Faust

   , FAUSTIAN

   Dr. Johann Faust (or Faustus) lived in Wurttemberg and died about 1538. He roamed through Germany and was said to be a vicious magician and astrologer. He achieved some devilish results and became a magnet for many followers who treated him as a living legend for his knowledge of astrology and necromancy. So much sorcery was associated with his name that he became a vital source for stories, ballads, dramas, operas, and epics.

   Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus is the traditional story in which the doctor sought to have his every desire satisfied. He entered into an agreement with Mephistopheles for world power, honor, and all kinds of pleasures. But when the twelfth hour struck, what followed was a terrifying scene in which the devil claimed Faust's soul for hell.

   The most famous of the Faust dramas was written by the German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe. It has Faust selling his soul not for worldly power and pleasures but for supreme happiness, which he had never been able to find in his former pursuits. Because he ultimately finds this happiness in unselfish service for mankind, he escapes the snares of Mephistopheles.

   Many musical compositions embrace the story of human willingness to part with the soul to gain one's desires. Generally, the protagonist winds up in a losing battle and realizes that the bargain requires the surrender of more than anticipated.

   The adjective form Faustian—characteristic of Faust (a Faustian novel) or that which resembles or befits Faust—has multiple meanings. It may refer to the willingness to sacrifice spiritual "goods" for worldly ones (a Faustian pact with the Devil), or to an insatiable hunger for knowledge or experience. Or it may refer to one constantly troubled and tormented by spiritual dissatisfaction or spiritual striving.