Dr. Faustus Essay: Free Will and Personal Responsibility

Read the following passage from Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Discuss how the passage contributes to the portrayal of Faustus as a

In the beginning of the play, Dr. Faustus dismisses his previous education as unfulfilling and makes a point to reject Divinity. This abhorrence of

Then Faustus does repent, but the devil comes and is very angry with him, and he begins to frighten Faustus for repenting to God. But Faustus begs for the devil to forgive him and promises never to call upon the Lord or look unto heaven for help. "Nor will Faustus henceforth. Pardon him for this, and Fautus vows never to look to heaven"(II, ii, 101-102). This shows Faustus' weak character, and that he is more willing to attain worldly goods in the here and now, then to attain heavenly goods in the after life.

I think that this play is an example of a damning folly. The reason behind that is that  Faustus is not a good guy. It is also a damned folly because he sold his soul to the Devil and that is not a good thing at all. I think that this play is kind of confusing as well. Faustus said that he could not take it anymore and so he decided to sell his soul to the Devil. I do not think that was good of him to do so. He also said that he would do anything to stay with the Devil. I think that he should have made a better decision when it came to his life. This play was to have specific things about certain things. I do not know what else to think about. I think that Faustus is also a romantic person. The reason behind that I because he was asking

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of a man who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The story continues in the tradition of classic Greek plays, which were based upon the Greeks’ beliefs at the time. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods decided what would ultimately happen to each and every person. Since those gods destined Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus’ life was definitely fated. However, the gods only decided where Oedipus’ life would eventually lead; they never planned the route he would take to get there. All the decisions that Oedipus made in order to fulfill his destiny, and the decisions he made after the fact, were of his own free will,

Oedipus the King, was written by Sophocles between C.A.496-406B.C. In this play, Oedipus is a great example of Sophocles’ belief that fate will control a man’s life no matter how much free will exists.

Although Faustus may not think it, he guilty of each of those sins, namely jealousy and avarice. This shows an interesting contrast between his self perceptions and reality. He takes full advantage of the power the devil brings him. Faustus has fleeting regrets about his vow to the devil, yet never serious. In his thoughts of repenting, it seems to be only for his own good rather than reaffirming his belief in God. In the end once Faustus becomes conscious that his life of power will be over and he will remain a servant to the devil for eternity, he realizes his huge mistake. When his death is inevitable he curses his choice: “Accursed Faustus, wretch, what hast thou done? I do repent, and yet I do despair. Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast. What shall I do to shun the snares of death?”

The power of acting without necessity and acting on one’s own discretions, free will still enamors debates today, as it did in the past with philosophers Nietzsche, Descartes, and Hume. There are two strong opposing views on the topic, one being determinism and the other “free will”. Determinism, or the belief a person lacks free will and all events including human actions are determined by forces outside the will of an individual contrasts the entire premise of free will. Rene Descartes formulates his philosophical work through deductive reasoning and follows his work with his system of reasoning. David Hume analyzes philosophical questions with inductive reasoning and skeptism with a strong systematic order. Neither a systematic

Pride, Covetousness, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Lechery together make up the Seven Deadly Sins, but these are all also real flaws in human nature. Pride is a sin common to all of humanity and is portrayed vividly as a character, but is also seen in Faustus’ inner being as well. Covetousness and Envy are also found in Faustus because he desires a lot that he doesn’t have. Though every sin could be found in Faustus just like they could be in any man, Lechery is made very apparent to be human nature as well. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written by Christopher Marlowe, is a tragedy in which Marlowe personifies the seven deadly sins to highlight Faustus’ flawed human nature and error of wanting to be above the level of God, and readers should take caution not to make the same mistakes as Faustus.

II. Doctor Faustus is contrived of the following: Faustus, a man well learned in medicine and other knowledge’s known to man is dissatisfied with where his life is heading so he calls upon the Lucifer and His accomplice, Mephistophilis, to teach him the ways of magic. They agree to be his tutors only if Faustus will sell his soul to Lucifer and be His after 20 years. Faustus agrees and goes through trying times where he is unsure of his decision and considers repenting but then is persuaded again and again that the magic powers of the Devil are far more

From the very beginning Faustus demonstrates his ability to understand Sidney’s “erected wit”, “If we say that we have no sin,/We deceive ourselves, and there’s no truth in us.” (Marlowe 42-3) Faustus knows that he is a sinner therefore, recognizes the virtue of truth. Yet, since he has been taught that “…the reward of sin is

In the play Doctor Faustus, the theme of good versus evil is one of the most apparent as well as one of the most important themes throughout the play. Good and evil are represented as a battle or struggle in many ways such as constantly battling over winning various individuals souls, the concept of God versus the Devil, and the idea of religion versus science. This war between good and evil creates both internal conflicts for Faustus along with the external conflict between Faustus and various characters. The struggle between good and evil is also represented in the topic of damnation with the struggle to save Faustus’s soul from hell versus fighting to ensure Faustus’s soul is condemned to hell even with the idea of predestination.

Almost every human faces temptation in everyday life. However, for Christians, acting on these temptations turns it into a sin. Doctor Faustus struggled with temptations and sin in his search for endless knowledge but safely could not implement his Christian faith to save him. Christopher Marlowe displayed Faustus’s struggles through themes such as free will and predestination. Reflecting upon the story along with these themes creates the question of whether Faustus was predestined for damnation and if there is a point of no return for him on his trip with the devil. Due to the Christian background throughout the play, Faustus is not predestined for damnation and there is not a “point of no return” because of the devils constant temptation, various signals to escape his deal, the countless chances he is given to seek redemption and the opportunity as a Christian to seek redemption.

The play is a human tragedy for not only is Faustus tragically constituted in his boundless ambitions but, at the same time, the play questions the effectiveness of the cultural aspirations that shape his ambitions. Consequently, the play provides a complex interaction between the human dimensions of the dramatic character and the ambiguities and ambivalences of the cultural situation the character is placed in.

Things aren’t always as they appear to be. This is true in John Faustus’s case in terms of his relationship with Mephistopheles and in turn the devil himself. Poor Faustus believes it is he who has called upon the demon Mephistopheles and it is his tongue that orders the servant of hell, yet he could not be any more mistaken. In reality, Faustus is the one with strings attached to him and it is Lucifer, Mephistopheles, and the Evil Angel playing the role of the puppeteer. Nevertheless, Faustus remains a student to the ideology of Christianity throughout his adventures, even amongst the bleakest of hours. God never leaves the side of John Faustus, as He relentlessly tries to bring Faustus back onto the path of righteousness.