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Dr Faustus


            Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tells a tale of a discontented scholar with an unappeasable craving for knowledge. Faustus personifies the renaissance aspiration for unsurpassable knowledge, yet he is fuelled by greed and the want for ultimate control. Faustus" renaissance ideals conflict with previously held medieval beliefs of that era. Faustus in pursuit of his goal, "over-reaches," disregarding Christianity, he sells his soul to the devil and ultimately meets a horrific death. Marlowe has crafted his play to embody deliberate contradictions, ambiguity and conflict to evoke thought, not just in Faustus, but also in his audience. This is especially prominent in the final scenes of the play, with the reappearance of the angels, Faustus" final soliloquy and his eternal damnation. It is possible to argue that Faustus is a renaissance hero because he rebelled against the "normal", being, medieval ideals. Faustus tried to prove that he could rise above societies limitations and failed, not because he tried to expand his own horizons, but because he did not repent.
             The final scenes of Dr Faustus are incredibly dramatic. The play's main themes become even more apparent, the conflict between good and evil in the world, and especially in the human soul (Faustus). Pending finality is felt by the reader, as it is sensed that time is running out.
             This episode opens with the angels, "good" and "bad" visiting Faustus for what is to be the last time. Faustus has previously ignored the "good" angels" advice and now he is shown what he could have had if he had listened and repented. The throne that is lowered down from the "heavens" represents this .The good angel leaves before Faustus is shown hell. The bad angel shows Faustus hell" (and now must taste hell's pains perpetually.") And what tortures await him. The language that the bad angel uses to describe hell is quite horrendous. The angels are symbolic for the internal moral battle that Faustus endures, or his divided will.


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