Faustus Essay - 2501 Words

â€Å"Out of ancient myth of the magician who sells his soul to the Devil for occult powers, Marlowe has fashioned a veritable fable of Renaissance man† (Source 5 113). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The goal of any true renaissance man is to improve himself. This goal may border on heresy, as it leads to a man trying to occupy the same position as God. Lucifer commits this same basic sin to cause his own fall. To Doctor Faustus, this idea of sin is of no concern at the beginning of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Faustus’ goal is to become god-like himself. In order to accomplish this, he learns of science and shows an interest in magic. He turns to the pleasures of magic and art and the poewr of scientific knowledge as substitutes for†¦show more content†¦That’s hard. /†¦/If we say that we have no sin / We decieve ourselves, and there’s no truth in us. / Why then belike / We must sin and so consequently die, Ay, we must die an everlasting death/†¦/†¦Divinity, adieu!† (Marlowe 15). Having denied God completely leaves Faustus completely desolated from society, In acceptance of Mephistophilis, Faustus completely denies society and all that has been handed to him by science and learning. â€Å"Marlowe shows that one who rejects his intellectual, social, and spiritual inheritance experiences pain of personal isolation, anxiety, dread, and meaninglessness† (source 5 150). Finally, Faustus turns to magic as his method to improve himself infinitely. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Faustus’ decision to become a magician marks the fatal culmination of his attempt to improve himself infinitely. At this point, Faustus notes, â€Å" A sound magician is a mighty god / Here, Faustus, try thy brains to gain a deity â€Å" (Marlowe 15). This marks the crossover from attempting to improve himself as a mortal and attempting to become immortal. He believes that magic is his only feasable option to become immortal. â€Å"He dismisses divinity because it seems to invite a hateful determinism which denies the real freedom to ‘settle’, ‘begin’, and ‘ be’†(source 10 158). Faustus’ deal with Lucfier ultimately commits Faustus to this belief. By making a deal withShow MoreRelated Dr. Faustus Essay: Faustus Changing Relationship with the Audience1521 Words   |  7 PagesDoctor Faustus Changing Relationship with the Audience Any good drama will have interesting and multi-faceted characters; some go a step further by developing some of those characters throughout the story, using the events of the plot to change them in various ways. The audience (in the case of a play) follows the characters throughout, watching as they move away from their originally crafted personalities and become something different. 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He is a Renaissance man who is versed in every aspect of science, philosophy, the arts, education, and genius, yet, he utilizes his energy and wit into absolutely nonsense and unnecessary goals, such as his obsession to be a magician, and his ridiculous fixation for power: