The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

Dr. Faustus runs against the limitations of human understanding. He has learned from traditional academic fields all he can learn. he thinks. He's not pleased with all these things, so now he transforms into magic. A Good Angle and an Evil Angel symbolize Faustus' option of Faith and of the road to torment. This search of sorcery is advocated by the former, and the latter is seductive.

Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is a deadly motivator in the Christian worldview because it helps the sinner forget about his decay. For Christians, people have fallen from birth because they have the disgrace of their original sin with them. An arrogant man forgets that he is a part of the sin of Eve, thus he must be rescued by the gift of grace. Only God can distribute this grace by Christ, and the one who forgets the reality takes away the way of redemption.

Faustus is a highly intelligent man. Faustus has learned everything there is to know about logic, law, physics, and theology, and he considers the continuous pursuit of each of these fields unsatisfying and a waste of his time. None of these fields fully test his mind, and he feels that only the dark arts, necromancy, and magic, can satisfy his enormous desire to learn prestige, celebrity, and wealth.

Faustus understands that the knowledge he seeks is prohibited to humans and that his acts are not only foolish but also damnable. He would only be able to attain this occult information if he made a bargain with Lucifer. Because he was already aware of this, he carelessly abandoned his hopes of redemption when he signed his contract. He purposefully learned enough evil magic to call and recruit the help of Mephistophilis. Rather than learning from his mistakes, Faustus deepens his dilemma at every critical juncture. The author portrays a lack of self-awareness and sensible forethought as intrinsically harmful.

“Scarce can I name salvation, faith, or heaven, / 

But fearful echoes thunder in mine ears: / 

'Faustus, thou art damned!'” (Act 2, Scene 3)

Faustus is haunted with doubts about his wicked road. There are several opportunities for him to turn back. But every time he contemplates remorse and hopes for redemption, something tells him that he is doomed. Despite his fears, Faustus then recalls "the lovely pleasure" he has received in his quest for power and knowledge. So, feeling that he is beyond redemption or respite, he closes his heart and proceeds on his road. This quote is an example of this situation.

Text is actually a good example in terms of showing what limits will be in the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge and how far these limits can go. For example, we know that as a character he is already a knowledgeable person with multiple interests. While the text gives us this information, it actually provides a way forward: It points to the insatiability of acquiring knowledge. In my opinion, it was a successful text in that respect in general. When Faustus enters a path fed by sins in his religion, he even thinks of going back for a moment, but it happened and the damage was done. So, it seems to me that the character was completely blinded by pride when he saw too late the possibility that at some point the divine creator (God) might curse him.

The side characters are good at providing support to the text and I think they do what is expected of them anyway. While the good angel represents good, the bad angel represents evil, Mephistophilis successfully carries out the expected servant duty.

The only part I find justified in Faustus' quest for knowledge and power is that I believe knowledge is power. Yet, as a mortal himself and of course a believer, it is foolish to oppose divine power, as his actions will have consequences.

In the final, we see that this part suffers the penalty. I think the message is given to know one's limits when it comes to gaining power. In this respect, this text is worth reading and very good to analyze.

Works Cited: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe