Faust leads a destitute life as a scholar, until he lay hands on a book of black magic. He then sells his soul to the devil Mefistofeles, in exchange for services. Demons also appear to Kasper, whom Faust’s famulus – Wagner – has recently hired. But Kasper adamantly refuses to sell himself to the devil. Mefistofeles takes Faust and Kasper to Parma to lead a loose life. After living in luxury for twelve years, Faust is abandoned by Wagner, who disapproves of his way of life. Faust repents, but eventually gives in to carnal temptation when Mefistofeles presents him the fair Helen, whom he knew in Ancient Greece. Everyone rejects Faust. Kasper, now a night watchman, finds him out in the street within curfew hours and wants to throw him behind bars. But Faust’s final hour has come, and he is taken away by demons.

String marionette

Not specified

Geisselbrecht Johann Georg

Germany

Printed

University

Scholar

Wittenberg

Philosopher's stone

Foreign languages

Laziness

Sorcery

Necromancy

Perlike

Middle Ages

Crow

Pluto

Coffee

Penitence

Eroticism

Eternal punishment

Tragic

Burlesque

German

Comödie vom D. Faust ; Schauspiel von dem Doctor Faust

Oder : Der große Negromantist

Faust

Christoph Wagner

Kasperl

Mephistopheles

Devil

Auerhahn

Vizibuzli

Helen of Troy

Night watchman

Monologue

Metadiscourse on puppet theatre

Tragic irony

Song

Macaronism

Misunderstanding

Lazzi

Word for another

Thunderbolt

Apparition of the Devil

Repetition of a word

Pact with the devil

Dream

Versified passages

Bawdy equivocation

Doctor Faust

Driven by his ambition, doctor Faust learns black magic and sells his soul to the devil Mefistopheles, who will serve him for twenty-four years in return. Mefistopheles is also trying to obtain the soul of his servant Hannswurst. Imitating his master, the latter also tried to summon demons; however, the devil himself is bewildered by the servant’s coarseness and simple-mindedness. Mefistopheles then takes them to Italy: the Duchess of Parma is desperately trying to win back the love of the Duke, who suffers from melancholy. Faust promises to heal him, before finding out that the Duchess wants to poison him to avenge herself for the affront of Hannswurst, who farted on her face. Mefistopheles helps them both go back to Wittemberg safely. But Faust’s final hour has come. He tries to trick his way out of Hell, by suggesting that he and his old servant swap clothes; but Hannswurst is not fooled, and Faust is damned.

Weimar

Scatology

Donkey

Vanity

Human condition

Hell

Fart

Goat

Nightwatchman

Farcical

Mock-heroic

Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt

Eine alte Volks-Sage, aus den Zeiten des 12ten Jahrhunderts in 5 Aufzügen

Hanswurst

Duchess of Parma

Skeleton

Angel

Voice

Genie

Fury

Off-stage voice

Dilemma

Parodic trial

Talking animal

Sung scenes

Comic equivocation

Pyrotechnics

Apparition

Doctor Faust is disillusioned with academic disciplines. He learns black magic and makes a deal with the devil Mephistopheles, promising him his soul if the latter accepts to serve him for twenty-four years. Faust’s new domestic servant, Casperle, also learns to summon demons, and engages the services of the devil Auerhahn. However, he refuses to sell his soul to him. During the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Parma, Faust makes the Ancient Testament appear before them and attempts to seduce the duchess. But he is pursued by her husband, the Inquisition and the outraged people, because Casperle has used his links with the devil to carry out miracles. Faust flees to Constantinople and Auerhahn brings Casperle to Mainz. The final act relates Faust’s damnation. He does penance, but he is doomed when Mephistopheles promises him the most beautiful woman in the world – Helen of Troy. Faust is carried off by demons, while Casperle, now a night watchman, takes his revenge on his wife at the end of the play, for the domestic violence she inflicted on him.

Simrock Karl

Bonn

Magic

Monkey

Mainz

Drink

Pigtail

Dragon

Seduction

Inquisition

Italy

Couch

Repentance

Lust

Spousal abuse

Humorous

Aside

Chase

Theatre within the theatre

Domestic scene

Dance

Doctor Johannes Faust

Marianne – the wife of a poor lumberjack – sends her starving children Hansel and Grethel in the woods, so that they pick some berries. But the children are captured by the cannibalistic naturalist Fleischmann, at the same time as the travelling tailor Kasperl Larifari, who believes he will find bed and board at his house. They are locked inside chicken coops and fattened. Kasperl is enraged. To calm him down, Fleischmann allows him outside the cage to drink some wine with him. He intends on eating him right after. But they both get drunk, while the professor’s maid, Katharine, helps the children escape and reports the cannibal to the police. Kasperl takes advantage of the general confusion to escape too. The professor chases him and then gives up. He wants to find the children but falls asleep in the end, exhausted. Kasperl finds him and sews the two legs of his pants together. Eventually, the court bailiff arrives with the children’s father, Peter. When they find Fleischmann, he is unable to move, and Peter kills him with an axe. The children come out of hiding and, at the end of the play, Kasperl declares that wickedness has been punished, virtue rewarded and that they all need to go to an inn now.