Marlowe's Doctor Faustus

Marlowe's Doctor Faustus

In Faustus' first speech in Act 1, my main feeling towards Faustus was

not sympathy but irritation. I became aware of Faustus' arrogance and

his impatience with ordinary learning, particularly with his referral

to law as 'a petty case of paltry legacies.' He also constantly refers

to himself as 'Faustus', reminding himself of his own importance.

Other aspects of Faustus' character are revealed in the descriptive

language he uses. He is 'ravish'd' by magic, and is 'glutted' with

learning. These adjectives show a very sensual personality.

The good and bad angels represent the two different sides of his

personality, one side urging him to sell his soul for magic and the

other urging him to remember that heaven is 'his chiefest bliss'.

Faustus seems to be a very worldly character in his first speech but

when he speaks of what he will do with his 'heavenly' powers, they are

very small goals. Faustus shows his true colours as a student when he

tells Cornelius and Valdes that he will 'fill the public schools with

silk' and make 'the Rhine circle fair Wittenberg'. These aims show his

loyalty to his home and to his students. In the first scene, the main

thing I notice about Faustus is his naïvety. He does not realise the

horrors of hell, partly through his determination not to believe in

it, and partly through Cornelius' and Valdes' influence, as they give

him the magic books with no warning as to their power.

After Faustus summons Mephostophilis, he seems to quite flippant

towards holy things, and even orders the devils to change. He tells

Mephostophilis to 'return and old Franciscan friar, that holy shape

becomes a devil best'. The first thing Faustus does when he summons

Mephost...

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...s ironic as she is conjured, and a devil. Faustus' pleading

becomes increasingly desperate and he says he would give up everything

for being saved. Even 'that I had never seen Wittenberg, never read

book'. His very last offer to Lucifer is 'I will burn my books!' This

shows his desperation as this would be the ultimate sacrifice for

Faustus, the ultimate scholar.

Throughout the play, my sympathy for Faustus varies in intensity. I

feel most sympathy in the final scene, when he wishes to repent, but

cannot. However, it is difficult to conjure up much sympathy for

Faustus as he brought his fate on himself. He had opportunities to

redeem himself and rejected them time and time again. He cannot be

classed as a tragic hero as he has too many faults. Faustus is

arrogant, vain, materialistic, and naïve. All these characteristics

eventually lead to his downfall.