the struggles of dr. faustus
The protagonist Faustus, in Christopher Marlowe’s play, Dr. Faustus, is perceived to be one of the most unsettled characters in English literature. Faustus’ incessant wavering between good and evil, which is displayed predominantly throughout the play, is largely manifested both physically and mentally in Act II Scene 1. This particular scene is characterized by numerous emotions, such as mystification and inquisitiveness on Faustus’ part and anxiety and eagerness for the reader. These sentiments are developed for the most part because this scene is the defining moment in which Faustus, although clearly distraught over the decision of whether or not to turn to evil, finally chooses to sign his soul away to Lucifer in return for the necromantic knowledge he has so desperately sought. Overall, this scene shows that Faustus lacks inner strength; both through his blind pursuit of knowledge, and his inability to devote himself completely to good or evil. This inability to decide between damnation and repentance has resulted in a battle within Faustus’ conscious and subconscious mind that ceases to diminish throughout the scene. Consciously, Faustus tries to convince himself that knowledge, honour and wealth ar
Overall, Faustus is a character that everyone loves to pity. His lack of inner strength has resulted in his subconscious telling him to do one thing while he consciously does another. It is this battle that succeeded in creating an exceedingly torn individual who does not have the courage or strength to choose what he really wants It also appears as though Faustus wants the best of both worlds. He wants to acquire knowledge, honour, and wealth, but does not want to be damned by God and condemned to hell. Act II scene 1 clearly portrays this internal struggle, and the eventual submission, to the most alluring pursuit: that of the search for wealth and necromantic knowledge. Consequently, Faustus is forced to spend the rest of his days in damnation, with nothing but his regrets to keep him company. mine!” (Act II scene 1 22-23). In essence, he blindly follows the evil angel and Mephastophilis, a devil that Faustus summons from hell, because they provide instant gratification and results. Given that the conscious mind of Faustus is impatient, arrogant and overconfident, it makes sense that he would choose to take the easiest path available. Nevertheless, because his consciousness is so wrapped up with this quest for knowledge, he refuses to acknowledge what he will have to give up in order to acquire it. Also, Faustus never completely devotes himself to the dark side, because if he did, he would not contend that hell does not exist, but would instead accept it as his fate. To Faustus, as long as he perceives hell as “trifles and mere old wives’ tales” there is always room to think about God and repenting. Moreover, even if he wanted to change his mind and devote himself to God it seems impossible, because his conscious mind is so easily manipulated by Mephastophilis that he has neither time, nor space to consider what he truly wants. This lack of space creates his lack of inner strength because he is never allowed to think about repenting for too long before he is interrupted with various distractions. This is illustrated on line 82 when Mephastophilis decides to “fetch him somewhat to delight his mind”. The crowns, riches and dance provide an immediate distraction for Faustus, and he completely forgets all subliminal thoughts of repenting that had surfaced just moments prior. It seems as though Mephastophilis is aware of the fact that Faustus’ lust for power and knowledge is what ultimately controls him because he constantly uses that force to bring him closer to hell. Homo
Some topics in this essay:
Act II,
Finally Faustus,
God Faustus,
Faustus Secondly,
Lucifer Faustus,
II Scene,
Fuge Whither,
Overall Faustus,
Faustus God,
Dr Faustus,
inner strength,
homo fuge,
soul lucifer,
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act ii scene,
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ii scene 1,
fly unto god,
faustus completely,
unto god he’ll,
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Approximate Word count = 1693
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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