Characteristic of Dr. Faustus Character

Dr. Faustus Character

Dr. Faustus Marlowe's tragic protagonist is a medieval scholar embodying renaissance. Passion for supreme power. Knowledge is power. Faustus is a wretched creature. He gives “ he for lower values gives up higher values.” The play is the tragedy of the scholar who misdirects great gifts of minor and spirits and progressively loses his soul by disintegration. The renaissance superman dr. Faustus is ultimately subjected to perpetual damnation. Here dr. Faustus is a magician who strongly aspires for great power his ambition is to be the emperor of the world.

 

Faustus is master of many branches of knowledge yet he feels. “ yet art thou still but Faustus and a man”, from the beginning of the play he is divides into himself. There is a war within him. He waves between good and bad between god and devil. Faustus own thoughts are objectified by the symbols of a good angel and an evil angel. In the beginning, a good angel appears and advises Faustus to give up the damned art of necromancy and think of heaven and heavenly things. But the evil angel asks him to think of honor and omnipotence. And Faustus is so read in him that he even neglect the supremacy of God and says, “ there is a chief but Beelzebub “. He signs a contract with Mephistopheles that he shall give his soul to Lucifer.

 Despairing is a sin in Christianity and Marlowe shows that Faustus new become despair. He says, ‘ my heart so surfaces. I cannot repent hell.’ Means one’s separation from god and by choosing devil. Faustus became separate from God. He thinks of killing himself and poison guns are the symbols of destruction. At this moment mephistophilis brings Lucifer and Beelzebub to reconcile Faustus to his damnation and in order to soothe and restless sow, they bring seven deadly sins. Throughout the play, the seven deadly sins remaind Faustus to his own sins of dust pride etc.

Being perpetually haunted by the fear of damnation he goes on committing sin after si only to hasten to his tragic fate. Faustus then asks mephistophilis to conjure forth Helen with whom he commits the sin of demonically. It is Faustus union with Helen that upsets the nice balance between possible salutation and imminent damnation.

When the period is about to be completed. Faustus is faced with his final tragic hours. Once again inner conflict builds up within his mind. At this moment oldman appears and persuades Faustus not to lose “faith” and “ call for mercy “ and avoid despair. As soon as the Oldman leaves him Faustus in despair cries out.

“features Faustus where is mercy now?

I do repent and yet I do despair. “

When the final hour of his damnation comes Faustus is so depressed that he cries out :

“ stand still you ever-moving spheres of heaven. The time may cease and midnight never comes. That Faustus may repent and save his soul. “

In the heart of anguish he sees the chrits blood streaming in the firmament :

“ see christ’s blood streaming in firmament one drop would save half a drop.

Then his heart is rent by the devil for very naming of Christ. He appeals to the hills to him. To the mountains to fall on his. To earth to harbor him. But there is no more salutation for him only damnation.    

Faustus is the tremendous figure of a terrible tragic statue as delineates by Marlowe. The well-versed scholar rises to an ally of lucifer and the enemy of god. Insatiable hunger for knowledge and power that knowledge gives is the dominant passion of Faustus.  He weaves the threats of his tragedy with his own hands, signs his own death warrant he himself is the battlefield for one of the greatest  mental conflict of man. Faustus creates in us the feelings of loss and sense of waste.

To sum up our discussion we may quote D.m.Berington who says, “ Dr, Faustus is any case marlowe’s masterpiece in moral tradition “. There is both spiritual conflict and a sermon in Dr. Faustus, “ Dr. Faustus” is a great masterpiece of Marlowe.