Reisa Asimovic

Professor Malloy
11/30/2010
Final Paper - Draft
There Is Nothing Special About Gretchen

Goethe’s two-part play Faust, published in its entirety posthumously in 1832,

revolves around an agreement made between the devil, Mephistopheles, and Faust about

Faust’s soul. The deal is that “here [Faust] shall be the master, [Mephisto] be bond, and

at [Faust’s] nod [Mephisto will] work incessantly; but when [they] meet again beyond,

then [Faust] will do the same for [him],” (1656-9). The play is a rendering of the

archetypal tale of an ambitious man who bargains with the devil to which Goethe adds an

additional element, namely, that of lust (for what Faust feels is not love). The most

explicit evidence of this is in Goethe’s inclusion of the relationship between Faust and

Gretchen. Gretchen’s character is simple and her story primarily serves to provide a

better understanding of the relationship between Faust and Mephisto. Gretchen is “not the

first one” (p, 401), and while her story is horribly tragic, it has little bearing on the plot.

Her role is not unique and any other person could have taken her place; essentially, there

is nothing special about Gretchen.

Upon the introduction of Faust’s character, it is evident that he is a troubled man

as he admits that there are “two souls…dwelling in [his] breast” (1112). One part of him

“adheres” (1114) to the earthly world, the other strives “in quest of rarefied ancestral

spheres” (1116-7). Shortly after meeting Mephisto and entering into the infamous pact,

Faust encounters Gretchen. He immediately becomes infatuated with her, calling her

“virtuous and pure, but somewhat pert and not demure” (2611-2). At first, she appears to

be simply a virtuous, young girl devoted to her faith, though Faust’s first analysis of her

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proves to be true as she is actually more complex than she seems. Despite her

multifaceted character, she appears very little in the actual story, and her role is merely to

provide the reader with another lens with which to understand the relationship between

Faust and Mephisto. Like Faust, she is manipulated by Mephisto and she is nothing more

than another pawn in the devil’s game.

Mephisto is the instigator of much of the action in the play and thus it is necessary

to understand his motives and his willingness to enter the pact. Gretchen is little more

than Mephisto’s toy and so to understand her role, it is vital to first examine Mephisto.

Prior to entering into a pact with Faust, Mephisto makes a bet with the Lord that he will

be able to easily win over Faust’s devotion, contending that Faust “will soon reach his

station” (330). From this first introduction of Mephisto it is clear that he enjoys

manipulating people and that he is not “contented to waste [his] time upon the dead”

(318-9). His manipulation of Faust extends to Gretchen, and as both are merely human

beings, the devil has no concern with their fates. Faust is the perfect victim for him as the

doctor is

“not afraid of the Devil or hell—but therefore [he] also [lacks] all delight, do not
fancy that [he knows] anything right, do not fancy that [he] could teach or assert
what would better mankind of might convert” (371-4), and that he has “yielded
to magic to see whether the spirit’s mouth and might would bring some
mysteries to light” (379-81).

Faust’s confusion about the physical world and his doubts about faith as expressed in his

question of why “life’s every stirring is oppressed by an unfathomed agony” (412-3),

make him an easy target for Mephisto who is looking for a “lost soul” to prey on.

Though Faust first makes mention of a potential pact, it is clear in their

conversation that Mephisto has led him there. Moreover, Mephisto reveals what is

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already suspected; that

“pact or no, [he holds Faust] tight…through life [he’ll] drag him at a rate, through
shallow triviality, that he will writhe and suffocate; and his insatiability, with
greedy lips, shall see the choiciest plate and ask in vain for all that he would
cherish—and were he not the Devil’s mate and had not signed, he still must
perish” (1855-1868).

Clearly, Mephisto plans to manipulate Faust and this foreshadows the doom that will

surely fall on any other relationships in Faust’s life. Specifically, it should seem evident

from Faust’s first encounter with Gretchen that Mephisto will taint any interaction she

has with Faust.

After taking a potion to make him younger, an act that Mephisto facilitates, Faust

first meets Gretchen. The potion not only makes him younger, but as Mephisto reveals it

will cause him to “find…Helen of Troy in every maid” (2603-4). The first woman Faust

encounters after drinking it is Gretchen and he immediately declares that he felt “sheer

enchanting ecstasy” (2618) upon seeing her. This suggests that perhaps he is not so much

enraptured by Gretchen’s beauty, but merely under the spell of the Witch’s potion. For

Faust, any woman would have seemed beautiful, and thus from the beginning of their

relationship it is evident that it is not Gretchen’s personality which matters, but merely

the existence of a female counterpart to Faust. Mephisto immediately identifies Gretchen

as “completely blemishless” (2624), in the sense that she is free from sin and is very

devout. Mephisto views this as a negative thing as he feels that he will have no influence

over her so in order to win her over they will “have to recourse to cunning” (2658).

Gretchen, too, will fall victim to Mephisto’s trickery and in her downfall readers can see

the effects that Mephisto has on Faust’s life.

Before completely dismissing Gretchen as being useful purely for the purpose of

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better understanding Faust’s character and relationship with Mephisto, it is important to

acknowledge that in her own right she is a complex character. She is first described as an

“angel” (2659), by Faust, and her devotion to her faith is evident from her introduction to

the play. She is of a lower class and admits to being nothing more than a “poor young

maid” (2907), when Mephisto calls her “elegant” (2902), inferring that he thinks her to be

a lady, despite the fact that he knows who she truly is. Through her initial conversation

with Faust she continues in this self-deprecating matter, constantly makes comments

calling herself “trash” (3076), despite Faust’s continued compliments. Though Faust

finds her simplistic nature to be charming (probably in part due to the Witch’s potion),

she appears to the reader as a naïve, young girl with whom Faust should not waste his

time since she seems unlikely to acquiesce to him.

Religion is the most important thing to her as she professes to Faust that “it is

faith we need” (3421), again suggesting that Faust will be unable to win her over in the

sexual way he desires. She astutely recognizes Mephisto’s evil nature identifying him as

“hateful...through and through” (3473), which is evidence that perhaps she does have

some insight into the world. However, despite her strong faith, she gives in to Faust

saying there is “hardly anything…left to do” (3520), implying that she has done all but

sleep with him, which she promptly does. This act seems to go against everything that

would be expected of her, given her previous actions. It his highly unexpected given

what the reader knows about Gretchen at the time and this gives her character more

depth. In the end, while it is important to establish the relative complexity of her

character, this is outweighed by the little weight her role plays to the plot of the story.

The story is ultimately about Faust’s journey and search for

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greater knowledge, which he tries to achieve through his pact with Mephisto. When he

meets Gretchen, he for a time, loses interest in this quest, to pursue her. Still though, like

Mephisto, she provides him with a distraction from his life and he does everything in his

power to get her. He allows his pursuit of her to be governed by Mephisto’s rules. First,

Mephisto lies to Martha about the death of her husband so that he and Faust may have an

excuse to go back and talk to the two women. While Faust at first protests, knowing the

immorality of his trickery, he admits that he as “no choice” (3072), because of his desire

for Gretchen. Furthermore, Faust accepts a potion from Mephisto that will make

Gretchen’s mother sleep so that they may have some time together. Though the devil

assures her that it will not harm her, it is a vial he obtained from the devil and should

have been more wary of it. Yet, acting rashly to pursue his goal, he takes no time to think

of possible consequences, and as a result Gretchen’s mother dies, leaving her essentially

alone in the world.

Though Faust realizes that Mephisto has ruined Gretchen’s life, calling him a

“freak of filth and fire” (3536), he still allows him to rule his life and follows the devil

wherever he goes. He has professed his love for Gretchen many times and feels regret

that “full of her own creed, which alone, she trusts, can bring salvation, lives in agony to

think her lover lost” (3530-3), when he abandons her. Yet his feelings for her do not

outweigh his allegiance to Mephisto, showing that perhaps Gretchen was nothing more

than a ‘conquest’ for Faust, and though he fell into lust with her, it was not the love he

thought he felt. When they return from their time away from the city, Faust wishes to see

Gretchen again, though is only concerned that he has “not a right to adorn [his] beloved

girl” (3670-1). But, before he can even find her, he encounters Valentine, her brother,

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who believes Faust and the Doctor to be intruders and proceeds to fight them, though

Faust murders him. He does not recognize that Valentine is Gretchen’s brother, but he

immediately follows Mephisto’s instructions to “thrust home” (3711). Mephisto and

Faust flee the scene not wanting to be arrested for murder so they do not hear the

exchange between Gretchen and Valentine. In his last words to his sister, Valentine says

that she “when [she] threw honor overboard, [she] pierced [his] heart more than the

sword” (3772-3). To some extent Faust must have realized that people would reach in

this way to Gretchen and reject her for affair with a man. But he has chosen his journey

with Mephisto and his desire for increased knowledge over anything that Gretchen could

have offered with him. Even with the opportunity to see the woman he supposedly loved

again, Faust still elects to remain with Mephisto.

After this incident, Mephisto and Faust attend Walpurgis Night, leaving

Gretchen alone with her grief. Getting caught up in the spectacle of the pagan

celebration, Faust catches a vision of a “pale, beautiful child…[who] moves slowly but

steadily, she seems to walk with her feet chained together. [He] must confess that she,

forbid, looks much as [his] good Gretchen did” (4184-8). Mephisto, of course, dismisses

the vision saying it “is just sorcery” (4199), though Faust cannot easily forget. Though

an argument can be made that this vision means he is still in love with Gretchen, the fact

that she is imprisoned is significant. Her feet being chained together foreshadow the time

she spends in prison just before her death, and Faust’s vision is a reflection of his regret

over what he did to the young girl. He refers to her as the one that he “possessed”

(4198), and does not use an expression of love or even adoration. After the festival he

implores Mephisto to save Gretchen from her horrible imprisonment, though Mephisto

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argues back. He asks Faust “who was it that plunged her into ruin? I or you” (p, 403), and

with this question Faust seems to begin to understand the implications of his pact. The

pact which Faust “impose[d]” (p, 401), on Mephisto, a fact which Faust seems to have

forgotten in his anger. While it is noble of Faust to try to save Gretchen, it is from a fate

which he gave to her and his rescue of her is not so much motivated out of his love for

her, but rather of whatever is left of the humanity seen in him at the start of the play.

As Mephisto says Gretchen is “not the first one” (p, 401), a statement which Faust

is extremely angered by, but which has relevance to the entire play. Gretchen is not the

first one to be hurt by a man with whom she is in love, just as Faust is not the first man to

fall into the devil’s trap and abandon his morality in search of an ultimate truth. It is

undeniable that Gretchen’s story is tragic and that Faust feels sorrow for what has

happened to her. In their final moments together when she is imprisoned he cries out that

he wishes he “had never been born” (4596). However, this is not so much a cry of despair

over the death of a woman he loved, but rather that he can hardly believe he has allowed

his life to get to this point that he has caused the emotional and physical destruction of

another human being. There is no doubt that Faust’s relationship with Gretchen has a

great impact on his life, though this impact is not related to her character, but merely to

his interaction with another human. Gretchen, from the beginning, is seen as a simple,

naïve young girl and like Faust is manipulated by Mephisto. Her struggles with her faith

and her submission to Faust are interesting, but, really have no impact on the plot of the

story, and if anything, are a result of Mephisto’s actions, not Faust’s. She is absent for

much of the play, when she is there, she says little of substance, and her fate has no

bearing on the rest of Faust’s life. Her role in the play could have been fulfilled by any

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other character, and since most of her actions are a result of Mephisto’s manipulations

they are not a source of interest to the reader in trying to analyze Faust.

Faust loves Gretchen and yet destroys her; their love is not so much star-crossed as self-

crossed.