Summary

Alone in her room, Gretchen sadly thinks that Faust has abandoned her. She sits at her spinning wheel and sings:

My peace is gone,
My heart is sore,
I shall find it never
And never more . . .

Analysis

The “Spinning Wheel Song” is one of Goethe’s best-known lyrics. It expresses Gretchen’s overwhelming love for Faust. Her words indicate that her coming “seduction” will not be an unwilling one.