Tragedy and Hope in Life

“So, sun in back, my eye too weak to scan it,

I rather follow, with entracement growing,

The cataract that cleaves the jagged granite,

From fall to fall, in thousand leaps, outthrowing

A score of thousand streams in its revolving,

From upflung foam a soaring lacework blowing,

But in what splendor from this storm evolving,

Vaults up the shimmering arc, in variance lasting,

Now purely limned and now in air dissolving,9

A cooling fragrance all about it casting,

This mirrors all aspiring human action.

On this your mind for clearer insight fasten:

That life is ours by colorful refraction”

- Johann Goethe, Faust Part 2 (pg. 139)

This poetry quote from Goethe’s Faust perfectly describes the tragedy and hope in life. The main character Faust goes through many adventures and overcomes many challenges, such as death, awkward social situations, and rejection by a lover. In the quote, his character Faust is describing his perspective of watching a stream of water that is falling on jagged rocks and splintering them. When Faust mentions a “shimmering arc” he is describing a rainbow that is created by the foam of the water stream.

TRAGEDY

Much like the stream of water that Faust describes, as humans we have a never-ending striving in life and always desire something more. In life, we continuously run into challenges, hinderances, and obstacles that stop us from getting what we want. This is the inescapable and tragic part of life.

HOPE

It’s our never-ending striving that allows us to break through the obstacles and challenges that try to slow us down in life. Just like the water that splintered the granite rocks that Faust described in the story.

This is what gives us hope in life.

Notes:

Goethe, Johann (2001). Faust. Norton Critical Edition.