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Comparison between hamlet and dr. faustus
Dr faustus as tragedy
Dr faustus as tragedy
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Moral and Ethical Dilemmas in Marlowe's Dr. Faustus and Shakespeare's Othello
We can find major moral or ethical dilemmas in both Dr. Faustus and Othello. In Dr. Faustus, the major dilemma comes about because the character Faustus desires to have extensive knowledge to use for his own benefit for 24 years. Faustus sells his soul to Mephostophilis (a representative of the Devil/Lucifer/Prince of devils). In Othello Iago (Othello's ancient, a villain) brings on the major dilemma. Iago pretends to be friends with Roderigo, tells him he should be the one with Desdemona and that he can arrange this for money. Therefore, what we can see so far is that in Dr. Faustus the moral dilemma is lust and in Othello the moral dilemma is greed for power or maybe Iago's envy of Othello's power.
Faustus' moral dilemma is brought on by his own lust. He desires to have things that were never meant to be his, such as power to rule kingdoms, and he is willing to do anything to obtain them including selling his soul. Faustus considers himself to be a skilled magician and calls on the devil in a God cursing chant to obtain the knowledge he desires. When Mephostophilis appears Faustus bids him to serve his wishes for twenty-four years. Although, Faustus is warned by Mephostophilis to repent and never call upon the devil again he doesn't listen and tells Mephostophilis to go to Lucifer and get the approval. Mephostophilis returns to get Faustus to sign a contract with Lucifer in his own blood. After Faustus signs the contract he speaks the last words said by Jesus as he died on the cross "It is finished". These words give Faustus thoughts that he should not continue this contract but his greed overcomes him and he finishes the delivery to Mephostophilis. Faustus continues with his greedy desires for the allotted 24 years but when his time is up he wishes he had not signed the contract because he did not prosper from his greedy act but his time has expired and Mephostophilis has come to collect his soul.
In Othello, the moral dilemma comes by way of a villain, Iago. Iago wishes to be the person with the power and as long as Othello is the general, Iago will never be able to have the power he desires. Iago and Roderigo go to Brabantio's (senator, father to Desdemona) house to inform him that his daughter has left in the night to be with Othello.
In Faust, part I, Faust is given Mephistopheles as his servant on earth, until he reaches complete happiness, “[t]hen [Faust will] do the same for [him]” in hell(87). Faust never reaches complete happiness in the end and eventually goes to heaven. The deal in “The Devil and Tom Walker” is that Tom gets a pirate’s treasure and a multitude of wealth, but he has to use the money for evil, and the Devil gets his soul. In the end, after he had a lot of evil over his life, he accidentally said, “‘The devil take me,’” without meaning it, and was taken to hell(135). In “The Devil and Homer Simpson,” Homer gets a donut, but “the instant [he] finish[es] it [the Devil] own[s his] soul”(Daniels, McGrath). Homer inevitably eats the donut, but he gets to go on trial for his soul, and his wife, Marge, saves his soul by saying he already promised it to her. In all of these stories, a physical contract was made with the devil, so it seems like the Faust character could not get out of it, but the deal is different for each story, and each one has a different outcome to portray a different message. Goethe conveys that complete happiness cannot be reached, but that it is never too late to be saved. “The Devil and Tom Walker” conveys that it is harmful to try to get a desired thing through evil means by making Tom go to hell in the end after all the evil he had done. In “The Devil and Homer Simpson,” Homer finding a
“I asked her to wear something revealing, so she showed up in a prophet's toga.”(CITE) Jarod Kintz’s words are an example of miscommunication, or failure to comprehend meaning. In this case, it is implied that one person misunderstood the message of another, but incomprehension also applies to problems other than falsely interpreted requests. Incomprehension can occur when people misinterpret another’s words or intentions, or when a person misreads situations or events. The outcome described in Kintz’s quote is unexpected and unintended, but there are instances of incomprehension that have consequences of greater severity. Perhaps a classic tragedy with a high body count falls under these parameters.
In everyones life there is always the one person who you think you can trust, and later come to find that they have been playing you all along. This is the exact case for Othello. Iago, whom Othello thought was a person he could trust, betrayed him in many horrific ways.As you read the famous Shakespearian play, Othello, the Moor of VeniceI, you come to realise pretty quickly that Iago is the evil charecter in this play. The readers do not actually get to see a good side of Iago, if there is any, because he is constantly using and playing people. Readers will also come to learn that no matter how evil Iago may be perceived as that he is very much a coward, using other people to do most of his dirty work for him.
In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal. He makes Othello believe that his new wife, the innocent Desdemona, is committing adultery with his newly promoted officer Michael Cassio. After this seed of jealousy has been planted, Othello’s mind takes its course in determining the true outcome, with a little more nudging from Iago. The course of action he proceeds to follow is one that not only ends his own life, but also the life of his wife and others. In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, Othello is a man who is still truly honorable, despite the course of action he takes to resolve his perceived problem.
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.
Corruption overcomes the Venetian society as Iago uses his crafty skills of deceit. The plan to have Othello turn against the ones he loves is the perfect example of evils nature. The power struggle is evident between these two. This situation is the start to Iagos plan to corrupt the society and take Othellos place. The root of Iagos evil is jealousy indeed, in turn changing into a power hungry manipulator. Iago is tired of acting like one "courteous and knee-crooking knave" like he always appears to be [I. i. 46]. Since Iago is reluctant to choose to be a master, he is the servant that bites off the fame and "keep yet their hearts attending on themselves," still showing his service to his master but instead is more self-preserving with no attachments at all towards the master [I. i. 52]. Irony is used diligently in Shakespeares unique language style.
Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full hopeful support until the inevitable and unavoidable fall. The evil side of Othello’s tragic flaw came from without, in the form of Iago. The internal flaw exists only in his heartrendingly unshakable goodness and honor.
Faustus, too, is a superior being. He consciously removes the yoke of academia, and exerts his free will. After freely entering into his contract with Lucifer, he repeatedly considers repenting. When he calls on Christ to help "save distressed Faustus' soul," the evil trinity of Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephostophilis appear, possibly to tear him to pieces. Under duress, he vows, "never to name God or pray to him." However, with only one-half hour left on earth, he calls on God. Faustus, forever the horse trader, tries to strike a deal with God. He asks God, for Christ's sake and blood, to limit his time in hell from a thousand to a hundred thousand years.
III. Faustus is portrayed as a very individual character. He changes and is shaped by the events that happen all around him. Everything he does affects his future outcome. For example his decision to give up his studies of medicine were very un-stereotypical of a character that is studying to be a doctor to do. Even more so is his decision to take upon the necromantics of the devil. He says, “Then read no more; thou hast attain'd that end: A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit.” (1.11) He believes that he has learned enough information about all the great things of the world and there is nothing left to study that will intrigue him as much as magic will. His curious personality affects the play because his decisions determine the plot. For example the Seven Deadly Sins entice him so he becomes convinced not to repent his sin. This characterizes him as gullible, curious and adventurous. He becomes obsessed with his magic and he absolutely loves having the powers to do anything he pleases. An example of this is when he conjures up Helen. He knows he can do whatever he wants without reservation so he chooses to conjure the woman who launched a thousand ships. This shows that not only is he gullible, curious and obsessed but also Faustus only wishes for the best in whatever he does; the best that will please him.
It can be argued that Doctor Faustus is damned from the moment of conception. His innate desire for knowledge inevitably leads to his downfall. He represents the common human dissatisfaction with being human and the struggle of accepting our lack of omnipotence and omniscience. Marlowe manipulates this struggle between the aspirations of one character of his time and the implications to Christianity in relation to its doctrine of heaven and hell. Indeed, Doctor Faustus asks for more than what was intentionally made available to him through God's plan, yet it was God's gift to him of his intellect, that tempted him to search beyond his appointed realm of knowledge. Faustus, through his own free will, decides to trade his soul with Lucifer in order to gain the answers to the questions of the universe. According to the divine plan ideology of Catholic doctrine, his decision worked into the cosmic outline. The divine application of his decision implies that there are benefits or rather some other importance, outside of the connection to Faustus, of his selling his soul. This lessens the impetus behind his decision because of the emphasis on universal application as opposed to the immediate ramifications to Faustus, the human being. Therefore, one can argue as to where the responsibility or fault lies concerning Faustus' fate because of the presence of other forces who may have influenced his decision. However the responsibility for his choice remains his and his alone.
After meeting Mephastophilis, Faustus’s second request from him is a wife, stating: “But leaving off this, let me have a wife, the fairest maid in Germany, for I am wanton and lascivious, and cannot live without a wife,” (I.V.138-140). Faustus clearly states in these lines that he desires someone to control him, especially in a sexual manner, and has yet to find someone capable of doing so. However, it is after hearing about how trivial marriage is from Mephastophilis that Faustus takes this desire a step further. He says to Mephastophilis: “And long ere this I should have slain myself, / Had not sweet pleasure conquered deep despair,” (I.V.200-201). By expressing his utter sadness with not being able to fulfill his desires, it becomes clear that even though Faustus has been able to accomplish everything he has ever wanted, by not fulfilling this desire, he will never be satisfied with his life. By meeting Mephastophilis, Faustus is persuaded that he would finally be able to fulfill his desires at the price of his soul, a sacrifice he was willing to make as his final
Unaware that he is guilty of committing these sins, pride first leads Faustus into being extremely greedy, and this greediness acts in opposition to the will of God. While ambition is admirable, it appears to be a negative trait when it is not used for good. It appears that Faustus wanted to gain this knowledge for himself and not for the well-being of all people. Being so adamant about gaining this power
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.
...d for an escape when all he really needs to do is look upward. Lucifer does not send Faustus to hell, Faustus sends himself by not accepting the gift of salvation that God freely offers him right up until the end. In his final hour, Faustus comes to the realization that he is getting the short end of the deal he has made with the devil and how even all the power he had possessed is fleeting in the face of eternity. Faustus' final soliloquy is a realistic look inside the mind of someone who stands on the threshold of forever and knows his destination. After reading this, one should either rejoice that he or she will not have to face the same fate as Faustus, or recognize that he or she is walking the same road and repent.
Christopher Marlowe's play, its genre an English tragedy of the sixteenth century, presents the tragic conflict of the Faust theme in the tradition of medieval morality plays. The concepts of good and evil in these plays and their psychological implications reflect a historical background in which the church dominates the ethical and moral concepts of their time. Faustus defies society's norms and embraces the devil with courageous desperation, fully aware of the inevitable consequences, but incapable of being satisfied with his human limitations.