Dr Faustus

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Recommended: Analysis of doctor faustus by marlowe

The play Doctor Faustus by Chris Marlowe depicts the tragic story of a scholar named Dr. Faustus. Dr. Faustus made the decision to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for the ability to conjure black magic- a skill he wanted because he became dissatisfied with his human knowledge. The devil who Dr. Faustus gave his offer to, Mephastophilis, initially warns Dr. Faustus about the horrors of Hell, but Dr. Faustus is extremely eager to offer himself to Lucifer and achieve magical powers. Dr. Faustus would have twenty four years on earth with his skills acquired from Lucifer, then his soul would be brought to hell. Dr. Faustus used his newfound capabilities for selfish and vein activities. Toward the impending end of his life, Dr. Faustus began to regret his decision to sell his soul. He begged God for forgiveness, but it was too late, the damage had been done. He died and was dragged off to Hell.
Dr. Faustus is a very conflicted man (citation?). He believes in doing right and repenting his sins to God, but he also longs to have the power that has eluded him in his ordinary life. He is so intrigued by the idea of possessing higher powers on earth, that he ignores the warnings initially given by Mephastophilis and makes an offer to Lucifer. In the opening of the play, two angels appear to Dr. Faustus, a good angel and an evil angel. The good angel represents Dr. Faustus’s commitment to God and the desire to do well for his community. The good angel tells Dr. Faustus not to be tempted any more by the book, and to follow God’s teachings (page 81 line 71-74). The evil angel represents the power that Mephastophilis, Lucifer and the desire to be superior, have over Dr. Faustus. In the same scene, the evil angel tells Dr. Faustus to go fo...

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...re already deemed to heaven or Hell. The Old Man was born before the time when Calvinism was on the rise, therefore he believes that if Faustus repents his sins to God, he may be forgiven. According to the article by Honderich (1973), “Marlowe was himself deeply and personally involved in Calvinist theory that the play merely echoes his own personal and religious impasse…”
In the end, it appears that the play appears to be demonstrating free will. From the commencement, Faustus knows Lucifer was at one time an angel who fell from grace. Mephastophilis says “…by aspiring pride and insolence, for which God threw him from the face of heaven,” (Marlowe 95*gotta find right line*), and Faustus knows that it was Lucifer’s free will to fall from heaven. Lucifer had such desires for an abundance of power, that he sacrificed his future to have them and to be superior to God.

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