Morality of Faust

Andrew Alvarado
Humcore
Brian Thill
1/21/12
Faust the Villain

The actions taken by Faust throughout the play can hardly be noted as honorable, heroic or positive. Destro is certainly correct when he says that Faust’s moral point of view is “highly problematic”   and the road finding his positive side really leads nowhere. Faust’s villainous morality can first be noted when he decides to use sorcery and deceit to win the attraction of Gretchen. It’s only with the help of the Devil and dark magic that he can ever gain the love of Gretchen. The second piece of evidence that gives Faust a negative demeanor was his duel with Valentin. He exploited the Devil’s distraction to strike down Valentin as if it was a battle two against one. This shows how Faust’s cowardice portrays him in a negative light and there are no rules of morality or ethics existing in his mind. The final piece of evidence that shows how Faust is undeserving of a positive portrayal, is the piece that Destro provides regarding Faust’s disregard for self recognition by the end of part one. His ignorance blinded him for a better portion of the play and when the time came for salvation, he fled with the Devil. Faust continually shows his negative being through his deceit, cowardice and ignorance
When Faust first laid eyes on Gretchen’s image he fell in love instantly but used dark tactics to try to win her love. In the witches kitchen, Faust was given a potion that would physically make him more attractive and lovable, explained by Mephistopheles “soon you’ll sense with thorough satisfaction how Cupid stirs and prances to and fro.” ( Goethe, 221) In many sorts this could be considered a love potion, where deceit is fully responsible of any forthcoming feelings or attractions that exists within the relationship. A positive view of Faust’s love towards Gretchen is simply impossible because every moment they spend together enjoying the warmth and passion of each other is always a lie. It seems that...