Faustinian Theory In The Matrix

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is widely said to be the best German story teller to this date. His fascinating book, Faust, is still read by many today. Over time, as the story was told and passed on through generations, many different ideas on what happened were brought up, but the main idea of the story is the same in most cases. One of the most interesting things about this legend is the fact that though this story is has been around for a while, it is still told in some contemporary films to this day. All though it is not always as direct as a deal with the actual devil, the same basis of the story can be seen in present day films. In one of the most successful movies of the year 2000, The Matrix, a Faustian theme is evident. The Matrix is a science fiction movie directed by the Wachowski brothers.

The old legend of Faust is, in short, about a young scholar who made a deal with Mephistopheles, the devil. Faust was seeking ultimate knowledge and in the deal the devil said he would grant Faust ultimate knowledge in return for his soul. Faust agrees to the deal and after a certain time period of possessing ultimate knowledge Faust suddenly dies. There are many dif

Though the Matrix is indeed a Faustian story, overall there are many differences. These differences do indeed make a statement about our present day society and changing times. When the Faust legend occurred, something that would have been of great value at that time was ultimate knowledge. It makes sense at a time when technology was minimal and the world was searching for knowledge, ultimate knowledge would be something that one would wish for.

The temptation in the Matrix is the truth. The temptation is the element that the Faust figure is to gain in the deal. In the film, Morphius says that the reason that Neo is the chosen one is because all of his life he has had a feeling, some sort of sense that something is wrong with the world. He is not sure what exactly it is, but he knows it exists. He says this feeling sits in his mind like a splinter in his brain, and that it is that feeling that brought Neo to Morphius. This is the reason why he chooses to seek the truth, because all of his life he has wondered about it, and now is his chance to find it.

These changes that have occurred from the original Faust legend to the modern versions send a message about how our society is always changing. For example in the original tale of the Faust legend, Dr. Faust is known as an outcast in some versions and almost as if he is sort of a villain, in the Matrix the Faust figure, Neo, is made out to be a hero and he is given super, non-human powers that are impossible. He is portrayed as a hero because of his role in the movie as gthe good guyh who kills all of gthe bad guysh when it seemed as if they were indestructible. Though these powers are made to seem as if they really are possible with certain types of technology. This explains how in todayfs contemporary films, there needs to be a hero of some sort. Our society makes it vital. If filmmakers made a movie of the exact Faust legend in its original form today, they would probably want to make Faust a hero of some sort.

ferent versions of the story as to exactly how he died, and some versions of the story go into more detail than others. As time passed, Faustian legends were being told in many different stories, many different ways. To have a Faust story, four basic elements should be present: a Faust figure, a devil figure, some sort of temptation, and a price.

The Faust figure in the Matrix is Neo. The Faust figure is the main character, the one who is the recipient of most of the action in the story, and the one who is tragedy stricken at the end. Neo made a choice to leave the real world and his perception of reality to learn of the truth. When he made that decision he basically sold his regular life just as Faust sold his soul. When Neo found out the tr

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