The influence of Goethe’s ‘Faust’ on the theory of Friedrich Nietzsche

The influence of Goethe’s ‘Faust’ on the theory of Friedrich Nietzsche


Goethe - ... a grand attempt to overcome the eighteenth century through a return to nature, through a going up to the naturalness of the Renaissance, a kind of self – overcoming on the part of that century ... He did not sever himself from life, he placed himself within it ... and took as much as possible upon himself, above himself, within himself. What he aspired to was totality; he strove against the separation of reason, sensibility, emotion, will...; he disciplined himself to a whole, he created himself ... Goethe conceived of a strong, highly cultured human being who, keeping himself in check and having reverence for himself, dares to allow himself the whole compass and wealth of naturalness, who is strong enough for this freedom; a man of tolerance, not out of weakness but out of strength, because he knows how to employ to his advantage what would destroy an average nature; a man to whom nothing is forbidden, except it be weakness, whether that weakness be called vice or virtue ... A spirit thus emancipated stands in the midst of the universe with a joyful and trusting fatalism, in the faith that only what is separate and individual may be rejected, that in the totality everything is redeemed and affirmed – he no longer denies... But such a faith is the highest of all possible faiths: I have baptised it with the name Dionysus.

Twilight of the Idols or How to Philosophise with a Hammer
Friedrich Nietzsche
IX 49



The influence of Goethe’s ‘Faust’ on the theory of Friedrich Nietzsche


Prior to commencing this response it is important to establish the context in which Goethe was writing his epic work ‘Faust’. Started in 1770 and considered by Goethe to be a complete work, not a completed work, in 1831 - it was written over a sixty year period which may be identified as a period of great flux across Europe. In 1789-99 the French Revolution took place; 1804-15 the Napoleonic Wars; 1806 the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire; 1817 the Wartburg Festival; 1818 the creation of the Prussian Customs Union - all of which would have shaped the attitude of the poem, without even considering the personal experiences Goethe had during his lifetime. ‘Faust’ is a work correctly identified as one of the greatest and most important pieces of literature ever written. It is therefore perverse to consider ‘Faust’ in isolation - just as it is necessary to understand the context in which Goethe was writing it is equally as important to appreciate the influence that ‘Faust’ has subsequently had. This is not an article which will give the briefest summary of the many who have been stimulated, however it is the intention of the author to illustrate that ‘Faust’ is a direct influence on one specific type of thought that started to emerge in the late 19th Century. Modern theorists must appreciate the lineage of modern thought and though Goethe’s ‘Faust’ was itself influenced by Lutheran and Kantian writings it still may be seen as a significant, original and pivotal piece in the development of modern theoretical writing.

Many would cite Friedrich Nietzsche as one of the most important theorists to emerge during the late nineteenth century. Nietzsche’s work is a rally against the decline witnessed in the modern age where intelligence too readily appears to be on the defensive and life is defined by an excess of emotion and the need for constant mindless stimulation; his philosophy seeks to stimulate the mind into activity and ‘into becoming productive’ . Typically Nietzschian thought centres on traditional subjects - the problems of being and becoming; determination and freedom, ethics and logic; will and morality – yet his work is inherently contradictory and provoking. One of his earliest and central ideas was concerned with the notion and definition of modern man. In ‘Twilight of the Idols’ Goethe is identified as a Dionysus and for Nietzsche modern man is typified as having an ‘instinct for everything, a taste and tongue for everything’ and one who will create new social values accordingly. This thought is identifiable in the character of Faust who is intent on burning like a brilliant blazing spark rather than being stifled in dry-rot – the re-born Faust is not mediocre, he lives rather than trying to exist; he is the modern cultured man, the image of the ‘emancipated individual...the individual who has acquired too much knowledge for his own good’ . Towards the end of his sane life, Nietzsche once noted that he had ‘fortunately’ created a character out of himself, as he viewed good literature as being identifiable as life itself. He also noted that Goethe had achieved this highest of accomplishments; though this comment is open to interpretation it is plausible, considering the concept of the Dionysus, that Nietzsche viewed Faust as the totality of Goethe and so there is an identifiable influence of the poet on the theorist.

In many ways this earliest of concepts is a starting point for one of the most famous topics of late 19th century thought - the ‘Űbermensch’ or superman. Nietzsche introduced this idea in his seminal work ‘Thus spake Zarathustra’ and it has influenced writers, theorists and artists ever since. However, it was Goethe who first coined this word, not Nietzsche. It is used by the Earth Spirit, who has been summoned to ridicule Faust in his misguided belief that he is akin to this Spirit and the term is little more than a derogatory put down. For Nietzsche the Űbermensch is the embodiment of feet on the ground rather than head in the clouds. It is not a derogatory snipe but rather a fundamental and logical necessity and clearly a concept which had drawn from Goethe’s original ideas in ‘Faust’. Goethe used the expression as reinforcement from the spirit of the fact that Faust was a man; Nietzsche builds on this idea to present a clearer, more noble explanation that man needs to live on the earth. Critically, Nietzsche through Zarathustra then ties the notion of the Űbermensch to the death of God, a pivotal concept for all subsequent theorists. There is no suggestion that God does not exist in ‘Faust’; however through Faust’s craving of a greater reality and a richer life there is an oblique suggestion of alternate religious perspectives and the more theoretical notion of a religion without God becomes viable. The ‘death of God’ is coined by Nietzsche to exemplify the change in values; the previous values provided by God are no longer valid and so without the values is there still the god? The tale of Faust in one way is about the emergence of a new value system and it is plausible to see a correlation between what Nietzsche read and what he wrote about. ‘Nihilism – god is dead, and with him beauty. Everything is permissible; nothing can stop the unleashing of violence. Morality is helpless. Art is not a substitute for life, real life, absent life. Like speculation, like the state, art alienates. It is withering away. It will die leaving us to our nakedness. Nihilism is not decline. It is an ordeal we must endure’ . Similarly to Faust there is still the desire of modern man to reach the intangible nirvana that is a greater reality; there is still a lack of unity and a sense of remoteness felt between people and an overall sensation of isolation is often identified. Faust never truly overcomes this sense of isolation and he muses about becoming an image no more – despite his life Faust is still part of all that is ephemeral. This is another key theoretical notion, with scholars spending much time discussing the concept of life as an image. It is an idea which does not originate in Goethe’s ‘Faust’; however, the popularity of the poem in the 19th Century would have provided a large audience with these basic theoretical ideas.

The tale of Faust is not an original story; many had tackled the fable of the man who sold his soul to the devil but it is Goethe’s poem that is widely considered to be the definitive version. Through the depth and richness of Goethe’s writing an emotional resonance is formed between the characters and the audience. Not only is Faust the modern cultured man, he is also a flawed and tragic man with the tragedy that unfolds relating to the circumstances of the world but also man’s relationship with his fellow man. Schopenhauer identified this relationship as being the most important starting point for tragedy and the consideration of the notion of tragedy was another key element within Nietzsche’s writings. Nietzsche believed that the ‘aesthetic response’ to a tragedy should incorporate both the complete acceptance of the drama and also an alienated distance from it; he did not agree with the need for the Faustian tragedy’s saving graces, such as the salvation of Gretchen, as the overall impact of tragedy is lessened - tragedy should simply be allowed to occur. Erich Heller referred to Goethe’s ‘deficiency’ in this respect as a result of the violent clash between the author’s nature and his historic situation . Regardless, the Nietzschian idea of finding value in tragedy or catastrophe led to the formation of the notion that suffering was an absolute law. Improvement was to be achieved through acceptance and experience of suffering. By dissolving the more commonly held attitudes towards laws of reason Nietzsche was able to introduce concepts which became central to the philosophy of strenuousness. For modern theorists this is basic 19th Century thought; though ‘Faust’ does not specifically lead to the formation of these concepts Nietzsche did feel it necessary to comment about the failing of Goethe’s work as a proper tragedy. The philosophy of strenuousness is a response to the salvation of Gretchen as much as to any other form of tragedy – the importance of ‘Faust’ in this respect is due to it being a piece of literature Nietzsche admired; and so it becomes possible to cite ‘Faust’ as one of the catalysts of the theory.

In trying to explain the influence of ‘Faust’ on Nietzsche and therefore modern thought it is possibly most useful to provide a simple fact. The ‘Birth of Tragedy’ is an attempt by Nietzsche to establish continuities between myth and history and is a fore-runner to his more renowned works. In this, Nietzsche’s first book, there are more references to Faust than to any other source. Some of these references are to do with the more general Faustian tale; however, the re-iteration of Goethe’s ‘Faust’ as a reference point is indicative of the influence the work had on Nietzsche. No other written work at this point is held in as high esteem by Nietzsche and it is clear that the influence of ‘Faust’ on the development of Nietzschian thought - and by extension modern theoretical considerations - was immense. For some scholars certain aspects of Nietzsche’s writing may be viewed as ‘re-hash, with additions and improvements of his own and [that] of other men, such as ...Goethe’s’ work. As previously mentioned Goethe’s ‘Faust’ draws on Lutheran and Kantian thought; however, for the modern theorist it is vital that ‘theory’ is not simply taken to be that which has been written by the theorists. There is a wealth of material like ‘Faust’ that should never be overlooked.




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