In the play The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Faustus says he will do many wonderful things with his power but ends up mostly using it for his own selfish purposes. He says that he will rein sole king but instead does shows for Charles V. However, he does get fruits from far away lands, but only to give them to the Duchess. His admirers admire him for the wondrous knowledge that he has before the powers, not the plans to make some wondrous cure that he never makes. What Faustus does with his powers tends to not be what he plans to do unless it is somehow supporting his egotistic intentions.
Faustus plans to make himself the king "I"ll / / reign sole king of all our provinces" (I.i.93-95), but that never actually happens. He instead rescues the emperor appointed pope and returns him back to the emperor. After he does this, he shows off to the pope. This earns him command of the state of Germany but more importantly shows that instead of forcing people to do what he wants them to, he would rather show off and have people like him. .
He loves to show off and use his powers to gain a higher social status. Faustus creates an enchanted, floating castle for the Duke of Vanholt. When it does not seem to please the Duchess he gets her what she most desired, grapes. "when it is winter with us / it is summer with /countries that lie far east, where they have fruit twice a year./ by means of a swift spirit I had these grapes/ brought as you see." (IV.vii.24-28). The grapes are not what he thinks will be his enduring memory. .
Dr. Faustus makes selling his soul seem not so bad by talking himself into believing he will actually use it for good. He tells himself he will be remembered because of the some wonderful thing he will use his power for. "be eternized for some wondrous cure" (I.i.15). "Whereby whole cities have escaped the plague" (I.i.21). Never does he mention that cure after he gets his powers.
