Faust, Part One

Scene 15 takes place in Martha’s garden, where Gretchen walks with Faust while Martha walks with Mephistopheles. Gretchen is surprised and ashamed that Faust is giving her so much attention, when she’s poor and uneducated, while Martha suggests to Mephistopheles that he shouldn’t be a bachelor. Gretchen tells Faust about her home life, where she’s alone much of the time taking care of the house. She tells him that her father and sister have passed away, and that her brother is a soldier who’s not around. 

Gretchen and Faust also discuss their first meeting, and Gretchen confesses that she was shocked by Faust’s advances but was taken with him. She takes a daisy and starts picking off petals, saying “he loves me, he loves me not,” ending on, “he loves me.” Faust takes her hands and confesses his love for her, and she runs away, with him soon following. Martha tells Mephistopheles that she would invite him to stay, but the neighbors are extremely gossipy, and they remark on how Gretchen and Faust seem to have found their true loves.

Scene 16 takes place at a summerhouse, where Gretchen runs in with Faust following and they happily kiss and declare their love.