Discuss the character of Dr. Faustus.

 From the very beginning it’s foreshadowed that Faustus is doomed for a tragic end: illustrated vividly in the allusion to the story of Icarus the Chorus discusses in the opening of the play. After Faustus becomes skilled in the dark arts, he summons the devil Mephist, and shortly afterwards, renounces his trust and allegiance to God completely. Faustus’s foray into the dark arts is the beginning of the fall for his character, but it’s ultimately his flaws that lead to this eventual tragedy. Throughout the story Faustus struggles profoundly with his faith and what he should believe in. He’s drawn to the dark arts and the powers and prestige it gives him, but at the same time he realizes that he’s ultimately living a life completely devoid of God. This struggle is further symbolized through the good angel and evil angel that give him advice many times throughout the story. As the good angel tells him, he can repent at any time and God will forgive him of his sins, saving him from the state and dammed fate he currently is in. However, through what appears to be lack of inner strength, he always denies this choice, thinking he has given himself up to a life of damnation and there’s no going back. There’s a great struggle throughout the play on Faustus s part, as he finds he can never give up this power that he gains from magic completely. Faustus displays this inner struggle the few times he’s on the verge of repenting, in an effort begin life again in God’s presence. However, each time something tempts him and leads him astray: whether it be threats by Mephist or the enticement of the deadly sins from Lucifer himself. Therefore, this inner struggle of faith and lack of strength is one the key flaws in leading to his fall as a character.

Dr. Faustus is described as being an incredibly wise man of stature that has risen to great heights in life. The Chorus reveals at the opening of the play that Faustus came from a family that was at the bottom of society, yet he has risen up to a high, and respected, position: “Now is he born of parents base of stock”.

Faustus is further described as being a brilliant scholar who is well renowned among others of his kind, and is a true Renaissance man. At the beginning of the play, it’s clear that Faustus could be a master of many professions if he so desired to in life. However, what Faustus wants is something greater: true power and abilities that are beyond the limits of what a normal man can achieve. Faustus in a long soliloquy discusses these high ambitions and dreams he has- of obtaining riches, becoming infinitely knowledgeable and wise, and to even reshape the entire continent of Europe. His ambitions appear initially overly prideful, but, they are also shown as very grand and ambitious in scope. Therefore, these ambitions illustrate Faustus as someone who is heroic and admirable in character. The fact that Faustus decides to take part in the dark arts, is also, something to respect, as the prospect of pushing the limits of what humans can achieve is a quite brave and audacious concept. Faustus could have become an expert among many highly respected professions, but instead, he decides to become involved in ‘magic’, taking a road less travelled that proves to be both a dangerous and a risky venture for his character, the man, who does not know what is good and what is bad. When the Good Angle and the Evil Angel appear and speak of both the negative positive aspects, the man Faustus prefers the Evil Angel and he cannot come out of the trap.

The scholar Faustus, however, tell him there is a positive aspect also. The Angels can also be interpreted as one Dr. Faustus the scholar and Faustus the man.

When we first meet Faustus, he is a man who is dissatisfied with his studies in dialectics, law, medicine, and divinity. Even though he is the most brilliant scholar in the world, his studies have not brought him satisfaction, and he is depressed about the limitations of human knowledge. In order to satisfy his thirst for greater knowledge, he decides to experiment in necromancy. He wants to transcend the bonds of normal human life and discover the heights beyond. One might say that he wants to have Godlike qualities.

Faustus is willing to sell his soul to the devil under the terms of a contract by which he will receive twenty-four years of service from Mephistophilis and, at the end of this time, will relinquish his soul to Lucifer. At first he is potentially a great man who desires to perform beneficial acts for humanity, but as a result of his willingness to exchange his soul for a few years of pleasure, he begins to sink toward destruction. He allows his powers to be reduced to performing nonsensical tricks and to satisfying his physical appetites.

At various times throughout the drama, Faustus does stop and consider his dilemma and comes to the verge of repentance. He often thinks about repentance, but he consciously remains aligned with Mephistophilis and Lucifer, and never takes the first steps to obtain forgiveness. By the end of the drama, when he is waiting for his damnation, he rationalizes his refusal to mainto God.Online Study and E- Learning Throughout the drama, internal and external forces suggest that Faustus could have turned to God and could have been forgiven. Ja the final scene, the scholars want Faustus to make an attempt to seek the forgiveness of God, but Faustus rationalizes that he has lived against the dictates of God, and he makes no effort to invoke God’s forgiveness until the appearance of the devils. By then, he can only scream out in agony and horror at his final fate.

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