Walpurgis Night's Dream

The Walpurgis Night's Dream (complete: " Walpurgis Night's Dream or Oberons and Titania's golden wedding ") is the fourth from last scene from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust I between the scenes Walpurgis Night and Troubled Day . The name consists of allusions to William Shakespeare's play " A Midsummer Night's Dream " and Paul Wranitzky's opera " Oberon, King of the Elves ". As incomprehensible as the content of the scene appears, it is primarily disputed in research why Goethe even included the scene in Faust.

content

The Walpurgis Night's Dream is a play on the Blocksberg about the golden wedding of the elven king couple Oberon and Titania. It contains numerous allusions to contemporary people or groups of people and romantically confused interplay between the people involved in a play (actors and spectators, orchestra and conductor), so that hardly any meaningful connections can be made. The play thus has no plot.

Emergence

Goethe wrote the Walpurgis Night's Dream in 1797 in the aftermath of the Xenien , with which he and Friedrich Schiller criticized the literary scene, originally for Schiller's Muses Almanac for 1798 , in which the Xenien should also appear. However, the latter did not consider publication until another year later at the earliest, whereupon Goethe, who had meanwhile expanded the text, decided to include it in Faust I that same year. The scene was thus incorporated into Goethe's third work phase on Faust (1797–1803).

Later he wrote the verses 4335-4342 in 1826, which additionally ridicule the group of philosophers.

Goethe continues to spin Wrantzky's opera, which he had performed in Weimar a year earlier. It ends with the wedding of Oberon and Titanias, who had previously quarreled (see Faust v. 4229) and then separated (v. 4245 f.) In order to restore their affection.

The characters Titania, Puck and Oberon were taken from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Ariel from Shakespeare's " The Tempest ".

Position and function in the piece

Originally planned by Goethe as an intermezzo within the Walpurgis Night scene, the Walpurgis Night Dream does not fit homogeneously into the plot of the work and thus becomes a “piece in a piece” or a “spiritual interlude” by Goethe. Nevertheless, references can be made between the main characters of the tragedy and those of the dream. The continuation of the Walpurgis Night was even partially carried out, so some Satan scenes were to follow, which Goethe, however, most likely because of their obnoxiousness (crude glorification of sexuality), did not include in the final version.

In the previous scene, Walpurgis Night, Mephistopheles notices that Faust is turning away from him and losing the fascination with his seductions, which previously tied him, in favor of a vision of Gretchen. Therefore Mephisto tries to inspire Faust again with the magical and fantastic staging on the Hexenberg or at least to distract him from the Gretchenvision. The main plot is not driven forward in the Walpurgis Night's Dream, rather the main characters Faust and Mephistopheles seem as if spellbound and motionless. In the meantime, however, the more dramatic developments take place at Gretchen: She drowns her child and is consequently locked in dungeon.

The scene can thus be described as a retarding moment between Faust's derailment into unrestrained sexuality and the resulting remorse (Gretchenvision) and the catastrophe, Faust's low point. The playful, comedy-like tone of the Walpurgis Night Dream makes the ensuing scene, which is the only scene written in prose, all the more drastic and dramatic.

shape

The Walpurgis Night's Dream is written in simple four-line stanzas (epigrams) that do not appear fluid. On the other hand, the rhymes are pointedly funny. This interplay between amateurism and ingenuity, between involuntary and voluntary comedy is written out and even announced by Goethe (v. 4217 f.).

The use of (often impure) iambs and trochaes is playful, but the verse foot of the stanzas is often alternating with trochaes (stanzas 3–5, 7–11, 18, 21, 36, 37, 40–42, 44 ) or through iambic (verses 14, 19, 20, 22–24, 27–35). It is assumed that conclusions can be drawn about different phases of Goethe's work from these different basic patterns.

interpretation

The dream can be read as an allusive satire on Faust and Gretchen, which correspond to Oberon and Titania (e.g. v. 4245 f.). However, the wedding celebration was also understood as a celebration of Goethe's and Schiller's friendship union. Mephistopheles' diversionary maneuver can also be understood as the task of Mephistopheles, who now falls back on foreign means to suppress Faust's love.

However, Goethe also settles accounts with some contemporaries by mocking them in the Walpurgis Night's Dream. A four-part breakdown would look like this:

First and second part (v. 4223–4330): Mocking writers
Third part (v. 4331–4366): Mocking philosophers
Fourth part (v. 4367-4398): Mocking politicians

In the case of the following personal statements, however, it is important to note the difference between "translations" explained by Goethe himself and those intended by the interpreters. It should also be noted that various commentators sometimes contradict each other diametrically.

With Servibilis (V. 4214 the previous scene) the rector could Karl Böttiger , an amateur of the theater business, with the Goethe argued, be meant, or even only a servant of the theater (from the Latin. = Servus ).
The theater master (v. 4223) is Johann Martin Mieding , a particularly valued employee of Goethe at the theater in his capacity as a set designer and probably even more because of his simple, honest personality. The brave sons (v. 4224) are probably his journeymen.
The curious traveler (v. 4267, 4319) could be Friedrich Nicolai , who, as an overzealous enlightener, suspected Catholicism everywhere. The same is logically behind the proctophantasmist (spirit seer) from the previous scene (see announcement in v. 4169!).
The Orthodox (v. 4271) could be Count Friedrich von Stolberg , who already appeared in the Xenia .
The wind vane (v. 4294 ff.) Could be the journalist Johann Friedrich Reichardt , who was considered double-faced.
With Hennings (v. 4307) August Adolph von Hennings is meant, who in an article Der Musaget . A companion of the genius of the time sharply criticized the poetry of Goethe. Here he speaks of the Xenia . His magazine was called " Genius der Zeit ", which is why Ci-Devant Genius der Zeit (v. 4315) is a mockery (from French = formerly, previously).
Behind the crane (v. 4323) hides the enthusiastic pastor Johann Caspar Lavater , as Goethe expressly stated in front of Johann Peter Eckermann , because he has the gait of a crane. Goethe accused Lavater of deceit and lies.
In World Child (V. 4327), Goethe sees itself.
The idealist (v. 4347) could be Johann Gottlieb Fichte .
The supernaturalist (v. 4355) could be Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi .
Political satire can be found in the word Sanssouci (v. 4367): It is probably the carefree from the time of the French Revolution, a blow against Napoleon, who is already playing himself as the sole ruler.
The incompetent (v. 4371) are the emigrated French court nobles who are overwhelmed with their independence in Germany.
The will- o'-the-wisps (v. 4375) come from lower strata and are at home in higher strata.
The shooting star (v. 4379) is a fallen political figure.
With the massifs (V. 4383), the revolutionary masses are meant who want to overthrow the previously enumerated political types.

literature

Theodor Friedrich and Lothar J. Scheithauer: Commentary on Goethe's Faust. With a Faust dictionary and a Faust bibliography. In: Reclam's Universal Library . No. 7177. Reclam, Stuttgart 1996 (1st edition 1932), ISBN 3-15-007177-1 .
Ulrich Gaier (Ed.): Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Faust - the first part of the tragedy, (= explanations and documents, ). Reclam, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-15-016021-3 .
Jochen Schmidt : Goethe's Faust. First and second part. Basics - work - effect. 2nd Edition. CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-48448-4 .
Walpurgis Night , book with 20 woodcuts by Ernst Barlach , 1923