1. In “Dedication,” who is speaking? To whom does he speak? What question does he ask? (Note: this is a challenging verse! Don’t worry if you don’t understand it well.)
2. “Prelude in the Theater”: summarize briefly what each character says about the theater (3-5 sentences per character). Which of the three characters “wins” the debate? What is the function of this scene?
3. “Prologue in Heaven”: How do the Archangels describe the Lord? What are the terms of the bet between the Lord and Mephistopheles? Describe the relationship between the Lord and Mephistopheles.
4. Why does the play start 3 times (“Dedication,” “Prelude in the Theater,” “Prologue in Heaven”) before it starts (the scene “Night”)? Why not just start with the scene “Night”? (Here I am asking you to speculate.)
A bet is drawn between Mephistopheles and the Lord based on the terms of Mephistopheles keeping Faust alive. This bet is made in an attempt to prove that the Lord will lose Faust in the end. Mephistopheles is also allowed to lead the servant and influence him away from righteousness. Another term in the bet is that if Mephistopheles perception of Faust is wrong, he will admit a good man with intuitions can lead a fit and true path (Von Goethe and Greenberg, 2014). The relationship between Mephistopheles and the Lord is intense while the former has a spirit of negative cynicism, the latter is a paragon of perfection and believes in the innate will for good among men.
