Doctor Faustus

Remind yourself of scene 5, lines 167 – 280 (pages 31 – 37 in the New Mermaids Edition) from “Now would I have a book…” to the entrance of The Seven Deadly Sins. (In some other editions, this section begins near the end of Act 2 Scene 5 and includes the opening of Act 2 Scene 1.)

What is the importance of this section in the context of the whole play?

In your answer you should consider:

-The dramatic effects created by the Good and Evil Angels

-The language used by Faustus and Mephastophilis.

This section of the play has both an important structural and contextual role in Dr. Faustus. Leading the audience through his doubt and limitations, Faustus begins to realize that his potential for knowledge and power is not half as grand as he expected. This leads him into strong bouts of inner struggle, as shown by the appearance of the good and evil angels on stage. The forces of good and evil start to tear away at Faustus, and he begins the decline into his inventible tragic downfall at the end of the play.

At the start of section, we see Faustus is beginning to use his powers to attain rare and elusive knowledge about our universe, forming elaborate demands, such as;

“Now would I have a book where I might see all characters and planets of the heavens, that I might know their motions and dispositions”. Of course, the knowledge is granted, but appears to be enclosed in one single-volume book. Faustus sees this as a boundary – another restriction, on the pledge that was supposed to bring him ultimate rewards. He states;

“O thou art deceived!”, realising the dissatisfaction, and what he has sacrificed.

It could be said that Marlowe uses this anticlimax to warn the audience not to follow Faustus’ ways, emphasizing the fact that it can only bring superficial pleasures and shallow reward.

The section is also characterized by the two appearances of the good and evil angels, which I feel play a significant role in the morality issues the dealt with in the play.

Aside from signifying the persuasion into evil, the appearance of the angels also represents Faustus’ inner conflict, by exposing his gradual realisation that his actions have left him disappointed, and the fact that he cannot escape the religion within him. These scenes are vital to the play, and are used by Marlowe to present Faustus’ thoughts on stage. If seen in the context of a morality play, it could be ...

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...stus is blind to the truth of repentance. And I feel at this moment, the audience truly realize that he can never escape this tragic spiral into damnation.

Overall, we have seen how Marlowe uses this section of Dr.Faustus to present the tragic traits in Faustus’ character, and most importantly to highlight his flaws, and how they show the gradual failure of his plans. It deals with important contextual issues, such as the limitations and implications of over ambition shown in Mephastophilis blunt offerings – which Marlowe demonstrate the consequences of over-reaching yourself. It also presents us with the Morality play idea, by using the Good and Evil angels to present Faustus’ inner struggle of good versus evil, which he cannot overcome. Finally, Marlowe has also used the section to convey the traits of the Elizabethan tragic hero – in Faustus’ constant search for achievement, inability to recognise implications and failed plans. Ultimately, I feel the section is significant as it powerfully highlights these characteristics to portray the dangers of Faustus’ exploits, while evoking feelings of fear and tension with the audience towards the tragic climax at the end of the play.