Faust and a Strive for Perfection

Last semester, I had to take a music theatre class to fill a requirement.  I have always been interested in singing and am actually trained in jazz and operatic styles of singing.  I chose to take a class in Music theatre until the early 1900’s, which ended up being one of the worst mistakes, ever.  I watched tons of Operas that I had no care for watching, that took up about 6 hours a week to finish the whole thing.  I did though, come across Faust, while I was watching the many, many hours of Opera.  I could go into detail about the ballet that was a part of the show, or the fluidity of the music, but I won’t, because it is all very boring.  I probably wouldn’t have remembered the opera, had it none been my favorite of the ones I was forced to watch.  Never did I think I would come back in contact with Faust, but here I am, with book in hand.  I found that having seen the opera helped a great deal in understanding the book.  Obviously, opera is all singing, and wonderfully enough, the version of Faust I watched was all in French, so I really had to pay attention to pass the test I had to take about it.  Having the words in the book, and then being able to imagine the scenery from the film, really helped me understand.  The end scene, when Gretchen is in jail, is probably the scene that stuck in my memory, because it seems that every selling of the soul to the devil story ends this way.  The devil always wins, and the happiness that was once promised to the person, Faust, is taken so abruptly from them.  I think its no surprise that this story is still performed so often in theatre today, the story of eternal happiness at any cost is something that I think will always interest humans.  Is it ever really worth it though?  This is something that like a utopia has proved to be the opposite.  I think through all these books that we have read, one main theme has been present throughout.  We continue to strive for a perfect society, and perfect happiness, but what is actually the cost for all this?  Through all the examples we've had this idea of perfect, isn't actually achievable, because with all this promise for perfection, something is bound to go wrong.  The price paid is never actually worth this "perfect" that is guaranteed.  Yet we continue to watch, and read, things that promise this perfect happiness or society, to forever strive for what we want.