Sunday, August 19, 2012

What similarities do the characters of Faust and Peer Gynt have in Goethe's Faust and Ibsen's Peer Gynt?

Faust and Peer Gynt, in Goethe's
Faust and Ibsen's Peer Gynt, are not alike in
character traits though they are alike in some of their actions taken. Faust is an
accomplished and respected academic who is looked up to and admired. He takes false
steps in life because he is frustrated with the limits to knowledge and his inability to
find what needed is known:


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FAUST: What a man knows not, that he doth
require,
And what he knoweth, that he cannot
use.



Peer Gynt, on the other
hand, is a worthless fellow who has no participation in seeking anything of value that
might give betterment to his life. In fact, he kidnaps Ingrid for her
money.


This leads to one way in which the actions of Faust
and Peer might be said to be similar. Faust, after becoming enamored with the image of
Helen of Troy and thereafter being convinced by Mephistopheles (Mephisto) to take a
youth and love potion, transfers his enamored and newly lustful feelings to Gretchen,
whom he passes on the street. This attraction is soon to lead to seduction through
Mephisto's coercion and intervention. Similarly, Peer kidnaps Ingrid on her wedding day
though he feels no love for her. Though he seems a harmless sort of braggart and
day-dreamer


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PEER: Peer Gynt he rides first, and there follow
him many.—
His steed it is gold-shod and crested with
silver.
Himself he has gauntlets and sabre and
scabbard.



his greed and spite
lead him to act for his own selfish means without thought of others, as is seen when he
abandons Ingrid--and prefers the woman in green!


Faust and
Peer both have many adventures, for example Walpurgis Night and the encounter with the
mountain king, but for Faust, his adventures are associated with seeking knowledge
(while Mephisto entraps him in pleasure) while Peer's adventures are only for
self-serving gain. In addition, both Faust and Peer have wealth at times. However, Faust
dies with his wealth ever increasing while Peer returns home empty handed having lost
all his wealth several times. In the end though, each of them find true wealth. Faust
finds salvation through Gretchen's love, and Peer finds the wealth of the love of
Solveig.

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