The influence of the Faust legend on The Master and Margarita also receives attention on several other pages of this reading map. The Read and Listen to Connected Books and Music specific details relating the plot of Faust to that of The Master and Margarita. This page looks at precise moments in Bulgakov's writing linking the two stories.
"... who are you, then?
I am part of that power
which eternally wills evil
and eternally works good."
I am part of that power
which eternally wills evil
and eternally works good."
Bulgakov opens The Master and Margarita with this passage from Goethe's poem. In doing so, the author immediately elucidates that his novel strongly reflects the theme and plot of Goethe's interpretation of the Faust legend.
Woland and Walpurgis Night
Goethe's Faust includes an important scene that takes place during Walpurgis Night, a wild celebration featuring witches, magic, and other elements of Satanical myth. The scene presents a stark mood change. Interestingly, Goethe's Satan takes the name Woland during this scene. Walpurgis Night itself is closely linked to Satan's Ball in The Master and Margarita.
"So then...even the face that you described...different eyes and eyebrows! Pardon me, but perhaps you haven't even heard the opera Faust?"
The Master speaks this line in chapter 13 of The Master and Margarita upon learning about Ivan's encounter with Woland. Exclaiming to Ivan that he has met the devil, The Master asserts it should have been obvious to anyone familiar with Faust. This reaffirms the similarities between Satan in Faust and The Master and Margarita.
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| Satan visits Faust |
The Grand Inquisitor remains one of the most cited passages from literature throughout the world today. It appears in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. The passage is a parable Ivan tells Alyosha during the novel. The parable describes the return of Christ to Earth during the Spanish Inquisition. Christ performs numerous miracles, earning the recognition and adoration of mankind. The Inquisitors, however, arrest and sentence Christ to death by fire. The bulk of the fable details The Grand Inquisitor's visit to Christ in his jail cell. The Grand Inquisitor explains in detail the reasons the church no longer needs him.
The influence of the fable is apparent in the second chapter of Bulgakov's novel as Pontius Pilate considers and explains the reasons Yeshua Ha-Nostri (Jesus) must be sentenced to death.
Further reading about The Grand Inquisitor:
The influence of the fable is apparent in the second chapter of Bulgakov's novel as Pontius Pilate considers and explains the reasons Yeshua Ha-Nostri (Jesus) must be sentenced to death.
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| The Grand Inquisitor Speaks to Christ |
Milton's Paradise Lost (full-text)
Naturally, Paradise Lost and The Master and Margarita share reference points and characters. Both pieces of literature represent Biblical allegories. Below is an example.
"Then [Satan] commands that ... be upreard
His mighty Standard; that proud honour claim'd
AZAZEL as his right, a Cherube tall:
Who forthwith from the glittering Staff unfurld
Th' Imperial Ensign"
His mighty Standard; that proud honour claim'd
AZAZEL as his right, a Cherube tall:
Who forthwith from the glittering Staff unfurld
Th' Imperial Ensign"
This passage in Paradise Lost describes Azazel as Satan's "mighty Standard" who appears as a tall Cherube. In The Master and Margarita, Azazello is an important member of Woland's retinue. Azazello is responsible for summoning Margarita to Woland's apartment. A key difference in Bulgakov's description, however, is that he appears short and grotesque on Earth.
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| The Temptation of Satan in Paradise Lost |
Learn More About The Master and Margarita's Connection to the Bible
List and description of Biblical characters in The Master and Margarita
Includes several enlightening essays providing interpretations for The Master and Margarita
Catalog record for book identifying and analyzing the appearance of Jesus and Biblical themes in 20th century literature. The editors include a chapter on The Master and Margarita.
