Romanticism experienced during the Romantic era was influential in shaping the portrayal of many works of literature during the Romantic period. Notably, Romanticism is broadly described as an attitude or intellectual orientation during the Romantic era of the Western Civilization that occurred in the period between the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries. According to Beers (2015), the Romantic era had significant influence in the society as it shaped various forms of art, literature, paintings, architecture, music, criticism, and historiography to mention but a few. Generally, the concept of Romanticism tended to reflect deviance to the precepts of Classicism such as harmony, order, calm, balance, idealization, and rationality which preceded the era. In contrast, Romanticism was inclined more towards the themes of the individual, the imaginative, the subjective, the irrational, the spontaneous, the emotional, and the visionary. Typical application of Romanticism in literature is shown through the work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s tragic play Faust. Accordingly, Goethe’s Faust typifies the Romantic period through the manner in which it depicts the emotions of characters and the exploration of nature. In this regard, this paper aims to justify the above thesis through an initial introduction of the author and the play followed by detailed explorations of how human emotions and appreciation of nature have been depicted in the play to reflect the Romantic period.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is well renowned German artist who is acclaimed for a myriad of spectacular works of literature. Goethe has been termed as the greatest of the German men of letters, showing just how immense his contribution to the field of literature has been. Other than his master piece play Faust that is focused herein, other pieces of literature done by him that worth mention include “Gotz von Berlichingen”, “the Sorrows of Young Werther” and “Hermann and Dorothea”. Such titles, which are only but samples of Goethe’ work depict the extraordinary fertility and versatility of his genius. Also, the adaptability of his talent was shown through his scientific and political ambitions, these are by far dwarfed by his fame for literature more so in the eyes of the current generation. Faust is tragic play that written by Goethe and in many aspects reflect concepts in the Romantic period. The play has been influential in the society as not only has it been considered the greatest work of German literature but it has also been as source of inspiration and influence for a great deal of literature, music, and illustration.
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Faust typifies the Romantic period through the elaborate depiction of the human emotions within the play. According to Mellor (2013), one feature that characterized the Romantic period was the depiction of human emotions. In essence, in Romanticism individual emotion were expressed over reason with subjects willing to go to irrational limits to have their emotional desires satisfied. In the play Faust, personal emotions are seen to take precedence in a number of scenarios. For instance, in spite of having a PhD and a Master of Arts degree, Faust experiences depression as his academic accolades do nothing much to soothe him. The level of depression got him close to committing suicide by consuming poison as he yearned for even much more. He felt he wanted more, he desired to be young again and we see him resorting to magic as the plausible way of quenching his youthful desires. This reflects the desire to express his personal emotions over reason which typifies Romanticism. Furthermore, Faust’s expression for emotions over reason is demonstrated during his encounter with the young lady Margrete. At first sight of running into Margrete on the streets, Faust develops interest in her and wants to have her immediately. He commands Mephisto “Get me that girl, do you hear, you must!” (2411). The irrationality of this command is recognized by Mephisto and he replies "must have two weeks at least to spy out a propitious occasion” (2434-35). This expression of human emotion beyond reason is a clear depiction of how Faust demonstrates romanticism.
Romanticism is demonstrated in Faust through the appreciation of nature and its relevance in our lives. According to Beers (2015), the Romantic period was characterized by a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature. In the first half of the play, Faust goes out on a What is clearly demonstrated through this walk is Faust’s comfort with and appreciation of nature which are key elements in Romanticism. Further, he freely uses his imagination to fathom the connection between humans and nature. The concept of imagination of free reasoning is thus another characteristic of that is demonstrated in Faust. Back from his interaction with nature, Faust for the first time experiences satisfaction. In his speech, Faust talks about the myriad qualities of nature. In addition, he provides faithful and spiritual reasoning which further makes him want to participate in nature even the more. As a result, the human soul is seen to be heavily dependent on nature and thus without nature it is not possible to have a sense of completeness in an individual. Evidently, the expression and appreciation of nature depicted in Faust is a good demonstration of the Romanticism in the play Faust.
In conclusion, the Romantic period that lasted from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century had important connections with several aspects of society. This form of attitude and intellectual reasoning that veered away from rationalization and idealism, and instead focused on personal emotions, free imagination, and appreciation of nature was reflected in various forms of artistic and literature work. In Goethe’s play Faust , the life of the main character Faust has been used to demonstrated several concepts of Romanticism. Notably, expression of personal emotions such as depression and affection was significantly used to express Romanticism. Additionally, appreciating nature and acknowledging its role in human life is yet another way in which Goethe has used to demonstrate Romanticism. Evidently, Goethe’s Faust is an embodiment of the Romantic period.
References
Beers, H. A. (2015). A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century (Routledge Revivals) . Routledge.
Mellor, A. K. (2013). Romanticism and gender . Routledge.
