In the play "Faust" by Johann Goethe, Gretchen's character envelops extreme aspects of Virgin Mary and of Eve. Mary acts as the symbol of the mother of mankind, the pure woman who makes men's salvation possible. She has no evil in her at all. In contrast, Eve is the archetypal figure of the fallen woman, the cause of man's suffering and damnation. She symbolizes death, destruction, and human depravity. Eve is the antithesis of Mary; together the two archetypes correspond to the two sides of Gretchen's character. When Gretchen is first introduced in the play, she appe....

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