossy forest kings, kikimores, ghouls, vampires - all these unknown astral forms live as if in reality and at the expense of people, drawing their vital energy, nutritional substances and strength. There are countless numbers of sorcerers and magicians, and this despite the excessive efforts of the church to burn them at the stake. These sorcerers and magicians either call upon evil spirits or protect against them. A science called occultism is flourishing. It deals with things beyond the limits of sense perception and pays special attention to those effects that cannot be explained by the generally known laws of nature, the causes of which are still a mystery to those who have not penetrated deeply enough into its secrets.

The German people, in their fantasies, also did not ignore the realm of the unknown and created the “People's Book of Doctor Faustus,” which later, in the creative adaptation of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, gained worldwide fame.

In the Middle Ages, this amazing story was born about Dr. Johann Faust, a famous sorcerer and warlock who signed a pact with the devil. All the scattered stories about this doctor that passed from mouth to mouth were collected and published for the edification of Christians as a frightening example of the devil’s temptation to the destruction of body and soul.

So, this story begins with the words: “The father sent Faust to the university to study theology. The son abandoned this pious activity and used God’s word for evil. However, having studied the subject sufficiently, he became a doctor of theology. At the same time, he had a bad, foolish and arrogant head, for which they always called him “wise.” Faust fell into bad company, threw the holy scriptures out the door and under the bench and began to lead a godless and ungodly life.

And Doctor Faustus found his own kind, those who used Chaldean, Persian, Arabic and Greek words, figures, writing, spells, magic and other things, as such spells and witchcraft are called. And such activities are nothing more than nigromancy - the art of warlocks-sorcerers, thanks to whose spell the amazed spectators see that one thing turns into another and that miracles, spells, the production of poisonous mixtures, divinations, slander are performed before their eyes.

Faust fell in love with this, he began to study and explore them day and night. He no longer wanted to be called a theologian, became a worldly man, called himself a doctor of medicine, became an astrologer and mathematician, and in order to gain decency, he became a doctor. At first, he helped many people with his healing, herbs, roots, waters, drinks, recipes and enemas. At the same time, he was eloquent and knowledgeable in divine scripture. He knew well the commandment of Christ: he who knows the will of the Lord and transgresses it will be doubly punished, for no one can serve two masters at once. He scattered all this to the wind, drove his soul out of the house and out the door, therefore there should be no forgiveness for him.

Doctor Faustus turned all his thoughts to one thing: to love what should not be loved. He took wings like an eagle and wanted to comprehend all the depths of heaven and earth. For curiosity, freedom and frivolity won and provoked him so much that he one day began to try some magic words, figures, letters and spells in order to thereby evoke the devil. Thus, he came to a dense forest, which is called the Spesser Forest. In this forest, in the evening, at the crossroads of four roads, he drew several circles with a stick and two next to each other so that these two were drawn inside one large circle. And he summoned the devil with spells at night between nine and ten o'clock.

Then, probably, the devil laughed into his fist and showed Faustus his butt, thinking to himself: “Okay, I will cool your heart and your spirit, I will darken you so that not only your body, but also your soul. By the way, I’ll have to do this, wherever I don’t want to go, you’ll have to go there on my errands. And so it happened, the devil completely fooled Faust and tied him hand and foot. For when Doctor Faustus cast his spell, the devil pretended that he was reluctantly moving towards his desired goal. He made such a noise in the forest that it seemed like everything was going to waste, the trees were bending to the ground. After this, the devil imagined that the entire forest was full of devils, who appeared near the circles drawn by Faust, and between them, as if there was a clear path for them everywhere.

After that, as if rays and arrows rained down from the four sides of the forest onto the magic circle, then loud shooting from arquebuses was heard, and light flashed, and the sounds of many pleasant instruments, music and singing were heard in the forest, and then there were dances, then more sword tournaments and spears.

And Faust was so fed up with everything that he was ready to run away from the circle. Finally, a daring and godless intention took possession of him again, he became stronger and confirmed in his previous intentions, no matter what came of it. Again, as before, he began to conjure the devil. He thought only about being not a man, but an incarnate devil or a part of him, so that he would have the ability, form and appearance of the spirit.

The spirit answered Faustus that he was ready to submit and be obedient to him in everything, if only for this he also fulfilled several set conditions, and as soon as he did this, he would no longer have to worry about anything. And this is what these conditions were: Faust promises and swears that he will surrender himself into the ownership of this spirit and that for greater power he will write it and certify it with his own blood.

Doctor Faustus was so impudent in his arrogance and pride, although he thought for a minute, that he did not worry about the bliss of his soul, but gave his consent to the evil spirit for such a thing and promised to fulfill all the conditions. He thought that the devil is not as black as he is painted, and hell is not as hot as they say.

He asked the spirit what his name was, the spirit answered that he was called Mephistopheles. When the parties agreed with each other, Faust took a sharp knife, opened a vein on his left hand and imprinted his signature on the diabolical agreement: “I, Johann Faust, with my own hand and openly assure the power of this letter. After I decided to investigate the root causes of all things, among the abilities that were given to me and mercifully allocated from above, there were no similar ones in my head and I could not learn such things from people, therefore I surrendered to the spirit Mephistopheles, the servant of the infernal prince, and I chose him so that he could prepare and teach me for this task, and he himself pledged to be subservient and obedient to me in everything.

For this, I, for my part, obliged him and promise that when 24 years pass and rush by, he will be free to order and punish me as he wants, to manage me and lead me at his own discretion and can dispose of all my goods, so that it was neither soul, body, flesh or blood. And so on forever. With this I renounce all living things, all the heavenly hosts and all people. And so be it.”

When Doctor Faustus pledged his own blood and signature to the evil spirit in his vile deed, it goes without saying that God and the entire heavenly army abandoned him.

And in the next meeting, his spirit appeared to Faust completely cheerful and he behaved like this: he rushed through the house like a fiery man, so that bright fiery jets or rays emanated from him, then noise and muttering were heard, as if the monks were singing, but no one knew what kind of singing it was. Faustus liked the sight, but he did not want it to happen in his room before he saw what would happen from all this. Then the voices of dogs and hunters were heard, the dogs hunted and chased the deer to Faust’s room, here they laid him down.

Then a lion and a dragon appeared in Faust's room, and they began to fight each other. Then you could see how a beautiful peacock and a peahen came in, they began to quarrel, and then made up. An angry bull ran towards Doctor Faustus. He was quite frightened, but the bull fell prostrate in front of him and fell through. Then they saw a big old monkey, she gave Doctor Faustus his paw, jumped on him, began to caress him and ran out of the house again. Then there was a thick fog in the house, so that Faust could not see anything because of the fog. When the fog cleared, two bags appeared in front of him, one with silver, the other with gold.

After this, the spirit Mephistopheles entered Doctor Faustus’s room in the form and guise of a monk. Doctor Faustus said to him: “You have begun a wonderful thing with your deeds and transformations, and they brought me great joy. If you think to continue like this, then provide me with every good thing.”

Mephistopheles answered: “Well, it doesn’t cost me anything. I will serve you in other ways, so that you will see even greater my strength and skill, and you will receive everything that you require from me.”

Faust had plenty of food and provisions. When he wanted good wine, the spirit brought him wine from the cellars. And he also had hot food every day, for he mastered the magic art: he had only to open the window and name the bird he wanted, and it would immediately fly into his window. The spirit also brought him the best ready-made dishes, so that their table was truly princely. And the devil also promised that he would pay 1,300 crowns annually. This was his annual allowance.

Thus, Doctor Faustus lived an epicurean life, day and night not thinking about God, hell or the devil, deciding that soul and body die together. And his carnal desires pestered him so much that he decided to get married. To which the evil spirit answered him: marriage, they say, was created by the Almighty and was not ordained, as for adultery and debauchery - this is considered good. He said: “I can satisfy your lust in a different way, so that you will not want anything else in life. Every night and every day I will bring to your bed any woman you see in this city, if you desire her for fornication according to your will.” Doctor Faustus liked it so much that his heart trembled with joy. And he was inflamed with such shamelessness and lust that day and night he only looked out for beautiful women, so that if today he indulged in fornication with the devil, tomorrow he had something new in his thoughts.

It should be said that Doctor Faustus dreamed of learning about hell, and he asked his evil spirit Mephistopheles about this, also about the essence, location and creation of hell.

The spirit held the answer: “As soon as the fall of my master Lucifer took place, at that very moment hell was prepared for him, which is utter darkness, where he is bound in chains, rejected and rejected and must remain until the Last Judgment. There is nothing there but fog, fire, brimstone, tar and other stench. Therefore, even we, demons, do not know what hell looks like and how it is structured, and how God created it and created it, for it has neither end nor edge.

My lord Lucifer, who fell from the bright sky, was previously also God's angel and cherub and contemplated in the sky all the creations and creatures of God. And he was in such decoration, image, splendor, dignity, rank and abode that he sat above all the Lord’s creations, above gold and precious stones, so that he eclipsed the radiance of the sun and stars. For when the Lord created him, he ascended him to the mountain of the Lord and appointed him to the rank of prince, so that in all his deeds and thoughts he was perfect. However, Lucifer soon fell into arrogance and arrogance and plotted to rise above the east, and then he was torn out by the Lord from his heavenly home and thrown from his throne into a fiery abyss, which will not go out forever, but is forever flaring up. This is my short story for you."

When Faust heard from his spirit about such things, he began to think and made some assumptions and conclusions from this. Silently he left the spirit who had sold his soul, went to his room, lay down on his bed, began to cry and sigh bitterly, and his heart cried out. He saw from this story how miraculously the devil and the fallen angel were reclaimed by God, so that, if he had not been arrogant and hostile to God, he could have forever retained his heavenly being and home, but now he is rejected by the gods forever.

And Faust said: “Oh, bitter woe to me! It will be the same for me, for I too am a creature of God, and my daring flesh and blood became a curse for soul and body, seduced my feelings and mind, so that I renounced the creator and allowed the devil to persuade me and surrendered and sold myself to him with my body and soul. Therefore, I no longer have hope for mercy, but like Lucifer, I too will be subjected to damnation and eternal torment. Ah, bitter grief! Who should I blame but myself? Oh, if only I had never been born!”

This is how Faust complained, but he did not want to gain faith and hope that through repentance he could gain God’s mercy. For if he thought: “Well, now the devil has decorated me so much that the sky will seem like a sheepskin to me. Let me turn again, I will ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness, I will not do any more evil.”

This is a great repentance. If after this Faust had gone to church, to the community of Christ, followed the holy faith, thereby beginning to fight the devil, even if he had to leave his body, then his soul would still have been saved. But in all his thoughts and judgments he doubted, had no faith and did not hope for anything.

And the fallen angel Lucifer, as soon as he became an enemy of the Lord and all people, he began to commit all kinds of tyranny over people, as is clearly visible to this day: one is struck down by death, another he forces to hang himself, drown himself or stab himself to death. In addition, as is known, when the Lord created the first man perfect, the devil, jealous of him, began to tempt him and plunged Adam and Eve with all their offspring into sin and disfavor of the Lord. These are examples of the onslaught and tyranny of Satan.

There is no number of evil spirits that approach people, encourage and lead them to sin. They are scattered all over the world, use all sorts of cunning and deceit, turn people away from the faith and attract them to sins. They, the opponents of Jesus, persecute his followers until death.

Doctor Faustus asked the spirit: “What is hell?” “So be it,” said the spirit, “I’ll tell you, this doesn’t cause me much grief. Hell is called the darkness of the prison, where neither the splendor of God, nor the sun, nor the moon can be seen. It can be called a place so vast that the sinners who live there do not see the end of it. It is also called ashes, because everything that gets there must glow and burn like a stone in a fiery furnace, for although the stone heats up in the furnace, it does not burn or incinerate, but only becomes harder. So the soul of a sinner will burn forever, and yet the flame will not incinerate it, only it will be tormented by more severe torments. She will ask for death, she will willingly agree to die, but she will not be able to, for death will flee from her. Hell is also called eternal torment, and there is no hope and no end.

Hell is so structured that it is impossible to imagine or imagine it. The Lord put His wrath in a place that became a prison and a prison for sinners, which is why it has many names, such as: the habitation of shame, the mouth of the devouring, the mouth, the abyss, the depths of hell, where the souls of sinners suffer shame, reproach and disgrace from god and his saints. Hell is such a mouth that will never be satisfied, but thirsts to devour the souls of the righteous, so that they too will be corrupted and perish. And it is easier for an elephant or a camel to go through the eye of a needle and count all the raindrops than to receive hope for forgiveness.”

Doctor Faustus, after the story of Mephistopheles, remained in complete melancholy, but could not come to a firm decision, because the devil took hold of him too tightly, he was too rigid, too blindly surrendered to the devil. In addition, when Faustus was left alone and wanted to meditate on the Holy Scriptures, the devil took on the guise of a beautiful woman, began to hug him and do all sorts of obscene things with him, so that Doctor Faustus soon forgot the divine word and scattered it to the wind and became stronger in his evil thoughts .

And Doctor Faustus began to live on. He started making calendars somehow. His calendars served as praise in front of others, because if he entered something into the calendar, it happened: if he wrote that there would be fog, wind, snow, rain, heat, thunderstorm, hail - so it happened. With his calendars it has never happened, as with some inexperienced astrologers, who always predict cold, frost or snow in winter, and heat, thunder or severe thunderstorms in summer, on the hottest days. In his predictions, he accurately noted the hours and times when something was going to happen. And he especially warned each ruler about impending troubles: one - if there was a threat of shortage of food, another - if war was being prepared, a third - if pestilence was coming.

The eighth year of Doctor Faustus's allotted term had already begun, and his days were passing one after another towards the goal. He spent most of his time researching, teaching, questioning, and disputing. Meanwhile, he began to imagine or fear the underworld. And Faust said to his spirit Beelzebub if he could lead him into the underworld and bring him out again, so that he could see and comprehend the properties, foundations and qualities of the underworld, as well as its essence. “Okay,” said the spirit, “at midnight I will come and take you.” When the night came, dark as if to poke out your eyes, Beelzebub appeared to Faustus, on his back he had a seat made of bones and closed on all sides. Faust got into it and went on his way.

Now listen to how the devil blinded Faust, made him faint, so that he did not think otherwise, as if he had been in hell. He rose into the air with it. And from this Faust fell asleep, as if he were sitting in warm water or in a bath. Soon after this, they climbed a high mountain, from where sulfur, tar and tongues of fire burst out with such fury and roar that Doctor Faustus woke up from this, and the devilish serpent rushed into this abyss with him. And although Faust became very hot, he did not feel any heat or burn, only a breeze, like in the spring in May.

When Doctor Faustus descended deeper into the crevice, he could not see anything except many insects and snakes that swarmed around. Winged bears came to his aid, they began to fight and fight with the snakes and defeated them, so that he passed these snakes unharmed and safely. Having gone a little lower, he saw a huge winged bull coming out of some ancient gate. Enraged, the bull rushed at the doctor with a roar and pushed his seat so hard that it turned over, and Faust flew from his seat into the abyss deeper and deeper, shouting for help, and thought: the end has come for me!

But then he was caught in flight by an old wrinkled monkey. She held him and saved him. Meanwhile, the underworld was shrouded in a thick, dense fog, so that for some time Doctor Faustus could not see anything at all. Suddenly the clouds opened, two large dragons came out of them, and they were driving a chariot, into which the old monkey seated the doctor.

Here from above so many rays and lightning rushed at him that even the bravest would have trembled and been afraid. Meanwhile, the chariot approached a wide, stormy stream. The dragons, along with Faust, plunged into the water, but he felt not the water, but the great heat and heat, and the waves and streams of water fell upon him with such force that he began to plunge deeper and deeper into the terrible stream, until, finally, falling down , did not fall into a crevice with high sharp edges.

Here he sat down as if half dead, looking around, but did not see or hear anyone. And he became angry and, in frantic, reckless fear, threw himself into the fiery pit, exclaiming: “Well, spirits, accept from me the well-deserved sacrifice, this is what my soul has condemned me to!” But as soon as he rushed headlong down, there was a terrible noise and roar, from which the mountains and rocks shook so much that Faustus decided that they were shooting from the largest guns.

When he got to the bottom, he saw there on fire many noble men, emperors, kings, princes and nobles, as well as many thousands of armed warriors. Doctor Faustus stepped into the fire and wanted to grab the soul of one of the sinners, but when it seemed to him that he was already holding it, it disappeared. Then Beelzebub appeared again, Faust sat down on a chair made of bones, and they flew back.

Doctor Faustus returned to his home again and, as he had slept on the chair all the time, the sleeping spirit threw him onto the bed. Doctor Faustus also traveled through the stars, visiting many states and principalities. Among others, for several days he observed the power, strength and splendor of the Turkish emperor and his court. And one evening Doctor Faustus committed such mischief and apeishness in front of the emperor that streams of flame gushed through the imperial hall, so that everyone rushed to extinguish them. Then it became so bright in the hall, as if the sun was standing in the middle of it, and the evil spirit stood before the emperor in the guise of a pope and said to him: “Hello, emperor, you are worthy that I, your Mohammed, appear before you!”

Amazed by this miracle, the emperor fell to his knees and praised him for honoring him so much and coming to him.

The next day, Doctor Faustus appeared at the imperial castle, where the emperor kept his wives and dissolute girls, and no one dared to walk there except the emasculated boys who served these women. Doctor Faustus took on the same image as his spirit had before and passed himself off as Mohammed. And thus he lived for six days in this castle, and there was fog for so long. Doctor Faustus ate, drank, had fun, and quenched his lust. The Turk exhorted his people to mark these days by performing various ceremonies.

When Doctor Faustus disappeared and the fog cleared, the Turkish emperor began to question and torture his wives, and the wives said that the god Mohammed was here, and that at night he demanded one or the other, shared a bed with them and told them: from his seed great people will come and brave heroes will be born. The Turk considered this a great gift and blessing, and asked the wives whether Mohammed was good in this matter and whether he followed human custom. Yes, the wives answered, he caressed them, hugged them, and was skilled in these matters; they would like to repeat this all their lives.

Then Doctor Faust fooled King Charles W and presented to him the appearance, image, posture and movement of Alexander the Great and his wife, by magic he erected a large castle on top of a rock for one count, borrowed money from one Jew and gave him his leg as collateral, and from one peasant ate a cart of hay along with a cart and a horse, and in the last year of his life, Helen the Beautiful of Greece settled with Faust and bore him a son.

Doctor Faustus hoped to climb to the highest peaks so that from there he could survey paradise. He should not have asked the evil spirit about this. He especially hoped to see paradise on the island of Caucasus, which surpasses all other islands in its peaks and height. But he saw the land of India and Scythia.

The contract with the devil was coming to an end. Doctor Faustus began to lament and moan about his misfortune: “Ah, Faustus, you desperate and unworthy soul! For you were tempted by the company of those condemned to hellfire, when you could very well have gained the bliss that you have now lost. Ah, my reason and free will, why do you reproach my body, which is destined to steal life?!

Oh, love and hate, why did you simultaneously inhabit me, since I now have to endure such torment because of you? Ah, mercy and vengeance, for what reason have you prepared such retribution and shame for me? O cruelty and compassion, was I created by man to endure the punishment that I had prepared for myself? Oh, my complaints won’t help anything!”

Hearing these complaints, the spirit Mephistopheles appeared to Faust, approached him and said: “As you see, my Faust, it’s not good to eat cherries with devils: they spit bones right in your face. For this reason, you should have been far away from here, only your stubborn horse threw you off, you despised the gift with which the Lord sought you, you were not satisfied with it, but invited the devil to you. Twenty-four years ago you thought - all that glitters is gold, whatever the devil tells you. So the devil tied a bell around the cat’s neck. Think what a wonderful creation you would be.”

And Faust complains and groans: “Oh, bitter, unfortunate Faust, you are numbered among the condemned! Alas, alas, my reason, enthusiasm, insolence and self-will! Oh, damned unfaithful life! O blind and careless one, for you have deprived your body and soul of sight, and now they do not see. O fleeting pleasure, what hardships have you drawn me into, darkening and blinding my eyes! O bitter grief, wretched misfortune! Alas, my weak spirit, my darkened soul, what is your sentence?”

Mephistopheles replies: “You started badly, a bad beginning leads to a bad end. The cat and the mouse have had enough of playing. As it comes back, so will it respond. While the ladle is brand new, the cook in the cauldron interferes with them, and when he gets old, he shits in it, that’s all for a short time. Isn’t that what you had to do, my Faust? God supplied you with supplies, but you didn’t find them enough. Fools must be taught with a club. But arrogance and arrogance do not lead to good: he who hungers a lot will receive little. If you love to ride, you also love to carry sleds.

Let my sermon and teaching reach your conscience, even though it is completely lost on you. It is not fitting for you to trust the devil so much, since he is a mockingbird, a liar and a robber to the Lord. You should be smarter. Laughter is followed by tears. The end of a person comes soon, but it takes a long time to teach him. If you want to lodge the devil, the owner himself must first gain some sense. You put on your morocco shoes and think you’re a master of dancing? If you would honor the Lord for the gifts that he gave you, you wouldn’t have to dance in this round dance and you wouldn’t believe the devil so hastily: those who believe easily will be deceived. They should take your head off, but you think about letting it in one ear and letting it out the other.”

The spirit predicted Faust's ill-fated fate and disappeared, leaving the doctor in complete confusion and melancholy.

And this happened between twelve and one in the morning, a furious wind rose around the house, engulfed it from all sides so that it seemed that everything would collapse, and the house itself would be torn out of the ground. When day came and the students entered the room where Faust was, they saw him no more. The whole room was spattered with blood, and the brain stuck to the wall, as if the devils were throwing it from one to another. Moreover, there were eyes and several teeth: a terrible and terrifying sight!

The following words were engraved on the tombstone: “Here lies Johann Faust, Doctor of Church Law, a most unworthy man, who, out of vain love for the devilish science of magic, abandoned the love of God. Oh, reader, do not pray for me, the most unfortunate condemned person, for prayers will not help the one whom God has condemned. O pious Christian, remember me and shed one little salty tear for me, the infidel, have compassion for those whom you cannot help and beware yourself.”

Thus ended the terrible and extremely instructive book about the misadventures of Doctor Faustus, who trampled upon the laws of humility and piety and turned his face away from the bright Face of the Lord. The fate of Faust is a terrifying example to the entire Christian tribe, clearly showing what disastrous consequences the devil's temptation can lead to.

The German people received this work with great enthusiasm and liked it. Street theaters everywhere staged performances on this topic. The audience admired: “Is there anything that is presented and watched at the theater with more eagerness than the story of the damned arch-sorcerer Doctor Johann Faust, for the reason that every time a bunch of devils are released in it and all their disgusting movements are depicted. Just think, what kind of disgusting and ugly images of the devil you won’t see here.”

Thus, in the minds of medieval people, the devil actually became as powerful as God, and this made it possible to explain the existence of evil and suffering on earth.

The idea of ​​turning to evil spirits not only in order to satisfy all one’s needs for various pleasures, but also in order to, with the help of this force, to learn the still unknown in this world, stirred up many great minds of subsequent centuries, and world literature presented to the world works about the doctor Fauste performed by Ephraim Lessing, Johann Wolfang Goethe and Thomas Mann.

Introduction

The legend that developed around this historical figure captured the imagination of the German people and made Doctor Faustus their hero and favorite. All sorts of superstitions and legends about warlocks were layered on the image, medieval theology and demonology played a role, as a result of which we know Faust as a magician, an astrologer who sold his soul to the devil, but also as a rogue and swindler.

The relevance of this work lies in the fact that Faust, being one of the eternal images in world literature, remains a mysterious person. Faust "wandered through the cities of Protestant Germany during the turbulent era of the Reformation and peasant wars." Who he really was has not yet been established.

The purpose of the work is to trace the origins of the first literary work about Doctor Faustus - folk books. To do this, it is necessary to complete a number of tasks: consider and compare various historical references to this person, as well as analyze the first folk book about Doctor Faustus as a reflection of folk legends and traditions.

There are many works devoted to the history of the origin of the image of Faust, which may be useful in considering this issue. One of the largest studies concerning the personality of Faust belongs to V.M. Zhirmunsky, who tried to cover the entire history of the legend of Faust, from the first mentions to the work of Goethe. You can also find quite a lot of articles devoted to this topic, for example, “Life and Anti-Life” by Gorbunova A., “A Brief History of Doctor Faust” by Kuznetsov P. Ruigby L., like Zhirmunsky V.M., conducts his research on the question of the existence a man named Johann Faust. When considering this topic, introductory articles to various works about Doctor Faustus may be interesting, for example, Vilmont N.’s commentary on Goethe’s tragedy by I.V. “Faust” or the preface to the novel by Pismenny M.A. "The Story of Faust and the Devil."

The first part of the work contains historical information and notes about a certain Doctor Faustus, who performed unimaginable miracles and was able to fool anyone; the second part examines the reflection of the legend in the first folk book about Doctor Faustus.

Legend of Faust

The emergence of a legend

Faust is one of the eternal images in world literature. It arises from folk books about Doctor Faustus. It is assumed that the hero of folk books, Doctor Faustus, is a historical figure. Faust lived in Germany in the 16th century, during the turbulent era of the Reformation and peasant wars, and was known as a traveling magician, astrologer and simply a charlatan.

“The origins of the German folk legend about Doctor Faust are dark and deaf. It seems that the date of his birth is 1480, but no one can say for sure where Faust was born. His name was Johann, and maybe Georg, they say, he wasn’t even Faust, but Zabel - in Latin, George Sabelicus. If the word “Faust” is translated from German, it will be “fist”, and if from Latin it will be “happy”. It must be explained that in the old days in Germany, and not only in Germany, Latin was the language of literacy and service to God, therefore the sound of the Latin word was not alien to the learned man, priest and townsman. So in the work “Faust” the German ear heard a certain luck and luck and at the same time a tightly clenched fist of the common people.”

As M. Pismenny writes in the prehistory to his “Story of Faust and the Devil,” the real Faust was an astrologer, knew how to cast horoscopes and summon the souls of dead people. He not only knew how to interpret the texts of Plato and Aristotle, but also repeated them by heart, which horrified everyone - nothing less than a diabolical hint!

If during Faust’s life there were only rumors about his abilities, then after his death they began to invent everything that came into their head about him. And it is not clear whether the legends about warlocks left their mark on the real story of Faust’s life, or, on the contrary, it was he who became the reason for the emergence of many folk legends. However, we can be convinced that a certain Doctor Faustus really existed by studying some sources dating back to the 16th century, namely, the period of Faustus’ life and several years after his death.