crogunt 's review for:

Goethe's Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

4.0

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A classic tale of poetic absolutes. The play brings the medieval mythos of a 'Deal with the Devil' towards the modern era with all of its charms and bruises. Goethe's Faust is meant to be read and not performed; speech is your transition, and by hell is it one transition. Esoteric vocabulary liters the pages and forces one to constantly re read sections to understand basic plot. Raking through it though and letting the story take you will give you a better appreciation of the words. And by words, I would like to emphasize, that they are poetry, and dramatic at that. Upon that first read through it may seem confusing or rather full of arrogant airs but by allowing the flow and rhythm of the play to take you, the experience will be as it is meant to be read. Poetry must not be forced on you as you can not force yourself unto poetry. Reading through this play and understanding a basic plot synopsis, as Kaufmann helps you do, makes it easier to let those arrogant hot airs take you by the head until you are nauseous with joy!