Doctor Faustus Theme of Philosophical Viewpoints: Predestination
Does man have a choice about whether or not he will reach heaven? Or is the fate of his soul decided from the get-go, with him powerless to change it? At first, it seems like Doctor Faustus is clearly in the latter camp. Our good-turned-bad doctor thinks he's damned no matter what he does. But as the play goes on, Faustus wavers, wondering if he still has time to repent, and if his sin is forgivable. The play never comes down on one or the other side of the debate, sometimes portraying Faustus's fall as his own choice, at other times letting him off the hook. In the end though, it just might be a little bit of both. Faustus's fall has been caused by his choice to believe that he's damned. That causes him to refuse to repent, and refusing to repent is the one sin that's truly unforgivable.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Religion
At the beginning of Doctor Faustus, the not-so-good doctor thinks the study of religion is a plain old waste of time. But we're betting that by the end of it, he'll be singing a different tune altogether. See, through all his conjuring exploits and exotic travels, Faustus just can't escape the subject of religion. He finds himself questioning the nature of hell and salvation, and even winds up smack dab in the middle of the papal court, where he does his fair share of mocking the Catholic church. Yet while religion follows him, step-by-step on his slow journey to eternal damnation, we can't help but think that Faustus never really gets just how important religion really is in his life, or the role it will eventually play in the fate of his soul.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Sin
Just as Faustus refuses to take religious issues seriously, he laughs at the parade of the Seven Deadly Sins in Act 2, Scene 3 of Doctor Faustus. But really, buddy, they're no laughing matter, which becomes all the more clear when the Sins start to tell Dr. F a bit more about themselves. This parade of sins should be a warning to Faustus to repent, but he has already decided he'd rather serve the devil than God, all so he can grab himself some wealth and power before his soul hits the road.
Doctor Faustus Theme of The Supernatural
Faustus hands over his soul for the ability to perform magic. Although he imagines using magic to make himself as powerful as a god and as wealthy as a king, when it comes right down to it Faustus's magic often amounts to little more than fancy tricks. He uses it to make the images of dead people appear in order to amuse himself and his friends, or to humiliate people, including peasants who have done nothing to harm him. And the townsfolk who use magic do silly things like steal dishes and bogart some booze. In the end, magic in Doctor Faustus, however incredible, appears to be no more useful than the man who wields it.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Wisdom and Knowledge
At the beginning of Doctor Faustus, Faustus takes a closer look at the collected wisdom of centuries of scholarship and has only this to say: codswallop! Instead, he turns to magic not only for the power and wealth it can bring him, but also because of the forbidden knowledge it promises to reveal to him. In the end, Faustus doesn't care about the knowledge itself—just what it can do for him, and that kind of thinking is exactly what winds him up in a pact with Lucifer. So while Faustus may be knowledgeable, the play suggests, he's certainly not wise.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Cunning and Cleverness
Despite being a skilled scholar, rocking debates with his buds, and having some serious chops in the medicine world, Faustus really wants to be known as a cunning magician. Yep, a magician. Hey, who are we to judge his dream? And lo and behold, when he gets that moto working, he becomes powerful, rich, and famous right quick. Yet the ability of simple peasants like Robin and Dick to read and practice from Faustus's magic books suggests that Faustus's skills might not be as rare and special as he likes to think. After his death, Faustus is remembered by the Scholars not for his magical powers and clever tricks, but for the very scholarly learning he rejected as unworthy of him at the beginning of Doctor Faustus.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Wealth
As Faustus does the whole should-he-or-shouldn't-he-deal-with-the-devil calculation (here's an idea, Faustus: you shouldn't), the wealth that such a deal can bring him factors considerably into his fuzzy math. He knows that, with Mephistopheles's help, he can get his grubby hands on the treasures of exotic places like India, Asia, and the Americas. Plus, he could use his considerable power to cheat peasants out of their money and possessions. Beyond demonstrating the cravenness of his character, Faustus's desire for wealth and his willingness to sell his soul to the devil shows us that in Doctor Faustus wealth and salvation don't exactly go hand in hand.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Power
A big motivator for Faustus's handing his soul over to the devil is his that he's jonesing for some power, big time. But here's the rub: in order to gain that power, Faustus has to give it all away—to Lucifer. Ultimately, the power Faustus dreams of could never be his. The power to rule not just men but all of creation belongs only to God in the world of Doctor Faustus. But the not-so-good doctor is not the only one in the play who has such high ambitions. Pope Adrian, too, uses his power to make all the world "stoop" (3.1.158). And we know that Lucifer fell from heaven because of his lust for power. So the Pope and Faustus are probably destined to wind up right where Lucifer is—in hell.
Does man have a choice about whether or not he will reach heaven? Or is the fate of his soul decided from the get-go, with him powerless to change it? At first, it seems like Doctor Faustus is clearly in the latter camp. Our good-turned-bad doctor thinks he's damned no matter what he does. But as the play goes on, Faustus wavers, wondering if he still has time to repent, and if his sin is forgivable. The play never comes down on one or the other side of the debate, sometimes portraying Faustus's fall as his own choice, at other times letting him off the hook. In the end though, it just might be a little bit of both. Faustus's fall has been caused by his choice to believe that he's damned. That causes him to refuse to repent, and refusing to repent is the one sin that's truly unforgivable.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Religion
At the beginning of Doctor Faustus, the not-so-good doctor thinks the study of religion is a plain old waste of time. But we're betting that by the end of it, he'll be singing a different tune altogether. See, through all his conjuring exploits and exotic travels, Faustus just can't escape the subject of religion. He finds himself questioning the nature of hell and salvation, and even winds up smack dab in the middle of the papal court, where he does his fair share of mocking the Catholic church. Yet while religion follows him, step-by-step on his slow journey to eternal damnation, we can't help but think that Faustus never really gets just how important religion really is in his life, or the role it will eventually play in the fate of his soul.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Sin
Just as Faustus refuses to take religious issues seriously, he laughs at the parade of the Seven Deadly Sins in Act 2, Scene 3 of Doctor Faustus. But really, buddy, they're no laughing matter, which becomes all the more clear when the Sins start to tell Dr. F a bit more about themselves. This parade of sins should be a warning to Faustus to repent, but he has already decided he'd rather serve the devil than God, all so he can grab himself some wealth and power before his soul hits the road.
Doctor Faustus Theme of The Supernatural
Faustus hands over his soul for the ability to perform magic. Although he imagines using magic to make himself as powerful as a god and as wealthy as a king, when it comes right down to it Faustus's magic often amounts to little more than fancy tricks. He uses it to make the images of dead people appear in order to amuse himself and his friends, or to humiliate people, including peasants who have done nothing to harm him. And the townsfolk who use magic do silly things like steal dishes and bogart some booze. In the end, magic in Doctor Faustus, however incredible, appears to be no more useful than the man who wields it.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Wisdom and Knowledge
At the beginning of Doctor Faustus, Faustus takes a closer look at the collected wisdom of centuries of scholarship and has only this to say: codswallop! Instead, he turns to magic not only for the power and wealth it can bring him, but also because of the forbidden knowledge it promises to reveal to him. In the end, Faustus doesn't care about the knowledge itself—just what it can do for him, and that kind of thinking is exactly what winds him up in a pact with Lucifer. So while Faustus may be knowledgeable, the play suggests, he's certainly not wise.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Cunning and Cleverness
Despite being a skilled scholar, rocking debates with his buds, and having some serious chops in the medicine world, Faustus really wants to be known as a cunning magician. Yep, a magician. Hey, who are we to judge his dream? And lo and behold, when he gets that moto working, he becomes powerful, rich, and famous right quick. Yet the ability of simple peasants like Robin and Dick to read and practice from Faustus's magic books suggests that Faustus's skills might not be as rare and special as he likes to think. After his death, Faustus is remembered by the Scholars not for his magical powers and clever tricks, but for the very scholarly learning he rejected as unworthy of him at the beginning of Doctor Faustus.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Wealth
As Faustus does the whole should-he-or-shouldn't-he-deal-with-the-devil calculation (here's an idea, Faustus: you shouldn't), the wealth that such a deal can bring him factors considerably into his fuzzy math. He knows that, with Mephistopheles's help, he can get his grubby hands on the treasures of exotic places like India, Asia, and the Americas. Plus, he could use his considerable power to cheat peasants out of their money and possessions. Beyond demonstrating the cravenness of his character, Faustus's desire for wealth and his willingness to sell his soul to the devil shows us that in Doctor Faustus wealth and salvation don't exactly go hand in hand.
Doctor Faustus Theme of Power
A big motivator for Faustus's handing his soul over to the devil is his that he's jonesing for some power, big time. But here's the rub: in order to gain that power, Faustus has to give it all away—to Lucifer. Ultimately, the power Faustus dreams of could never be his. The power to rule not just men but all of creation belongs only to God in the world of Doctor Faustus. But the not-so-good doctor is not the only one in the play who has such high ambitions. Pope Adrian, too, uses his power to make all the world "stoop" (3.1.158). And we know that Lucifer fell from heaven because of his lust for power. So the Pope and Faustus are probably destined to wind up right where Lucifer is—in hell.
No comments:
Post a Comment