Faust

Devil's bargain maker

Faust is a legendary German scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and worldly pleasures.

The tale, dramatized most famously by Goethe and Marlowe, has made Faust synonymous with bargains that sacrifice one's integrity for short-term gain.

A Faustian bargain trades something essential—usually moral—for power, success, or forbidden knowledge: The senator's alliance with extremists proved a Faustian bargain.

literary

Goethe

German poet-dramatist, 1749-1832

MephistophelesSoul-bargaining demon
tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
damnationEternal punishment decree

Marlowe · redemption · Margaret · Gretchen · Helen · homunculus · Wagner · pact · soliloquy · prologue

bargain

soul

Innermost animating essence

devilEvil supernatural entity
pactFormal agreement between parties
contractEnforceable written agreement

deal · temptation · damnation · exchange · desire · ambition · knowledge · power · eternal · price

archetype

scholar

Learned, studious person

alchemistPractitioner of proto-chemistry
necromancerSummoner of the deceased
magicianPerformer of illusions

conjurer · seeker · overreacher · hubris · forbidden · knowledge · ambition · dissatisfaction · transgression · Prometheus

adaptations

opera

Theatrical art combining song

LisztHungarian Romantic-era pianist-composer
filmMovie or coating
MannGerman surname meaning male

Berlioz · Thomas · Master · symphony · cantata · ballet · Lenny · Damn Yankees · musical · Doctor Faustus

legend

Wittenberg

Reformation's starting point

GermanCentral European language
chapbookSmall booklet of verse
sixteenth-centuryThe years 1500-1599

historical · Johannes · itinerant · charlatan · folklore · cautionary · apocryphal · printer

Faust

Goethe

soul

scholar

opera

Wittenberg

Faust

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family