Marlowes Doctor Faustus Essays -- Marlowe Doctor Faustus Essays

Marlowes Doctor FaustusIn Faustus first speech in Act 1, my main feeling towards Faustus was non sympathy unless irritation. I became aware of Faustus arrogance andhis impatience with ordinary learning, particularly with his referralto law as a petty case of paltry legacies. He also constantly refersto himself as Faustus, reminding himself of his own importance.Other aspects of Faustus character are revealed in the descriptivelanguage he uses. He is ravishd by magic, and is glutted withlearning. These adjectives show a truly sensual personality.The candid and bad angels represent the two different sides of hispersonality, one side urging him to sell his soul for magic and theother urging him to remember that heaven is his chiefest bliss.Faustus seems to be a very worldly character in his first speech butwhen he speaks of what he will do with his heavenly powers, they arevery pocketable goals. Faustus shows his true colours as a student when hetells Cornelius and Valdes that he wi ll fill the public schools withsilk and make the Rhine circle fair Wittenberg. These aims show hisloyalty to his alkali and to his students. In the first scene, the mainthing I notice about Faustus is his navety. He does not realise thehorrors of hell, partly through his determination not to believe init, and partly through Cornelius and Valdes influence, as they givehim the magic books with no warning as to their power.After Faustus summons Mephostophilis, he seems to quite light-mindedtowards holy things, and even orders the devils to change. He tellsMephostophilis to return and old Franciscan friar, that holy shapebecomes a devil best. The first thing Faustus does when he summonsMephost... ...s ironic as she is conjured, and a devil. Faustus pleadingbecomes increasingly desperate and he says he would give up everythingfor being saved. Even that I had never seen Wittenberg, never readbook. His very last offer to Lucifer is I will burn my books Thisshows his desperation as this would be the ultimate sacrifice forFaustus, the ultimate scholar.Throughout the play, my sympathy for Faustus varies in intensity. Ifeel most sympathy in the final scene, when he wishes to repent, butcannot. However, it is difficult to conjure up much sympathy forFaustus as he brought his destiny on himself. He had opportunities toredeem himself and rejected them time and time again. He cannot beclassed as a tragic hero as he has also many faults. Faustus isarrogant, vain, materialistic, and nave. All these characteristicseventually lead to his downfall.