2 h 0 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a second chance at youth costs your soul—and someone else must bear the pain?
Doctor Faust sits in a dark study, worn down by a life of books, chemistry and philosophy. He sees nothing worth keeping. Then Méphistophélès appears: courteous, witty and ready to offer youth. Faust accepts the bargain, drawn toward the love he feels his life has missed.
In this five-act opera by Charles Gounod, Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, Goethe’s love story unfolds through songs and scenes. The action moves from Faust’s study to a crowded village fair and Marguerite’s quiet garden. As the gentle young woman enters Faust’s world, his desire raises a troubling question: who pays for his wish?
What you’ll discover
- A devil with manners Meet Méphistophélès, whose wit and courtesy make his guidance all the more unsettling.
- Flowers at the door Enter Marguerite’s garden, where Siébel’s flowers offer a quiet sign of loyal love.
- A village in song Step into the fair, where townspeople, students and soldiers gather to drink and sing.
- Songs that hold the stage Discover the Jewel Song, the golden calf song, the soldiers’ chorus and the waltz.
- The cost of wanting Follow a tragic love story that brings desire, guilt and moral choices into focus.
Who will love it
For anyone who loves opera, the Faust legend, or a tragic love story told through scenes and songs. It also suits readers who enjoy melodrama and moral choices.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An old scholar curses his empty life
- The devil offers Faust what he lacks
- The fair brings a soldier, a song and a sword
- In the garden a young woman meets temptation
- Love, guilt and the price of a wish
- How the drama is told in song and scene
Who’s who
- FaustAn aged scholar who despairs of his wasted life and takes a bargain for youth and the love of a young woman.
- MéphistophélèsThe devil, witty and courteous, who grants Faust's wish and guides every step that follows.
- MargueriteA gentle, sincere young woman who lives quietly with her brother's protection and is drawn into Faust's world.
- ValentinMarguerite's brother, a soldier who leaves for war and wants above all to protect his sister's good name.
- SiébelA devoted young man who loves Marguerite and stays loyal to her, offering her flowers and friendship.
- MartheMarguerite's neighbour, a flirtatious older woman whom the devil keeps busy while the lovers talk.
- WagnerA student and friend of Valentin who sings at the fair and takes part in the soldiers' send-off.
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Faust: A Lyric Drama in Five Acts
by Charles Gounod; Jules Barbier; Michel Carré · 1859
An old scholar sells his soul for youth, and his desire draws Marguerite into the devil's bargain.
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In short
Faust is an opera in five acts with music by Charles Gounod and words by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. It first reached the stage in Paris in 1859.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An old scholar curses his empty life
The opera opens in the study of Doctor Faust. He is old and worn, and he has spent his life with books, chemistry and philosophy. He has searched for the secret of existence and found nothing. The night has passed without sleep, and dawn is coming in at the window.
Faust has decided to end it all. He pours a poison into a cup and raises it to his lips. Then, from outside, he hears the voices of young girls and the songs of reapers going to work in the fields. The sound of ordinary happy people is more than he can bear.
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What is the opera Faust by Gounod about?
It tells of an old scholar who sells his soul to the devil in return for youth. He then pursues a young woman named Marguerite, and the bargain brings suffering to her and her family.
Is Gounod's Faust the same as Goethe's Faust?
No. It is based only on the first part of Goethe's poem and keeps the love story. It leaves out most of the philosophy, and its tone and structure suit the French stage.
Who wrote the words of Gounod's Faust?
The libretto was written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, two French playwrights who often worked together. Charles Gounod wrote the music, and the opera was first staged in Paris in 1859.
The author
Charles Gounod
1818–1893 · French composer
Charles Gounod was a French composer born in Paris in 1818. He wrote operas, songs, and religious music. His opera Faust was first performed in Paris in 1859. He also composed Roméo et Juliette, first performed in 1867. He lived in France and England and died at Saint-Cloud in 1893.
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