“Und das Genie es will gleich obenaus”. Plutarchs Einfluss auf Goethes Darstellung vom Sitz der Seele und deren Aufstieg aus Fausts Körper

The article offers a new interpretation of the scene depicting Faust’s death by identifying a previously unrecognized source of inspiration: Plutarch’s Moralia. Plutarch’s influence on Goethe’s verses is evident in several respects. The article examines the concepts of “Psyche,” “Genie,” and “Entelechie,” the tripartite conception of the human being, and the notion of “Doppeltod” (double death). Most strikingly, Plutarch’s influence is reflected in the image of Faust’s Genie, which “strives upward” (“obenaus will”). Contrary to the prevailing view in Goethe scholarship, the article argues that Faust’s immortal essence does not depart from the body through the mouth but ascends through the crown of the head. This seemingly minor detail is in fact of considerable significance, as Goethe, like Plutarch, employs it to signify a specific stage in the spiritual development of the human being.