Which epic German two-part verse drama by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe depicts a scholar who makes a fateful pact with the demon Mephistopheles in exchange for limitless knowledge and worldly pleasure?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Faust

  1. Step 1: Goethe worked on this monumental dramatic masterpiece over a period of sixty years, publishing Part One in 1808 and completing Part Two in 1832 shortly before his death.
  2. Step 2: In 'Faust', Heinrich Faust signs a pact in blood with Mephistopheles, agreeing that if he ever becomes so satisfied that he bids the passing moment to linger ("Verweile doch! Du bist so schön!"), the devil may claim his soul.
Answer
Faust
Why not the others: 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' The Sorrows of Young Werther is Goethe's 1774 Sturm und Drang epistolary novel that established his international fame; 'Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship' Wilhelm Meister is Goethe's 1796 foundational Bildungsroman tracing a young man's journey of artistic and personal self-development; 'Don Juan' Don Juan is Lord Byron's satirical epic poem about the legendary Spanish libertine, not a pact with Mephistopheles.

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