WHo Holds the devil - origins

A Brief History of Faust

the History of Faust

The Legend of Faust is based on a man who really existed, Johann Georg Faust. He was born in 1480 and was seen traveling around Germany for many years as an alchemist, astrologer and magician. Many stories were told about him, by people who had met him, or those who were just retelling stories they had heard from others. The common theme of all these stories is a pact between a man and the devil, for temporary gains, riches, talent, and pleasures in exchange for his soul. Johann Georg Faust died during a mysterious demonstration of flying in 1525 and many believed he was carried away by the devil.

The first “Faustbuch”, a chapbook with poems and short stories about Faust called the “Historia von D. Johann Fausten” was printed and distributed in 1587. Many other chapbooks followed and many more stories were told about the man Faust. Some of the most widely known iterations of Faust’s story are Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus, Charles Goundod’s Opera Faust, and Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe’s Faust, Part I and II.

Goethe’s first drafts of Urfaust were completed in 1772 and he brought the first work to print in 1790: Faust, a Fragment. Goethe’s Faust, Part I was published in 1806 and he finally finished Faust, Part II in 1831 which was published posthumously the following year. In total, Goethe spent nearly 60 years (a timespan he alludes to in the Dedication, mentioning the vague forms and shadows he claimed were appearing to him over decades) creating Faust, Part I and II, his epic closet-drama (a “play” that is primarily intended to be read, not staged). A famous, unabridged staging of both Parts I and II of Goethe’s Faust was produced in Germany for the Expo 2000, directed by Peter Stein, with a total run time of 22 hours in length. The show contained 12,100 lines.

Key points of Goethe’s Faust Part I

• Goethe's Faust begins with a prelude in the theatre where the director, poet, and clown discuss what makes good theatre. A promise is made that the whole universe will be depicted on stage, starting in heaven, moving through the world into hell.

• A Prologue in Heaven follows where a bet is made between the Lord and Mephistopheles, they bet on Faust’s soul. Mephistopheles goes to earth to tempt him.

• Faust is in despair and feels he has reached the end of all knowledge and human attainment through his years as a scholar and alchemist. Contemplating suicide, Faust summons a spirit and Mephistopheles appears to him and offers him all the pleasures of the world. 

• Mephistopheles promises Faust one moment of transcendence, a moment in which he hopes to stay forever. Faust doesn’t believe Mephistopheles could give him such a moment and so he takes the wager.

• To demonstrate his power, Mephistopheles takes Faust to a tavern and then to a witch who gives him a special potion

• Faust meets Gretchen for the first time in the street and is immediately infatuated by her

• Mephistopheles takes Faust to sneak into Gretchen’s home where they leave her a box of jewels as a token of Faust’s love

• Faust’s courtship of Gretchen is moved along by Mephistopheles setting up a meeting with Gretchen’s neighbor

• Faust gives Gretchen’s mother a sleeping potion so that they can consummate their relationship

• Gretchen finds out that she has become pregnant and her brother Valentin is intent on avenging her. There is a fight between Faust and Valentin in which Valentin is ultimately killed.

• Faust leaves Gretchen to attend the Walpurgis Night with Mephistopheles. After enjoying a night of darkness and dancing, revelry, and theatre, Faust learns of Gretchen's fate: that she has killed her infant child and was arrested.

• Faust and Mephistopheles sneak into jail to find Gretchen unresponsive and unable to recognize Faust. He pleads with her to flee with him but she refuses and remains in prison. 

• At every turn, Faust tries to connect with Nature, seeking fulfillment and connection there, but Mephistopheles keeps pulling him away — tempting him and enticing him with new things.

Faust and Climate Catastrophe

In “Who Holds the Devil,” the landscape we find ourselves in can be interpreted as our current location, but around a century after major ecological collapse and sudden, catastrophic failure of global capitalism. In order to allow us access to the Seed Vault, that the Storyteller makes clear contains the last remaining seeds with the potential to revitalize life on the planet, the Storyteller asks the band of remaining survivors to learn and internalize the story of Faust as it relates to the story of mankind. All must prove that we won’t repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, the “Old Ones.”

In this original work, we are using the legend of Faust as a literary basis for our post-apocalyptic tale. We draw parallels between the story of Faust and the historical story of human civilization. The pact with Mephistopheles is paralleled with humanity’s transition into agriculture, civilization, conquest, and the exploitation of the earth's resources. Humans have sold their collective soul for momentary riches, convenience, and entertainment.

Who Holds the Devil —

a one-act with 7 chapters

Prologue

• The Storyteller awakes and the band of the Last Eyes arrive

• In ritual, they transform and prepare to present their story of Faust

Chapter 1— Eden — Pride

• Humanity is in harmony; right relationship with the earth and strong community

• Faust seeks individuality and personal gain

• He conjures Mephistopheles but is ultimately frightened and refuses his offer 

Chapter 2 — The Fall — Lust

• Faust encounters Gretchen for the first time. He watches and follows her, but in a final attempt to woo her, she rejects him. 

• Mephisto reappears and Faust is swept up in his powerful storm

• Faust finally agrees to Mephistopheles’ bargain and signs his name in blood

Chapter 3 — The Great Forgetting — Wrath

• Faust is given new powers by Mephistopheles and uses them to control and seduce Gretchen

• Gretchen’s companions bring her back into their fold and attempt to heal her

• Valentin, in defending Gretchen from Faust, is struck down

• Faust steals Gretchen and locks her away

• Mephistopheles gives Faust the gift of Agriculture and the people are enslaved as his labor force

Chapter 4 — Civilization — Greed

• Gretchen is locked away in a hellish form of domesticity, acting as Faust’s prized doll

• Faust uses the people to build an industrial machine that will allow him to extract profit from their labor

• Mephistopheles gives Faust the gift of money, which allows him to turn the people against each other in endless competition while the Invisible Hand of Mephistopheles steadily returns all wealth to Faust

Chapter 5 — Conquest — Envy

• The land is dead and dry and its resources have been used up

• Faust begins to understand how all this “progress” is affecting the people and the earth, and briefly regrets his bargain

• Mephistopheles gives Faust the gift of warfare and they conquer distant lands to extract their resources 

• Faust’s army brings him all the spoils of war. The meager portion he chooses to share sends the people back into the same competitive rat race as before, all the while Mephistopheles ensures that all wealth eventually returns to Faust

Chapter 6 — Empire — Gluttony

• The people begin to revolt against Faust

• Mephistopheles puts them under a spell that turns them to fighting among themselves instead

• Mephistopheles gives Faust the gift of fossil fuel, forming the people into a drill to drain the Tree 

• Oil flows into Faust’s goblet from the land, sending everyone into an ecstatic techno-frenzy. Gretchen, at the fulcrum of this frenzy, finds herself trapped in a prison of Faust and Mephistopheles’ creation

Chapter 7 — Endgame — Sloth

• The aftermath of this technological revelry leaves the people barely conscious, numbed, disconnected, and lost. 

• Mephistopheles gives Faust the gift of blindness to all the horror he has caused, but Faust at first refuses

• Faust attempts to awaken Gretchen, and to reconnect with those he lost so long ago. He places them each with the Tree, hoping to regenerate the life within them

• Faust finds himself in a moment of transcendence

Epilogue

*The audience is faced with a final temptation - a choice to either learn from Faust’s mistakes or repeat them. The outcome of our story will dependent on your choice*