Johann von Goethe

"Faust" calls itself "A Tragedy" right enough, but it might just as well be described as a musical comedy -- it's ripe with comic passages, features many songs, and lacks a tragic ending. And Faust isn't a classic tragic figure, either. In fact, his characteristic yearning for experience and knowledge created a type for the romantic age still known as the Faustian hero. The villain of the piece -- Mephistopheles -- is one of the most likeable characters in the play. His yearnings draw him toward the heavens, yet he is also powerfully attracted to the physical world.