Mefistofele

Prologue

In heaven

In heaven, a celestial chorus is singing the praises of their most holy Lord (‘Ave, Signor degli angeli e dei santi’). At the end of their song of praise, Mefistofele appears, joining in with the last line. He stands with his feet on the edge of his cloak, and asks to be pardoned for his lateness, and for not being the perfect singer, or having the perfect face (‘Ave, Signor’). Mefistofele brings his reports from his observations of humans, and the news is not good; the kings of men are full of pride, and delusional about their importance. They have given up all thoughts of their god, and have fallen into degradation.

The chorus asks Mefistofele if he knows Faust. Yes, Mefistofele has met the famous Faust, and finds him extremely odd (‘T’è noto Faust? … Il più bizzarro pazzo’). As a scholar, Faust is constantly trying to gain knowledge of everything, and by doing so is trying to ascend to a position above other humans. Mefistofele wants to prove that no matter how