Gluttony in Doctor Faustus

1511 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical essays on dr faustus

Gluttony in Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus is a scholar who questions all knowledge and finds it lacking. Because none of his learning will allow him to transcend his mortal condition, he rejects God and forms a pact with Lucifer all the while pursuing the arts of black magic. Of course, this is one more propaganda piece of Western Christianity attempting to argue that knowledge is dangerous and confining instead of rewarding and liberating. It also suggests a Protestant parallel in its representation that one who believes in everything ends up believing in nothing. However, if we cast aside its use as a socio-economic, ideological tool of manipulation, we can explore its character, action and themes without suffering too much offense as open-minded scholars.

In a play of five acts, twenty scenes and more than 70 pages of typed text, Gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, consumes a mere 13 lines. While such economy of space and expression is atypical of Gluttony, it is not typical of Marlowe who surfeits our senses with images of gluttonous, swollen, and surfeited allusions. In fact, Faustus appears to be a fathead because his head has become swollen in self-conceit due to his attempt to understand more than it is within the power of humans to know. According to Marlowe (23-24), "Till swoll'n with cunning, of a self-conceit,/His waxen wings did mount above his reach/And melting, heavens conspired his overthrow!/For falling to a devlish exercise/And glutted now with learning's golden gifts/He surfeits upon cursed necromancy/Nothing so sweet as magic is to him/Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss-/And this the man that in his study sits."

Gluttony, personified, only has two dialogue exchanges with Faus...

... middle of paper ...

...demption.

WORKS CITED

Fitzhenry, R. I. Barnes & Noble Book of Quotations. New York, Barnes & Noble Books, 1986.

Marlowe, C. Doctor Faustus. Barnet, S. (ed.) New York, Signet Classics, 1969.

The student may wish to begin the essay with several of the following quotes:

Puritanism - the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy. H. L. Mencken

Christianity might be a good thing if anyone ever tried it. George Bernard Shaw

Men prefer to believe that they are degenerated angels, rather than elevated apes. W. Winwood Roade

As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague interests. Charles Darwin

God is dead. F. Neitzsche

When a man is freed of religion, he has a better chance to live a normal and wholesome life. Sigmund Freud (Barnes & Noble Book of Quotations, 310-312)

Show More
Related

  • Applying Author Intent and Influence to James O’Barr’s The Crow

    3948 Words  | 8 Pages

    Miner, Margaret, and Hugh Rawson. The New International Dictionary of Quotations . 3 rd ed. New York: Signet, 2000.

    Read More

  • Siddhartha

    491 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the book “Siddhartha” Herman Hesse shows even though one may have a goal in mind there are many paths. In this story Siddhartha and his friend Govinda have the same goal, and the two friends end up taking separate paths. Siddhartha however becomes distracted. When looking at the book “Siddhartha” one can see three detours Siddhartha took, which most readers don’t see; this is important because in the end it helped Siddhartha find self-fulfillment.

    Read More

  • Ethics And Ethics: The Application Of Ethical Decisions

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everybody has their own ethical system that they follow. My personal ethical system that I follow is duty-driven ethics. Duty-driven ethics, also refers as deontology, is about doing the right thing all the times no matter of the consequences. It is not what is good for me; it is what is good in that particular situation, followed by the rules and regulations set by outside authority or government. I avoid actions that are set to be wrong to do by our government, my school, my religion, and my work.

    Read More

  • Love And Happiness And Sigmund Freud's Theory Of Happiness

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Civilization and Its Discontents (Ch. 2), Sigmund Freud argues that happiness is routed in two basic ideas: the first having to do with no pain and the other having to do with pleasure. Along with his idea of what the root of happiness is, he also describes multiple ways this happiness can be attained. Freud states that love and beauty are both means of achieving happiness. Although love and beauty cannot completely prevent all worldly suffering, they both offer a powerful explanation that can help an individual determine the true meaning of their life. In this presentation, we will argue that this argument succeeds because true happiness is difficult to come by in this life, but things such as love and beauty provide a basis for passionate strife in an individual, while also causing an intoxicating kind of sensation that may lead to a definite meaning to Earthly existence for a human being.

    Read More

  • My Meta-ethical Position

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    Subjectivism is the idea that there no ethical facts that ethical statements are not saying what "is" the case only what "ought" to be the case.

    Read More

  • Deluded Pursuit in Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus

    420 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus has outclassed every one at Wittenberg with his academic studies, he is "still but Faustus, a man." Proud of his accomplishments, he desires to become a superman. His judgment clouded by the sin of his pride, he misunderstands his knowledge and dismisses the disciplines of medicine, philosophy, law, and divinity. He lusts for God's capability to "make men live eternally or being dead raise them to life again," believing the devil's arts of magic and necromancy can provide the power, honour, omnipotence and, most importantly, the wealth he craves. His deluded pursuit of the immediate pleasures such wealth can yield brings upon himself the risk of eternal damnation. By conjuring the devil, Faustus removes himself from the influence of the Holy Ghost and God's love, instigating attacks of despair, and internal conflicts as personified by the Good and Bad Angels.

    Read More

  • Dr. Faustus Essay: A Historicism Approach to Doctor Faustus

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doctor Faustus is a doctor of theology that wants no limits on what he can know or see or do so he sells his soul to the devil to gain these desires. While reading or observing Marlowe's fascinating play the reader or observer should apply the "New Historicism Approach," and take in to consideration Marlowe's and the 1590s society's beliefs, habits of thought, and biases about various concepts of obtaining the "forbidden knowledge". Like the people of the 1590s, Doctor Faustus searches for the "forbidden knowledge", begins to deny God during his quest for greater knowledge, and gains nothing from his vain activities throughout his lifetime. After these listed characteristics have been established one can begin to visualize the relationship between Marlowe's, Doctor Faustus and the beliefs and thoughts of the people of the 1590s.

    Read More

  • A Divided Self: The Many Facets of Faustus

    2087 Words  | 5 Pages

    Having attained all that he desires from the knowledge of man, Marlowe’s character Faustus turns to the only remaining school of thought that he feels he must master which is the art of necromancy. In his pursuits, he manages to summon the devil Mephistopheles, arch demon of hell, and strikes a deal to trade his immortal soul with Lucifer in exchange for being granted an infinite amount of power and knowledge that extends even beyond the limits of human understanding. However in the process of negotiating the terms of his pact, it becomes clear that Faust is in a constant state of uncertainty in terms of whether he should repent and forsake the arrangement or simply go through with it. This underlying theme of internal struggle is introduced very early and reappears in later acts with the appearance of established binaries that suggest a theme of division not only among the character of John Faustus, but within the written text as a whole. This suggests that Faustus is meant to serve as a symbol for the divided nature of man and the consequences of failing to negotiate the struggles that are a result of the divided self.

    Read More

  • Justice On Trial in Kafka's The Trial

    3824 Words  | 8 Pages

    i Fitzhenry, R. I. (ed.).  Barnes & Noble Book of Quotations, New York, Barnes & Noble Books, 1986, 197.

    Read More

  • Faust And Frankenstein

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Faust, the intelligent gentleman Faust, seeks spiritual wholeness in knowledge. Through years of hard study, Faust becomes knowledgeable in math, sciences and religion and yet he becomes inept and incapable of having any romantic or physical relationships with the outside world. As Faust strives to become the "over man" through knowledge, he realizes that books will not satisfy his curiosity and that maybe sensual pleasures will. Therefore, in the process of creating his new life, Faust, becomes distant and unconcerned with all reality and humanity around him.

    Read More

  • Doctor Faustus - Analysis

    1782 Words  | 4 Pages

    II. Doctor Faustus is contrived of the following: Faustus, a man well learned in medicine and other knowledge’s known to man is dissatisfied with where his life is heading so he calls upon the Lucifer and His accomplice, Mephistophilis, to teach him the ways of magic. They agree to be his tutors only if Faustus will sell his soul to Lucifer and be His after 20 years. Faustus agrees and goes through trying times where he is unsure of his decision and considers repenting but then is persuaded again and again that the magic powers of the Devil are far more satisfying than the powers of Heaven.

    Read More

  • The Religious Motivations of Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    (Munteanu, 2002). Therefore it can be said that Marlowe is attempting to alter the doctrines his fellow country men with whom are questioning their religions. Marlowe uses the renaissance ideals with the medieval myths to master his point. This work is a forewarning of damnation by those who attempt to alter the doctrines or moral standards, and a beacon of caution to those in search of the unknown. Dr Faustus, the work of good and evil. When man becomes idle his mind wanders and he wants more. With the wealth of knowledge Dr Faustus wanted more, he was no longer content with his academia since they could no longer provide him with wealth and fame as well as fulfill his souls want, he turned to the mastering of the dark arts.

    Read More

  • Religion Vs. Philosophy

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    " Religion is not just a social, cultural, political, or ideological factor; instead it finds its power in the personal chambers of the soul of the individual. Within the soul we discover the source of the private motivation that forms perceptions and behavior ( pg 7, Rediscovering the Kingdom)."

    Read More

  • Doctor Faustus Essays: Dr. Faustus and the Christian Moral

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Doctor Faustus the main character sells his soul to the devil and later dies and is sent to hell. A question that comes to mind when reading this book is, "Does Doctor Faustus have a Christian moral?" Even though he is persuaded to sell his soul to the devil he still may have some Christian beliefs. Some of the dialogue in the play gives some signals that tell the reader if Faustus has a Christian moral. The Cultural Studies method is shown in this paper because we are talking about someone's beliefs or morals. In this play, Marlowe shows Dr. Faustus's religious beliefs.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Doctor Faustus, also referred to as The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe. This play is based on a German story where a man sells his soul to the devil in quest for knowledge and power (Sales 340. The protagonist in this play is Doctor Faustus. Doctor Faustus was hungry of power and knowledge and in search for them; he sold his soul to the devil. At first, he was very happy with the praise he received from the people as they considered him a hero. Later on, Faustus learns that he committed a grave mistake of selling his soul to the devil for twenty-four years. Even though he felt remorseful for his mistakes, it was already late for him. He is later found by his fellow scholars dead and torn from limb to limb. Faustus was a heroic fool who only thought of power and never thought of eternal damnation.

    Read More

More about Gluttony in Doctor Faustus

Open Document