Dr.

Faustus (Drama)

Characters :

Doctor Faustus
Dr. Faustus is a learned theologian who hails from a university in Wertenberg, Germany which,
of course, means that he specialized in such fields as theology, logic and even medicine. He
needs more than formal education which was typical for the medieval period, which a curious
and ambitious man of the Renaissance period certainly is. He has very powerful ambition and
gets distracted into darkness seeking forbidden knowledge like knowledge about the physical
universe and magic which he thinks would make him invincible.

Faustus repudiates God and plans how to bring about great things with this power. However,
these dreams are never achieved. He is not strong of heart to use the magic to good use. He
does unproductive stunts; becomes popular and wealthy; and sometimes abuses people with
his magic. But, in spite of his great theological learning, Faustus is a skeptic regarding the
divine, when, indeed, speaking of God and the hereafter in terms of the ‘hell’ he considers to be
but a ‘fable.’ Regardless of receiving opportunities for repentance, he scraps it and does not
attempt to save his soul.

Mephastophilis
Mephastophilis said to the knight that he is one of the ‘fellows of the unhappy spirits’ those who
fell with Lucifer when God thrust him out of heaven. Because of this he suffers the same fate as
Lucifer and is cursed for Eternity. Having been assigned a role of an assistant or a demon to
Lucifer, Mephastophilis does everything to make Faustus go to hell. He leads Faustus into
making the contract with Lucifer, wicked in blood, and makes sure that Faustus remains faithful
to hell, for 24-years.

As a villain Mephastophilis is not, as it were, pure sin or sin incarnate: he is also a man, in pain.
To Faustus, he lies and scares Faustus particularly when Faustus feels like changing from his
sinful ways. But Mephastophilis can also tell the truth and it looks like he can feel pain and
suffer. Still, in plain terms, Mephist doesn’t mince words and lets Faustus know that he is there
to take his soul to Lucifer and that hell is dreadful.

Mephastophilis confesses that his task is to make the condemned souls suffer but he also
expresses his own pain. Because he has once gazed upon God and has had a sip of joy in the
presence of the separately joyous and heavenly, he has to endure ’ten thousand hells’ when he
is deprived of basically eternal happiness. Even before Faustus actually enters into a pact with
the devil, the devil himself, Mephastophilis, urges Faustus to “forget these foolish wishes,” which
cause its own soul pain.
Lucifer
Lucifer symbolizes one of the evil aspects of the devil’s realm, eternal damnation.
Mephastophilis presents him to Faustus as the ‘prince of devils’ and tells him that Lucifer was
one of the angels but became so proud that he rebelled against God. God threw him out of the
kingdom because he became too proud. His pride made him not want to work for God, but
instead take the position of God. Today he is in charge of hell, and is the adversary of God on
Earth where he seeks to entice souls into sin and capture them to populate his domain eternally.

Thus, when Lucifer witnesses the state of Faustus’s soul as that of a scholarly man, he is only
too glad to come to their agreement and obtain it. The terms “glorious” and “terrible,” or hurting
to look at, are used by Faustus to describe Lucifer. Lucifer is intelligent and cunning and does
not mince words when it comes to getting exactly what he wants: fear.

Character Map
Plot Summary:
Act 1
Doctor John Faustus is introduced by the chorus, whose role is to both explain and to facilitate
transitions in the play. Here the chorus explains that his story is not a sweeping tale of warfare
or love at court. It is the tale of a man of lowly birth who in later years is raised by a kinsman
while attending school in Wertenberg. The young man proves to be a brilliant religious scholar
but, swollen with pride, turns away from traditional areas of study to explore necromancy, or
black magic. As Faustus sits in his study, he pages through various texts on logic, medicine,
law, and religion. Dismissing them one by one, he turns at last to a book of magic. The power
and authority promised by mastering this art appeals to Faustus. In spite of warnings from the
Good Angel that appears, he resolves to study magic. He engages his German friends Valdes
and Cornelius to teach him all the basics he needs to know about the "damned art" of
necromancy. Sometime later, in a demonstration of his conjuring skills, Faustus summons up
the devil Mephastophilis—"an unhappy spirit that fell with Lucifer," the prince of devils, when
God threw him out of heaven. Mephastophilis explains that by dabbling in magic, Faustus risks
corruption of his soul. He then warns of the torments of hell that await him if he allies himself
with Lucifer. Undaunted, Faustus sends the devil back to his master with an offer: the soul of
Faustus in exchange for 24 years of service from Mephastophilis.

Act 2
Mephastophilis returns to Faustus with the news that Lucifer has agreed to the deal, provided
Faustus will write and sign the deed for his soul in blood. Faustus proceeds as instructed, but
the moment it is done, the words Homo fuge appear like a brand on his arm. Latin for "Fly, O
man!" they seem to be a warning. Unsettled, Faustus tries to imagine where he could
run—certainly not to God, who would throw him into hell for what he has done. To distract
Faustus and strengthen his determination, Mephastophilis showers him with rich gifts and
devilish entertainment and then provides all the books Faustus desires on spells and
incantations. A while later, Faustus wavers in his decision and considers renouncing magic and
repenting. Then, recalling that he is most certainly damned already, he hardens his heart and
begins questioning Mephastophilis on the nature and movement of heavenly bodies. However,
when he asks, "Who made the world?" the devil refuses to answer, stirring up Faustus's doubts
once more. Just as the doctor calls upon Christ to save his soul, Lucifer appears, accompanied
by Belzebub, his companion prince in hell. To draw Faustus back from the brink of repentance,
they appeal to his thirst for knowledge and enthrall him with a display of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Act 3
Faustus has studied diligently and now uses his dark powers to travel to Rome, where he visits
the pope. Bidding Mephastophilis to make him invisible, he harasses the pope as he entertains
guests, flinging fireworks among them, stealing food and drink, and boxing the pope's ears.

Act 4
In the years that follow, Faustus travels throughout Europe, appearing at the courts of kings and
earning an impressive reputation for wit and knowledge of the black arts. Eventually Emperor
Carolus the Fifth invites Faustus to his court and begs him to conjure up Alexander the Great.
While the emperor is duly impressed by the feat, a knight mocks the doctor's skill. In retaliation
Faustus gives him a pair of horns on his head, a sure sign that the knight has been cuckolded
by his wife. Continuing his travels, Faustus performs further feats of magic, including a
dishonest and cruel prank on a horse-courser (a dealer in horses). Later, he entertains the duke
and duchess of Vanholt at court by producing grapes in winter.

Act 5
As the final act opens, Faustus is conjuring beautiful Helen of Troy for a group of admiring
scholars. However, the 24 years allotted to the doomed doctor are winding down, and soon it
will be time to forfeit his soul. An old man appears and begs him to repent and ask God's
forgiveness. Though briefly tempted, Faustus instead reaffirms his vow to Lucifer in blood. Then,
to fortify his resolve, Faustus asks Mephistophilis to summon Helen of Troy to be his lover.
During his final hours, Faustus reveals his fate to three fellow scholars. They implore him to call
on God for help, but Faustus insists it is too late. He has rejected God, blasphemed, and been
in a pact with Lucifer for too long to expect mercy. Faustus begs the scholars to leave him and is
alone when the clock strikes eleven. In mounting terror and despair, Faustus begs Lucifer to
spare him or for Earth to bury him and hide him from the wrath of God. But Faustus's destiny is
fixed. The clock strikes twelve, and Lucifer's minions appear in order to drag the doctor's soul off
to hell.
Themes:
Knowledge over Wisdom
There is an important distinction between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the
accumulation of facts, information, and skills through education and experience. It is only a tool
and offers no insights into the meaning of life. Wisdom comes from the useful synthesis of facts,
information, and skills into a deeper and more truthful understanding of life and relationships. In
the true spirit of the Renaissance, Doctor Faustus thirsts for knowledge. In his unbridled pursuit
of it, he rejects what may be learned from even the wisest men of the past, specifically the
brilliant Greek philosophers Aristotle and Galen and the Byzantine emperor Justinian, who
rewrote Roman law. Though he is a doctor of divinity, he also dismisses what theology and the
Bible have to teach. Impatient and dissatisfied with the past's accumulated knowledge, he
craves to know more. This quest leads to his downfall primarily because Faustus has not
acquired—and does not search for—wisdom. As Faustus demonstrates, knowledge without the
moral guidance of wisdom can be used for good or evil. He looks to the forbidden knowledge of
necromancy, the practice of speaking to the spirits of dead people, to fulfill his desire to know
more than traditional sources of knowledge can teach him. He is further seduced by the power
and wealth magic promises. His desire to push the boundaries of human knowledge is without
guiding wisdom. Nor does he acquire wisdom along the way. His grand boasts of all he will do
with his newly acquired dark knowledge of magic fizzle into meanspirited pranks and
self-serving tricks to gain fame and money. He discovers no universally applicable truth. He is
never wise enough to heed the council of the Good Angel, the old man, or even Mephastophilis.
When devils at last cart him off to his doom, he has a head full of facts and information. Too late
he acquires the insight that might have saved him: hell is real, and he has damned himself to it.

Pride and Ambition

The theme of pride and ambition is linked to the theme of knowledge over wisdom. The
synthesis of these two themes has an intoxicating effect on Faustus. His intellectual pride, or
arrogance, makes him impatient with even the most revered authorities of the past, such as
Aristotle, a philosopher, Galen, a philosopher and physician, and Justinian, a specialist in law.
Faustus's ambition is to know more than all their accumulated knowledge and wisdom can teach
him. For this reason, he turns to the study of magic. He fantasizes that by mastering this field of
study, he could become a god and command a vast realm, limited only by his imagination. He
never considers using his knowledge for any kind of greater good. In his pride and ambition,
Faustus has a kindred spirit in Lucifer, whose history mirrors his own. In the beginning Lucifer,
the highest ranking angel in heaven, was full of wisdom and perfect in his beauty. But he
became filled with pride and desired to be God, instead of a servant to God. For his pride and
insolent ambition, God threw Lucifer and his followers out of heaven. Lucifer went on to
establish his own kingdom: hell. Like Lucifer, Faustus's first great sin is pride. It leads to his
rejection of God, his pact with the devil, the many additional sins he commits, and his final
damnation. Like Lucifer's, Faustus's pride-driven ambitions are never realized. Worse, they are
reduced to something trivial and low. Lucifer uses his power to corrupt and add souls to his
hellish kingdom. Faustus uses his power to play pranks, con simple folk, and gain fame by
entertaining royalty with magic. He never uses his power to better himself or the world, nor does
he fulfill his initial desire to rule Earth. In fact, his conjuring tricks are, at best, impressive
versions of those pulled off by Wagner, Rafe, and Robin.

Damnation versus Salvation

Throughout the play, Faustus finds himself at the crossroads of eternal death and eternal life:
damnation and salvation. Damnation is eternal separation from God. Salvation is a merciful gift
of God to one who repents and asks forgiveness. Sin, an immoral act that violates divine law, is
the defining factor that leads to one state or the other, depending on the relationship of the
sinner to their sin. If a person shows repentance—appropriate remorse and sorrow for their
sins—salvation is still possible. If not, damnation is inevitable. In Act 1 Faustus's failure to
consider both sides of this equation initiates the path to his doom. Based on an incomplete
reading of a Bible verse from the book of Romans (6:23), he falsely reasons that sinful humans
are destined for eternal death. Therefore, his only escape may be through pursuit of magic, as
"a sound magician is a mighty god." Faustus overlooks the second half of the verse, which
emphasizes salvation and God's offered gift of eternal life. The doctor concentrates on the half
that justifies the path to damnation he yearns to pursue. As a consequence he will struggle with
ideas of repentance and salvation throughout the rest of the play. Mephastophilis makes it clear
in his descriptions of hell's torments that defying God is the road to eternal suffering. However,
the Good Angel and the old man make it equally clear that Faustus can save himself if he
repents and accepts God's mercy. As he tries to decide between damnation (sticking to his deal
with the devil) or accepting the "gift ... of eternal life" (by showing proper repentance to God),
Faustus is forced to question his character and motivations, often at the expense of his lust for
power and his fantasy of his own superiority. Yet once he has sealed the deal with Lucifer,
Faustus audaciously continues down the path to his damnation. He seems committed to his
doom, ultimately unwilling or unable to alter his chosen course.

Destiny versus Free Will

The theme of destiny versus free will is related to that of damnation versus salvation. Faustus
appears unable to repent. Even in moments of greatest despair, when he teeters on the brink of
repentance, he ultimately pulls back and renews his allegiance to Lucifer, assuring his doom.
Too late he renounces pursuit of magic in the last line of the play with a final, desperate cry, "I'll
burn my books." Playwright Christopher Marlowe uses Faustus's apparent helplessness to
explore the idea of predestination posed by French-born Protestant theologian John Calvin.
Calvin reasoned that God, being omniscient, knows from the outset who will be saved and who
will not. Therefore, human action and choice are not the keys to salvation. That end is
predetermined. Whatever action or choice a human makes has been set up in advance by God.
This suggests that no matter how free Faustus seems in his choice to pursue magic or reject
redemption, he is simply playing out a script already written. His natural defiance and rebellion
guide him to fulfill his destiny. On the other hand Marlowe also suggests that Faustus may have
a choice. On numerous occasions in the play, he considers the possibility of asking God to
forgive his sins, allowing him to change his spiritual path from damnation to one of salvation.
The Good Angel, the Bad Angel, Mephastophilis, the old man, and other characters chime in to
encourage him to save himself or give in and go to hell. Faustus himself goes back and forth,
until it is too late. The question remains: is Faustus helplessly driven by destiny or doomed by
his own poorly exercised free will? Marlowe provides no definitive answer but weaves the two
possibilities into his play. However, to believe that Faustus has no choice denies the more
pitiable aspects of his character. The doctor's intelligence, skepticism, and deeply human desire
for knowledge incite choices and actions that anger heaven and fate to be destroyed.

Good versus Evil

The push-and-pull conflict between good and evil is a motivating force throughout Doctor
Faustus. Faustus personally embodies the concepts of good and evil. As a theologian, he
represents the good or spiritually uplifting study of divinity. However, he abandons theology to
pursue forbidden knowledge, falling prey to sin. His noble intentions for acquiring power through
magic soon give way to fancy tricks bought with his soul. Whenever he wavers in his
commitment to evil, Mephastophilis finds it easy to tempt him back from the good of repentance
by appealing to his baser nature. Whether it's a book of hidden knowledge or the beautiful Helen
of Troy, Mephastophilis knows just what to give Faustus to hold on to his soul. Lucifer, too,
knows how to beguile Faustus and quiet his conscience. He invokes visions of the Seven
Deadly Sins, to which Faustus exclaims, "Oh, this feeds my soul." Every prick of conscience
expressed by Faustus signals a new skirmish. Faustus is mentally and spiritually torn by desire
and fear: desire for salvation and desire for unholy knowledge; fear of damnation and fear that it
is too late to repent. This conflict is embodied by the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. They
appear at times when Faustus seems close to renouncing magic and asking God's forgiveness
for his defiance and heresy. The two angels act as counselors, offering advice, warnings, and
arguments intended to persuade the doctor toward salvation or damnation. Other characters
echo Faustus's inner struggle as well. In Act 5 three scholars beg Faustus to conjure the spirit of
Helen, the world's most beautiful woman. He complies, and they enjoy it. Soon after, the same
men shift gears instantly when he admits to them how he has sold his soul to Lucifer. Now they
offer to pray for Faustus,"that God may have mercy upon [him]," but it is too late. Mephastophilis
is perhaps the most surprising representation of this theme. While as Lucifer's minion he is
clearly a servant of evil, he is a demon with feelings and the occasional impulse for good. He
devotedly serves Lucifer, but he is tormented by his separation from God. He scouts for souls to
add to hell's population, but in Act 1 he warns Faustus to "leave these frivolous demands, /
Which strike a terror to my fainting soul!" With this unexpected mix of good and evil,
Mephastophilis breaks the mold of the traditional fiendish villain.