Characters whom Goethe derived from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Baucis and her husband Philemon own an estate that includes a cottage, a grove of linden trees, and a chapel, where the couple happily lives in peace. After building his seaside kingdom, however, Faust becomes obsessed by the fact that he himself does not control their estate—it is the last piece of land in Faust’s kingdom that eludes his grasp. Unjustly, Faust orders Mephistopheles and the Three Mighty Men to seize the property, although with due compensation and without violence. Instead the devil and his thugs murder Baucis and Philemon, along with a traveler staying with them, an act that outrages Faust and leads him, at last, to renounce the use of magic.
Baucis and Philemon Quotes in Faust
The Faust quotes below are all either spoken by Baucis and Philemon or refer to Baucis and Philemon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: Act 5: Faust’s Palace (Before the Palace)
Quotes
The worst of torments we can suffer
is to feel want when we are rich.
The tinkling bell, the lindens’ scent,
make me feel buried in a crypt.
Related Characters:
Heinrich Faust (speaker), Baucis and Philemon
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Baucis and Philemon Quotes in Faust
The Faust quotes below are all either spoken by Baucis and Philemon or refer to Baucis and Philemon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: Act 5: Faust’s Palace (Before the Palace)
Quotes
The worst of torments we can suffer
is to feel want when we are rich.
The tinkling bell, the lindens’ scent,
make me feel buried in a crypt.
Related Characters:
Heinrich Faust (speaker), Baucis and Philemon
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
