Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus Essay - 1950 Words

In Dr. Faustus, Christopher Marlowe demonstrates how temptation can drag us down into a world of darkness and consequence. He creates a tragic epic based off of a legend in Western culture. He uses allegorical characters to create a morality play and present moral lessons to his audiences, typically of Christian nature. The story of Faustus is based on an actual magician in the fifteenth century who lived in an area of northern Germany. In the play, the common scholarly forms of authority did not please Dr. Faustus. He believed he was too superior to remain in this realm of knowledge and wanted to reach much further than what he was already exposed to. Due to the strong desire to escape humanity and enter a world far beyond reality,†¦show more content†¦Ay, we must die an everlasting death. What doctrine call you this? Che sarà  , sarà  : What will be, shall be! Divinity, adieu! These metaphysics of magicians, and necromantic books are heavenly! (Marlowe 1:40-50) While Dr. Faustus is reading he comes to the conclusion that Christianity can only promise death. However, due to his blindness of temptation he fails to read the next lines of the Bible. He ignores a passage that speaks about the possibility of redemption. Therefore, he ignores the possibility throughout the rest of the play, especially when spoken to by the good angel. The desire to become powerful is burning in his eyes and causes him to have blind spots. He can no longer see the hopeful outcomes that can arise in his current situation. When he turns his back on heaven he believes that black magic is now the heavenly source and religion is the source of â€Å"everlasting death.† Dr. Faustus craves to practice necromancy as soon as possible, not thinking about the consequences that may follow. When his friends, Valdes and Cornelius come to visit him, he is speaking strongly about his yearning and says, â€Å"Tis the magic, magic that hath ravished me† (Marlowe 1:112). In response, they warn him about what he is about to get himself in to. Cornelius says, â€Å"The miracles that magic will perform will make thee vow to study nothing else† (Marlowe 1:136-137). Without hesitation, blinded by his dark desires, Dr. Faustus fullyShow MoreRelated Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus - The Folly of Dr. Faustus623 Words   |  3 PagesChristopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus - The Folly of Dr. Faustus Christopher Marlowes tragedy of Dr. Faustus envelops a realm of theological issues around one mans quest for knowledge. Feeling a university education to be inadequate for his purposes, Faustus makes the ultimate sacrifice possible to quench his thirst for otherworldly wisdom. Yet even though he gains amazing powers and a broad reputation as a man in the know, his quest is incomplete. 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