History YMMV / Faust

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Mephistopheles}} Mephisto]], stymied in his efforts to unleash the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse on the Earth, makes a bet with an angel, over whether he can [[TheCorrupter corrupt the soul]] of Doctor Faust. Spreading disease throughout Faust's hometown — and murdering a priest when the latter notices his presence — Mephisto convinces Faust to [[DealWithTheDevil sell him his soul in exchange for the power to heal his neighbors]]. When Faust's neighbors turn on him, Mephisto turns the doctor into a younger man and takes him to Parma, where he forces the Duchess of Parma to fall in love with Faust, then kills her husband in a duel. He later forces Gretchen, an innocent girl, to fall in love with Faust, only to [[FrameUp subsequently frame Faust and her]] for the murder of her mother and brother, resulting in her being burned at the stake and Faust committing suicide by joining her.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Mephisto]], stymied in his efforts to unleash the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse on the Earth, makes a bet with an angel, over whether he can [[TheCorrupter corrupt the soul]] of Doctor Faust. Spreading disease throughout Faust's hometown — and murdering a priest when the latter notices his presence — Mephisto convinces Faust to [[DealWithTheDevil sell him his soul in exchange for the power to heal his neighbors]]. When Faust's neighbors turn on him, Mephisto turns the doctor into a younger man and takes him to Parma, where he forces the Duchess of Parma to fall in love with Faust, then kills her husband in a duel. He later forces Gretchen, an innocent girl, to fall in love with Faust, only to [[FrameUp subsequently frame Faust and her]] for the murder of her mother and brother, resulting in her being burned at the stake and Faust committing suicide by joining her.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Mephisto]], stymied in his efforts to unleash the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse on the Earth, makes a bet with an angel, over whether he can [[TheCorrupter corrupt the soul]] of Doctor Faust. Spreading disease throughout Faust's hometown-—and murdering a priest when the latter notices his presence—-Mephisto offers convinces Faust to [[DealWithTheDevil sell him his soul in exchange for the power to heal his neighbors]]. When Faust's neighbors turn on him, Mephisto turns the doctor into a younger man, and takes him to Parma, where he forces the Duchess of Parma to fall in love with Faust, then kills her husband in a duel. He later forces Gretchen, an innocent girl, to fall in love with Faust, only to [[FrameUp subsequently frame Faust and her]] for the murder of her mother and brother, resulting in her being burned at the stake, and Faust committing suicide.

* WhatAnIdiot: Sure, I'll give up eternal happiness to be best buds with the Embodiment of Treachery and Pure Evil! Where do I sign?!

* CompleteMonster: In this 1926 film, [[BigBad Mephisto]], stymied in his efforts to unleash the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen]] on the Earth, makes a bet with an angel, over whether he can [[TheCorrupter corrupt the soul]] of Doctor Faust. Spreading disease throughout Faust's hometown—and murdering a priest when the latter notices his presence—Mephisto offers convinces Faust to [[DealWithTheDevil sell him his soul in exchange for the power to heal his neighbours]]. When Faust's neighbours turn on him, Mephisto turns the doctor into a younger man, and takes him to Parma, where he forces the Duchess of Parma to fall in love with Faust, then kills her husband in a duel. He later forces Gretchen, an innocent girl, to fall in love with Faust, only to [[FrameUp subsequently frame Faust and her]] for the murder of her mother and brother, resulting in her being burned at the stake, and Faust [[DrivenToSuicide committing suicide]].

* CompleteMonster: In this 1926 film, [[BigBad Mephisto]], stymied in his efforts to unleash the Four Horsemen on the Earth, makes a bet with an angel, over whether he can [[TheCorrupter corrupt the soul]] of Doctor Faust. Spreading disease throughout Faust's hometown—and murdering a priest when the latter notices his presence—Mephisto offers convinces Faust to [[DealWithTheDevil sell him his soul in exchange for the power to heal his neighbours]]. When Faust's neighbours turn on him, Mephisto turns the doctor into a younger man, and takes him to Parma, where he forces the Duchess of Parma to fall in love with Faust, then kills her husband in a duel. He later forces Gretchen, an innocent girl, to fall in love with Faust, only to [[FrameUp subsequently frame Faust and her]] for the murder of her mother and brother, resulting in her being burned at the stake, and Faust [[DrivenToSuicide committing suicide]].

* [[FauxSymbolism What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic?]]: Do you mean that Mephistopheles does ''not'' stand for Martin Luther, UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?

!! ''Theatre/{{Faust}}'' duology by Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe

* MagnumOpus: From Goethe's first draft of a ''Faust'' play to the completion of ''Theatre/FaustII'', sixty years passed.

* [[FauxSymbolism What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic?]]: Do you mean that Mephistopheles does ''not'' stand for Martin Luther, NapoleonBonaparte, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Even in individual versions, there is considerable variation in how characters in the story are treated. Faust -- driven to his bargain from love or suffering mankind, or looking for a cheap and easy way to lord it over others? Mephistopheles -- AntiHero seeking to subvert God's injustice, or diabolical hater wanting to damn others to his own misery? Wagner? Gretchen? The Emperor? God? The variations are endless.

* [[FauxSymbolism What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic?]]: Do you mean that Mephistopheles does ''not'' stand for Martin Luther, NapoleonBonaparte, AdolfHitler, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?

!! ''Theatre/{{Faust}}'' duology by Creator/JohannWolfangVonGoethe

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Even in individual versions, there is considerable variation in how characters in the story are treated. Faust -- driven to his bargain from love or suffering mankind, or looking for a cheap and easy way to lord it over others? Mephistopheles -- AntiHero seeking to subvert God's injustice, or diabolical hater wanting to damn others to his own misery? Wagner? Gretchen? The Emperor? God? The variations are endless.

* [[FauxSymbolism What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic?]]: Do you mean that Mephistopheles does ''not'' stand for Martin Luther, NapoleonBonaparte, AdolfHitler, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?

* * [[FauxSymbolism What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic?]]: Do you mean that Mephistopheles does ''not'' stand for Martin Luther, NapoleonBonaparte, AdolfHitler, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic: Some authors (including ''Goethe!'') have claimed that they had no basic message to convey in their versions of the story.

* WhatAnIdiot: Sure, I'll give up eternal happiness to be best buds with the Embodiment of Treachery and Pure Evil! Where do I sign?!