The story of Faust, as written by Johann Van Goethe is a unique retelling of the German legend of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. The tale itself is of a man selling his soul to the Devil in exchange for magical powers. Throughout the story however, Goethe successfully manages to incorporate and discuss several important political and social issues that are still deliberated to this day. These are issues such as; feminism, as well as the treatment and perception of the roles of women in society, and the idiosyncrasies and potential political corruption of organized religion, such as that of the early Catholic Church. Furthermore, the play attends to the concepts of human nature, morality, and the effect sin has on the human psyche.
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Back in Goethe’s time religion and politics were heavily intertwined. Most countries were all but governed by the Catholic Church and subsequently, the Pope. These “church states” were not a new phenomenon; they have always existed in some form or fashion, but do not become greatly relevant until the Roman Empire. The Romans created what was the Roman Catholic Church which was the ruling force in Europe for hundreds of years. There are a multitude of flaws in this kind of central power structure, mostly having to deal with the corruption of mankind. The early Catholic Church was known to be so fraudulent that countless stories to this day portray debase characters resembling the Pope, bishops, friars, and priests. Goethe’s Faust is no exception. In the tale there is a bishop whom presides over the town’s church. Goethe never explicitly tells the reader that this bishop was corrupted by the political system of the time. Mephistopheles however hints toward the situation. This can be seen a little after Faust breaks into Margarete’s house and leaves an expensive necklace for her in her room. When she discovers the gift, she was shocked at first that this was in her possession. She then warms up to it and tries it on in the mirror to see how it looks on her. After wrestling with her conscience over the matter, Margarete decides to confess her “sin” of wanting to keep the jewelry to the bishop. Once she