Faust: A Lyric Drama in Five Acts — A Closer Reading

(0 User reviews) 1699

In Category - Historical Psychological Social Fiction

Authors: Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893, Barbier, Jules, 1825-1901, Carré, Michel, 1819-1872, Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 [Contributor] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Operas -- Librettos; Faust, -approximately 1540 -- Drama Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 20,446

Reading time 89 min

Text sections 6

This digital edition of Faust: A Lyric Drama in Five Acts — A Closer Reading is described by source-level measurements including 20,446 words, 1 hr 29 min estimated reading time, and 6 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 10.4 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Operas -- Librettos,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #45806

This libretto for Gounod's opera adapts Goethe's Faust, juxtaposing sacred and profane imagery through arias, choruses, and stage directions. The text reveals tensions between piety and hedonism, as seen in Valentin's prayer to his sister's medal and Mephistopheles' 'Calf of Gold' song.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg45806

Read the Text

until death always faithful, And in memory of his loved one Caused a cup of gold to be made." (Breaking off.) His manner was so gentle! 'Twas true politeness. (Resuming the song.) "Never treasure prized he so dearly, Naught else would use on festive days, And always when he drank from it, His eyes with tears would be o'erflowing."

II. (She rises, and takes a few paces.) "When he knew that death was near, As he lay on his cold couch smiling, Once more he raised with greatest effort To his lips the golden vase." (Breaking off.) I knew not what to say, my face red with blushes! (Resuming the song.) "And when he, to honor his lady, Drank from the cup the last, last time, Soon falling from his trembling grasp, Then gently passed his soul away." Nobles alone can bear them with so bold a mien, So tender, too, withal! (She goes toward the pavilion.) I'll think of him no more! Good Valentine! If heav'n heeds my prayer, we shall meet again. Meanwhile I am alone!

(Suddenly perceiving the bouquet attached to the door of the pavilion.)

Flowers! (Unfastens the bouquet.) They are Siebel's, surely! Poor faithful boy! (Perceiving the casket.) But what is this? From whom did this splendid casket come? I dare not touch it-- Yet see, here is the key!--I'll take one look! How I tremble--yet why?--can it be Much harm just to look in a casket! (Opens the casket and lets the bouquet fall.) Oh, heaven! what jewels! Can I be dreaming? Or am I really awake? Ne'er have I seen such costly things before!

(Puts down the casket on a rustic seat, and kneels down in order to adorn herself with the jewels.)

I should just like to see How they'd look upon me Those brightly sparkling ear-drops! (Takes out the ear-rings.) Ah! at the bottom of the casket is a glass: I there can see myself!-- But am I not becoming vain?

(Puts on the ear-rings, rises, and looks at herself in the glass.)

Ah! I laugh, as I pass, to look into a glass; Is it truly Marguerite, then? Is it you? Tell me true! No, no, no, 'tis not you! No, no, that bright face there reflected Must belong to a queen! It reflects some fair queen, whom I greet as I pass her. Ah! could he see me now, Here, deck'd like this, I vow, He surely would mistake me, And for noble lady take me! I'll try on the rest. The necklace and the bracelets I fain would try! (She adorns herself with the bracelets and necklace, then rises.) Heavens! 'Tis like a hand That on mine arm doth rest! Ah! I laugh, as I pass, to look into a glass; Is it truly Marguerite, then? Is it you? Tell me true! No, no, no, 'tis not you! No, no, that bright face there reflected Must belong to a queen! It reflects some fair queen, whom I greet as I pass her. Oh! could he see me now, Here, deck'd like this, I vow, He surely would mistake me, And for noble lady take me!

MARGUERITE and MARTHA.

_Mart._ Just heaven! what is't I see? How fair you now do seem! Why, what has happened? Who gave to you these jewels?

_Mar._ (confused). Alas! by some mistake They have been hither brought.

_Mart._ Why so? No, beauteous maiden, These jewels are for you; The gift are they of some enamor'd lord. My husband, I must say, Was of a less generous turn!

(MEPHISTOPHELES and FAUST enter.)

MEPHISTOPHELES, FAUST, and the before-named.

_Mep._ (making a profound bow). Tell me, I pray, are you Martha Schwerlein?

_Mep._ Pray pardon me, If thus I venture to present myself. (Aside, to FAUST.) You see your presents Are right graciously received. (To MARTHA.) Are you, then, Martha Schwerlein?

_Mep._ The news I bring Is of an unpleasant kind: Your much-loved spouse is dead, And sends you greeting.

_Mart._ Great heaven!

_Mar._ Why, what has happened?

(MARGUERITE hastily takes off the jewels, and is about to replace them in the casket.)

_Mart._ Oh woe! oh, unexpected news!

_Mar._ (aside). How beats my heart Now he is near!

_Faust_ (aside). The fever of my love Is lull'd when at her side!

_Mep._ (to MARTHA). Your much-loved spouse is dead, And sends you greeting!

_Mart._ (to MEPHISTOPHELES). Sent he nothing else to me?

_Mep._ (to MARTHA). No. We'll punish him for't; Upon this very day We'll find him a successor.

_Faust_ (to MARGUERITE). Wherefore lay aside these jewels?

_Mar._ (to FAUST). Jewels are not made for me; 'Tis meet I leave them where they are.

_Mep._ (to MARTHA). Who would not gladly unto You present the wedding-ring?

Continue Reading →

This libretto for Charles Gounod's opera Faust presents a dual-language edition (English and French) that captures the rhythmic and rhyming structure of the original verse. The text opens with a prefatory note and a detailed table of contents, then moves directly into the drama. The first act establishes a stark contrast between Faust's scholarly despair and the Easter chorus's promise of resurrection, a pattern of juxtaposition that recurs throughout. The libretto's stage directions and character interactions reveal a world where sacred and profane constantly collide, from Valentin's prayer over his sister's medal to Mephistopheles' cynical 'Calf of Gold' song. The inclusion of selected arias and a soldier's chorus further emphasizes the work's musical and dramatic architecture.

Sacred Objects and Secular Desires

The libretto repeatedly places sacred objects in secular contexts, creating a tension between faith and worldly ambition. In Act II, Valentin enters holding a small medal given by his sister Marguerite, praying: 'O sainte médaille, Qui me viens de ma sœur, Au jour de la bataille, Pour écarter la mort, reste là sur mon cœur!' This invocation of divine protection for military glory is immediately followed by a drinking song from Wagner about a cowardly rat, and then Mephistopheles' entrance with his irreverent 'Le veau d'or' (The Calf of Gold) chorus. The juxtaposition suggests that sacred tokens are invoked but quickly overshadowed by hedonistic pursuits. Similarly, the soldier's chorus equates 'filles ou forteresses' (girls or fortresses) as objects to be conquered, reducing both love and war to games of capture. These recurring contrasts between piety and profanity form a structural pattern that defines the opera's moral landscape.

Choral Voices and Social Stratification

The libretto's extensive choral passages delineate distinct social groups—soldiers, students, young girls, matrons, and burghers—each with their own musical and textual motifs. The students sing of wine and revelry ('Vin ou bière, Bière ou vin, Que mon verre Soit plein!'), while the soldiers boast of conquering both fortresses and women. The young girls, observing the men, sing 'Voyez ces hardis compères Qui viennent là-bas; Ne soyons pas trop sévères, Retardons le pas,' indicating a coquettish awareness. The matrons, in turn, mock the girls and students: 'Voyez après ces donzelles Courir ces messieurs! Nous sommes aussi bien qu'elles, Sinon beaucoup mieux!' This layered commentary creates a social microcosm where each group's perspective is voiced, but no single viewpoint dominates. The choral structure thus mirrors the opera's thematic tensions between individual desire and communal norms.

The Interruption as Dramatic Device

Mephistopheles' first appearance is marked by an interruption: he cuts off Wagner's song about a rat, saying 'Pardon!' and then 'Permettez-moi de prendre place!' This intrusion disrupts the festive atmosphere and signals his role as a destabilizing force. Wagner, who had been standing on a stool to perform, descends and yields the floor. Mephistopheles then offers to sing 'plusieurs de ma façon,' immediately launching into the cynical 'Calf of Gold' chorus. The interruption is not merely a plot point but a structural pattern: throughout the libretto, Mephistopheles repeatedly inserts himself into scenes, breaking the flow of everyday life. This device underscores his function as a catalyst who exposes the underlying tensions between sacred and secular, order and chaos. The libretto's stage directions emphasize his sudden appearance ('paraissant tout à coup'), reinforcing his supernatural nature.

Readers approaching this libretto should attend to the interplay between the English and French texts, as the translation choices sometimes alter emphasis. The dual-column format of the original is here split into sequential sections, which may affect the experience of parallel reading. The selected arias at the end provide a musical summary, but the full dramatic effect depends on imagining the orchestration and staging implied by the text. The libretto rewards attention to its choral structures and recurring motifs of interruption and juxtaposition.

The rain tapped against the window while Marguerite’s prayer lingered in my mind, that fragile hope against Mephistopheles’ gold. Later, I found myself drifting toward the shelf, pulling down Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, Book Two — A Reader’s Guide almost without thinking. There, simpler dramas held their own quiet weight, and I recalled how even children’s stories carry the same old shadows.