Faust Parts 1 & 2

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, John Clifford

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781788502412
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Drama
• Index: Literature

Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price

A fresh, performable version by John Clifford of Goethe's 'unstageable' masterpiece.

God and Mephistopheles vie for the mortal soul of Dr Faust. Signing a pact with the nihilistic spirit, Faust is privy to knowledge unbound and sensual delights of which most men can only dream. But before long, the Doctor comes to realise that you should always be very careful what you wish for.

Goethe began working on Faust in about 1772-5. He published a first fragment of it in 1790, then the whole of Part One in 1808. He saw the first performance of Part One in Brunswick in 1829, and was still making minor revisions to Part Two shortly before his death in March 1832.

This two-part English version by John Clifford, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, was first performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in February 2006.

'A thoroughly modern interpretation, a litany of society's soul-selling compromises - sexual commoditisation, academic dumbing-down and capitalistic rapaciousness - that is entirely about today. It's frequently funny but never less than serious' - Guardian

FAUST: PART ONE

based on

Faust: Erster Teil

by Goethe

Characters

POET

DIRECTOR

ACTOR

FAUST

GOD

ANGEL GABRIEL

ANGEL RAFAEL

MEPHISTOPHELES

EARTH SPIRIT

WAGNER

GIRLS 1, 2, 3

STUDENTS 1, 2, 3

CITIZENS 1, 2, 3

SOLDIER

YOUNG WOMAN STUDENT

TWO EXOTIC AND BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

WAITERS

MCDONALD

MCTAVISH

MCKENZIE

TWO BABOONS

A CAT

A WITCH

GRETCHEN

MARTHA

MOTHER (offstage)

VALENTINE

A COVEN OF WITCHES

ACT ONE

The company come on stage. Among them is the POET.

And the POET is a man.

POET.

At this moment . . .

At this moment I am always so afraid

I know I am with friends.

Or at least I try. I try to know this.

Know I am with friends.

And I also know . . . know together we will create

Something that has never been seen before

Something that will never be seen again.

The difficulty terrifies me.

I want to ask for help

From you, you the actors,

From the unconscious, from the audience,

From angels. Even from God.

Evil entered my life last year

And destroyed one person I truly loved.

I need to grieve. I need to understand.

Understand how I can begin to live again.

And I don’t know, but . . .

This strange old poem, Goethe’s Faust, may help.

I know evil has entered your lives too,

In one form or another. And as we look around the world,

Evil seems to be stronger everywhere.

We all are suffering.

Like me you need to try to understand,

Need to find out which is the stronger:

Evil or Good. We don’t know the answer.

We need to discover. We need to enter the dark.

Help us. Help us if you can.

DIRECTOR.

Yes that’s all very well, but.

Where’s the play?

POET.

The play?

DIRECTOR.

Yes. The play! There are deadlines.

POET.

I know.

DIRECTOR.

I’m the director. I worry about these things.

POET.

I’m the poet. I worry too. I do my best.

(To the actor about to be FAUST.)

I’m sorry. Would you mind?

It’s just the director. Getting anxious.

He often does that these days.

If you could just sit in that chair.

No. This chair. Look baffled.

No I’m not sure that’s right.

More lost and vulnerable.

Thank you.

(To the DIRECTOR.) There. That’s your play.

DIRECTOR.

A shabby man? In a shabby chair?

I mean, I know he’s lovely, we’re all very fond of him,

He’s a treasure, really,

But . . . He’s hardly sexy.

POET.

Why does he have to be sexy?

You’re not being fair.

DIRECTOR.

Is this business fair? Is life fair?

What if this fails? My job is on the line.

POET.

So’s my life.

DIRECTOR.

Well then.

ACTOR.

I hope your play’s got some laughs in it!

You can be awful gloomy sometimes.

I mean, look how you began.

POET.

Laughs? You want laughs?

ACTOR.

People need to laugh.

Look at them. They must have had a rotten day.

DIRECTOR.

You’re right. Gloomy as hell.

And they do insist on being entertained.

They’re such a worry.

POET.

It can’t be helped. We do our best.

What else can we do?

I’ve been working on this play for years.

It all comes from the past. It’s memories. Tremulous.

They shudder. Shudder like my heart.

Sweet friend, we went through so much together.

Who will understand me now you’re gone.

ACTOR.

Now I’m getting nervous.

POET.

Look. Here’s your Faust.

You’ve got Faust: Part One. And soon you’ll get Faust: Part Two.

Take him or leave him.

DIRECTOR.

Well I suppose he’ll have to do.

POET.

And there’s a prologue.

DIRECTOR.

A prologue?

POET.

In he...