Goethe's 'Faust' commemorated on €100 coin
October 6, 2023
Goethe's "Faust," one of the greatest works of German literature, is a tragic play that deals with various philosophical themes. Considering the fact that it can also be interpreted as a parable on the inevitable downfall of greed, it is perhaps ironic that its famous protagonists, Faust and Mephistopheles, now adorn a new €100 collector's coin issued by Germany's Federal Ministry of Finance.
The coin was designed by the artist Michael Otto from Redenbach, and is the first in an eight-part series called "Masterpieces of World Literature" dedicated to major German literary works.
From 2023 to 2030, a new coin with a literary theme will be issued each year.
After "Faust," the collector's items will pay tribute to Heinrich von Kleist's "The Broken Jug"; Joseph von Eichendorff "Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing"; Annette von Droste-Hülshoff "The Jew's Beech"; Bettina von Arnim's "This Book Belongs to the King"; Thomas Mann's "Buddenbrooks"; Else Lasker Schüler's "An Old Tibetan Carpet" and Franz Kafka's "The Trial."
'Faust': Goethe's life work
Poet, playwright, novelist, philosopher and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) is a monument of German literature. His works, and particularly his philosophical drama "Faust," contributed to immortalizing the author's name and anchoring the international prominence of 19th-century German literature.
Goethe spent 60 years writing and reworking his tragic play in two parts.
Between 1772 and 1775, the author was already developing an early form of the work, known as "Urfaust." The manuscript of this version was lost, but a copy of it was found more than a century later.
A first print version of the work came out in 1790, under the title "Faust, a Fragment." Over the years, the playwright kept revising what is now known as "Faust, Part One." The last published version to be edited by Goethe himself came out in 1828-1829.
Goethe spent the final years of his life working on the second part of his magnum opus, known in English as "Faust, Part Two." It was published in 1832, after his death, following his final wishes.
A German Renaissance alchemist turned myth
Goethe's work centers on the figure of Doctor Faust, a depressed scholar who, after a failed suicide attempt, sells his soul to Mephistopheles, the Devil, for exceptional knowledge and pleasures.
Faust's path of relentless quest also involves a love affair with Gretchen, short for Margarete.
The play is loosely inspired by the story of a real person, Johann Georg Faust, who was a German Renaissance alchemist, astrologer and magician who was denounced by the Church as a blasphemer having made a pact with the devil.
Facts and rumors about the historical Faust fed a myth that became part of German folklore: A few decades after he died, in circa 1541, works building on the character's story were published, such as Johann Spies' "The Historia von D. Johann Fausten" printed in 1587, and Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" coming out two years later in English.
Why 'Faust' remains relevant today
Goethe's "Faust" offers a reflection on the ideals of Enlightenment, a philosophical and intellectual movement that promoted modern ideas, such as believing in scientific and technical progress.
The play still gets staged today. References to the work are everywhere in pop culture, and the adjective "Faustian" implies sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge or material gain.
The paper money scene, for example, still reflects our world today, points out Michael Jaeger, author of "Goethes 'Faust': Das Drama der Moderne" (Goethe's "Faust": The Drama of Modernity).
In this scene, Mephistopheles introduces paper money in replacement of gold to encourage spending. The Emperor's squandering of money leads to an inflation that spirals out of control. In current times of inflation, this "is a highly topical issue today," points out the German scholar.
For Paul Kahl, who is also a Goethe researcher, one of the German poet's trademarks is that he "put the traditions of 'Old Europe' to the test with new questions."
Even if the social framework of each epoch is different, the great questions of human existence always remain unchanged, points out Kahl, which is why Goethe's classical literature has maintained its relevance over time.
In "Faust," for example, one of the central questions of the work is, "What can we know? What are the limits of our knowledge?" the literature expert tells DW. Such questions remain relevant in today's society, as the race to develop AI is often driven by corporate greed, while ethical concerns are being sidetracked.
Goethe's work definitely still has many lessons to offer today — and, presumably, they are more invaluable than the new €100 coin depicting Faust and Mephistopheles in the "Masterpieces of German Literature" series.
Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier