Jun 07 2008
Repentance.
It is a fact that humans are fallible. Humans destroy, hurt their own kind, make mistakes at the very worst moment, and then refuse to admit them. No piece of literature depicts this better than The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. This play written by the playwright Christopher Marlowe follows the protagonist, Faustus, and his descent into dark magic. He is a man hungry for knowledge and ultimate power – and will give anything to reach these ends. He pays the ultimate price for this, his soul. After signing away this most precious asset to Lucifer the thoughts of repentance are sowed and continue to grow throughout the play, climaxing moments before his death. Marlowe, through the array of characters and human doubt paraded in front of Faustus, paints the thought of repentance as a possibility. But, because of Faustus’ nature this would never have occurred. His soul is damned the moment Mephistopheles is summoned. This is because of Faustus’ greed and pride, and as the Evil Angel prophetically utters, “but Faustus never shall repent.”
Perhaps Doctor Faustus’ greatest flaw is his greed. At the beginning of the play, Doctor Faustus is an accomplished physician and scholar. He was knowledgeable and looked to for his wisdom, with prominent placing society and admiring apprentices. And yet he was dissatisfied with his position, stating that with all his knowledge and studying, he was yet to be anything but Faustus. Many persons would be very happy with this success in life – stability, admirers, a plethora of mental wealth. But, Faustus needed more. What he desperately wanted was to surpass human ability, and be vaulted into the history books by his ‘godliness’. This theme of wanting to be as powerful as God persists through the play. This leads him to denounce God, and turn to Lucifer for god-like powers. He acquires these powers not to do good, or to build an empire, etc. He gathers this power like a collector – he wants it simply to have. This, by textbook definition, is greed. Dictionary.com Unabridged states it as a “excessive or rapacious desire” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/greed). Another definition explains it as “[an] excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/greed).
An example of his greed, and not want to build, is what he uses this power for. Firstly, Faustus, at the beginning of his bargain, states a long list of wants.
“I’ll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,
And search all corners of the new-found world
For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy,
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;
I’ll have them wall all Germany with brass,”
Later, Faustus essentially uses his power to play pranks on those that previously were higher in status (or not) than him. This includes (in order of importance to the Medieval public): the Pope, an Emperor, a knight, and a horse-courser. This sort of action might be justified in a man of much lower intelligence than Faust. If this was the case, one might rationalize it by saying that he might not have been able to conceive of a better way of using the magic. Faustus’ intelligence has been proven to not be that shallow – he is perfectly capable of planning an endeavour more worthy then summoning a dragon-chariot to ride him to Rome so he might box the Pope on the ear. Therefore, one must assume that his lust for power is simply greed – he has so much power, much more than what he needs, so that he may frivolously spend it in any creative and ludicrous way he wishes.
Another reason why repentance was impossible in Faustus’ case was his pride. Pride is defined as : “the trait of being spurred on by a dislike of falling below your standards” (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pride) or “unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem” (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pride). If Faustus had an adequate self-esteem, he would have strove for his very best. While confidence in self is an admirable trait, Doctor Faustus’ confidence is overblown, which is what transforms it into pride. He believes he can conquer all with his dark magic.
If Faustus had been a humble man would not even think of comparing himself to a god. Doctor Faustus, before embarking on his journey into magic. But, he is not a humble man, which is evident through his saying: ”[a] sound magician is a mighty god:
Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity”. Faustus never renounces the existence of God, and in fact attempts to trick Mephistopheles into confirming his existence. This is why Faustus’ belief and aim to be a god is even more important. His pride now places him above religious subservience, which would have been fundamental in all other religious persons. Quite the opposite to this, Faustus believes himself to be equal to any god.
Despite all this, one might have been able to repent and clear their conscience. Faustus was not able to do this. The guidelines for repentence are: ”an admission of guilt, and also includes at least one of: a solemn promise or resolve not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong where possible” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance). After one has repented, one is offered salvation. In Faustus’ case, if he had accepted one of the many offers to repent, he may have been able to circumvent the firey depths of hell for all of eternity. He simply needed to step down from his self-imposed pedestal. His foot may have quivered, but his pride and greed kept the remaining foot firmly planted.
It is not always evident how deep-seated Faustus’ greed and pride is. Sometimes, though, it shines forth quite glaringly. For example,
“GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, think of heaven and heavenly things.
EVIL ANGEL. No, Faustus; think of honour and of wealth.
[Exeunt ANGELS.]
FAUSTUS. Of wealth!
Why, the signiory of Embden shall be mine.
When Mephistophilis shall stand by me,
What god can hurt thee, Faustus? thou art safe
Cast no more doubts.– ” is proclaimed by Faustus during a debate with the Good and Evil Angel. Faustus promptly switches tact at the mere mention of wealth. This quote exemplifies his greed and pride perfectly. One, he wants the signiory of Embden, which is an extensive stretch land or estate. This relates to his greed. Two, he believes he is invincible and that no god may touch him. This relates to his astronomical pride. These two sins combined, ensure that he is unable to repent. This is because together and to this extent they blind Faustus to any reason. What he so desperately wants – power, status – is forever out of his grasp, because while he may be able to have his laugh at someone as high as the Pope, he is a grovelling slave to his wants, and ultimately Lucifer.
Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a prime example of the implications of greed and pride. Both, if left unchecked, consume a person until their only option is to cater to their flaws, as Faustus is made to throughout the play. Nevertheless, he expresses a wish throughout the play to repent his sins. Is this an act of self preservation, or a true cry for forgiveness? As the reality of hell and pain grows closer, Faustus more ardently wants to give up dark magic so he may escape eternal torment. He does not want to repent because he sees the error of his ways. Sadly, for the old man and those who wish to see him show a flicker of apology, this is why it would be impossible for Faustus to repent after signing his contract. He is, because of his all-consuming greed and pride, morally unequipped.
