Faust, Part One

Scene 22 takes place outside Gretchen’s door, where her brother, the soldier Valentine, has arrived. Valentine laments the sin that Gretchen has committed, saying how he used to constantly brag about her as “the pride of her sex” (I.22.3636). Now, however, he despairs and other men sneer at him over what his sister has become, and he says he can’t blame them, because it’s true.

Valentine sees Mephistopheles and Faust sneaking to Gretchen’s door, and vows to “take him” if it’s the man who slept with Gretchen (I.22.3648). Mephistopheles and Faust talk about stealing more gifts for Gretchen, and Mephistopheles sings a song about how women should beware men who will steal their innocence and then leave them. Valentine interrupts them and challenges them to a fight. Mephistopheles casts a spell on Valentine so that he’s unable to fence, and Faust uses that opportunity to strike him. The men run away while Valentine lies wounded.

A crowd gathers and Gretchen comes out, discovering her brother on the verge of death. In his final speech, Valentine shames Gretchen to her face, calling her a disgraced “whore” and a “slut” and predicting that the whole town will soon turn against her, forcing her to live among the “beggars and cripples to hide and weep” (I.