Deluded Pursuit in Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus :: Doctor Faustus Essays

Deluded Pursuit in Christopher Marlowes Doctor FaustusAlthough Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus has outclassed every one at Wittenberg with his academic studies, he is still but Faustus, a man. Proud of his accomplishments, he desires to become a superman. His judgment clouded by the sin of his pride, he misunderstands his knowledge and dismisses the disciplines of medicine, philosophy, law, and divinity. He lusts for Gods electrical capacity to make men live eternally or being dead raise them to life again, believing the devils arts of magic and necromancy can give the power, honour, omnipotence and, most importantly, the wealth he craves. His deluded pursuit of the immediate pleasures such wealth can yield brings upon himself the risk of eternal damnation. By conjuring the devil, Faustus removes himself from the influence of the holy place Ghost and Gods love, instigating attacks of despair, and internal conflicts as personified by the Good and Bad Angels. Faustus hunger for immediate gratification suggests immense self-torment and self-denial. Weighing his options at each clamant of time, he maximizes his pleasure and minimizes his pain, apparently discounting the implications of his decisions on his prospects and happiness in the future. Rebelling against God, he invites the devils temptations, hoping to obtain an offer like Satans to Jesus in the desert wilderness. One understands why Satan imputes an infinite value to Christs soul. However, why does Faustus soul warrant twenty-four years of service by Mephostophilis? Faustus, too, is a superior being. He consciously removes the braces of academia, and exerts his free will. After freely entering into his contract with Lucifer, he repeatedly considers repenting. When he calls on Christ to help save distressed Faustus soul, the evil ternary of Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephostophilis appear, possibly to tear him to pieces. Under duress, he vows, never to name God or pray to him. However, with only one- half hour left on earth, he calls on God. Faustus, forever the horse trader, tries to strike a deal with God. He asks God, for Christs sake and blood, to limit his time in hell from a thousand to a hundred thousand years.