Goethe’s Faust, Part One
Mephistopheles’ poodle
The poodle interrupts Faust’s attempt to translate the opening of the Gospel. As he watches, its body grows beyond a canine form and becomes a frightening spectacle. When the vapour clears, Mephistopheles appears as a travelling scholar. Faust recognises this as the poodle’s real core, linking the domestic guest with the demonic visitor.
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In the sources
Principal account
LiteraryThe poodle interrupts Faust’s attempt to translate the opening of the Gospel. As he watches, its body grows beyond a canine form and becomes a frightening spectacle.
Further detail
LiteraryWhen the vapour clears, Mephistopheles appears as a travelling scholar. Faust recognises this as the poodle’s real core, linking the domestic guest with the demonic visitor.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the character, setting or motif in Part One of Goethe’s drama as translated by Bayard Taylor. Its supernatural events and spoken claims belong to the play, rather than serving as historical biography or independently established accounts of spirits.
Original passages
Source 1
Faust
How long and broad my poodle growsOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Goethe’s Faust, Part One; active reader leaf 77
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0088-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0088-E001-P0077
- Original scan leaf
- 78
- Recorded leaf number
- 78
- Current Reader position
- 74
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Faust
the poodle's real coreOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Goethe’s Faust, Part One; active reader leaf 80
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0088-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0088-E001-P0080
- Original scan leaf
- 81
- Recorded leaf number
- 81
- Current Reader position
- 77
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
