The theme of making a deal with the devil is one of the most enduring in all art forms. Most treatments are derived from the classic German legend of Faust that dates from the 1500’s, the tale of a frustrated scholar who trades his soul for a life of unlimited knowledge and hedonistic pleasure.  Goethe’s Faust, a tragic play in two parts, is considered as the consummate treatment of the subject, as Goethe’s magnum opus and as the greatest work of German literature.  Part I, which is written largely in rhyming verse and was first published in 1808, hews closely to the original legend and depicts the drama of the everyday “small world”.  Faust and the devil make a deal: the devil will do anything for Faust here on earth and seeks to grant him a moment so sublime he will wish it to last forever, but, if Faust is ever fully satisfied, he will die and serve the devil in Hell for eternity. In short order Faust is living large and wooing the gorgeous Gretchen. Unsurprisingly, arrogance, deception, and delusion lead him down the path to infernal and near eternal damnation.  Part II, which was finished in 1831 and published after Goethe’s death, is very different from Part I and by no means a sequel. Complex and full of references to mythology, it goes far beyond the simple struggle for Faust’s soul and depicts the wider world in five separate acts with attention to larger political, historical, philosophical and mystical issues.  After conflicts, struggles, and travels through space and time Faust finds a measure of redemption and grace for his striving.