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Part 1: Forest and Cave
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Faust, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Reason and Passion
The Human Desire for Meaning and Transcendence
Pleasure and Love
Parts, Wholes, and Limits
Intellectualism and the Value of Words
Politics
Summary
Analysis
Gretchen, a.k.a. Margarete, is alone in her room, sitting at her spinning-wheel. She sings about her heavy heart, how peace has fled from her never to be found, and how upset she is. All her thoughts fall to Faust: his poise, nobility, and fascinating words. Were he to kiss her now, she says, she’d swoon and die.
