"Look again at Faustus' opening soliloquy, from 'Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin' to 'Here tire, my brains to get a deity'. What aspects of Faustus, revealed here, are important to our understanding of him later in the play?
“Look again at Faustus’ opening soliloquy, from ‘Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin’ to ‘Here tire, my brains to get a deity’, paying special attention to what he says and how he says it. What aspects of Faustus, revealed here, are important to our understanding of him later in the play?” .From the opening soliloquy, the reader is given a great insight into how Faustus' mind works, how he uses logic and his intellect to draw up conclusions, and it is possible for one to forecast future events and occurrences involving Faustus on the basis of this initial passage.The opening two lines of his soliloquy indicate that he is often quick at making decisions. (However, later on, usually under the influence of other characters or sources, he rethinks whether his decision was the correct one to make).An example of his rush to decision is seen in the opening where Faustus initially states that he is about to "begin to sound the depth of that thou wilt profess". I believe that using the word 'wilt' may suggest that he has finalised his decision, and he is certain that he is going to take this path. However, this is not the case. Later on in the text, he may make a statement as if it has been finalised, yet go on to reconsider his actions. In the soliloquy, he initially claims that he will follow this path, then goes on to consider if it was the right choice, trying to seek guidance from great philosophers. This can be seen later in the play - for example in Act I Scene III, he states to Mephostophilis that he is willing to sell his soul, without any hint of hesitation, though two scenes later he is seen back in his study wrestling with the problem, unsure which path to take before being influenced by the Evil Angel.In lines 3-7 I believe that Faustus is demonstrating that he has succeeded in understanding all that one needs to know in the field of knowledge and philosophy. In this section he demonstrates his great knowledge to the audience by referring to respected philosophers and showing how he fully understands and appreciates them, for example stating that he (may/will) "live and die in Aristotle's works". In addition, for the first time he quotes using Latin. This will provide further evidence to the audience that he is highly intellectual - his ability later in this soliloquy to fluently switch between English and Latin and the ability to instantly think up quotes without difficulty will be seen as very impressive.Although the audience may consider that fully understanding the works of the great philosophers should be an achievement that one should be proud of, I get the impression that Faustus remains rather discontent. It is line 10 where he explicitly states that he can "read no more" as he has
achieved the 'end' target ("logic's chiefest end"). From this, one can suggest another of Faustus' characteristics that is evident later in the play - the idea that he may remain discontent even though he has achieved a great feat. In his soliloquy it seems as if having succeeded in the field of intellectual pursuit he wishes to take up a new challenge; later in the play this characteristic is greatly evident…One can speculate that he may have remained discontent until he had taken full advantage of his dark magical powers having acquired omnipotence. Having disrupted the papal gathering, he goes ...
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achieved the 'end' target ("logic's chiefest end"). From this, one can suggest another of Faustus' characteristics that is evident later in the play - the idea that he may remain discontent even though he has achieved a great feat. In his soliloquy it seems as if having succeeded in the field of intellectual pursuit he wishes to take up a new challenge; later in the play this characteristic is greatly evident…One can speculate that he may have remained discontent until he had taken full advantage of his dark magical powers having acquired omnipotence. Having disrupted the papal gathering, he goes on to humiliate Benvolio and tricks an innocent horse-courser.I believe that Line 11 may intrigue the audience as he claims that there is a subject that he considers as more appealing and significant that "fitteth Faustus' wit". One may find this hard to believe, as he speaks as if his vast knowledge is less significant than it actually is, and one may ponder over what an intelligent doctor could find more appealing than wisdom.Next, he appears to turn from thinking about philosophy to science. He refers to Galen, a famous ancient physician, and his Latin quote explicitly means that 'the doctor begins where the philosopher ends'. This may show the reader his great depth and variety of knowledge and an equal grasp of the contrasting fields as philosophy and science.From line 14, he temporarily contemplates becoming a physician, looking at the fame he could achieve from this. Looking at his potential ambition, to "heap up gold and be eternised for some wondrous cure", one could speculate that Faustus' main targets are to achieve great wealth and fame.This can be seen once he has succeeded in gaining magical power. His targets do appear to be global fame - his antics at the papal feast earned him great respect from the authorities. Also he used his magic for financial benefit - his trick on the horse-courser caused the victim to lose forty dollars, and Faustus tried to make an additional forty by falsely claiming the horse-courser had broken his leg.It is the analysis of a Latin quote that guides Faustus away from becoming a physician - he compares this quote to a previous quote on line 7, and because both quotes refer to there being an 'end', he again claims that he has "attained that end". Although members of the audience may appreciate his ability to discover a link between the two quotes, personally I believe that they relate to rather contrasting topics, and I believe that here he has simply picked up on the word "end" and used the theory that he has attained that 'end', even though the context of the two quotes is contrasting. If such a speculation is valid then making such errors could have contributed to his downfall in the final scenes of the play.In demonstrating how he has already been successful as a doctor, he reveals a fascinating and highly respectable fact - his claim that because of his work "whole cities have escaped the plague, And thousand desperate maladies been cured". This may further fascinate the audience when looking back at line 11 - there is something he may find more desirable or satisfactory than saving the lives of thousands!It is from line 25 onwards that his interest in magic is initially revealed - and now the audience may understand that acts such as necromancy could certainlyappeal to one who has achieved virtually all possible as a 'normal' human being.Having concluded that he is no longer interested in physics, but instead in necromancy, he appears to seek guidance from the codifier of Roman law, Justinian. I find it very interesting how he says "Where is Justinian?" as if he is requesting for Justinian to come to him, when really when asking for Justinian he desires useful quotes, the source being his mind!His response to the Latin principle attributed to Justinian here may certainly surprise the audience. Previously, he had taken the philosophical and science-based quotes into consideration, and one can say that by doing this he is showing respect to the contributor. However, here he rubbishes Justinian's principle as "A petty case of paltry legacies!" I believe that from this, it seems as if Faustus is only taking the famous quotes and principles into consideration if he agrees with them and they provide evidence for his argument. I believe that by doing this, Faustus may not be effectively guided by the literature at all, as he is instantly dismissive of ideas he dislikes as opposed to taking them into some degree of consideration.This is a problem that I believe is evident at a number of points in the play where the Good and Evil Angel appear, for example in Act I Scene V. When Faustus is not sure what to do, he always appears dismissive of the Good Angel and on every occasion listens to the Evil Angel. However, this could be because it is the Evil Angel who always gets the last word, and is able to 'counterbalance' what the Good Angel said before Faustus is given much time to consider what the former said.If the Evil Angel did in fact influence Faustus mainly because he was able to have the last word, then I believe that regardless of Faustus' superior intelligence, he does show some evidence of naivety and susceptibility. Evidence of susceptibility may also be seen in Act V Scene I, when he is regretful of what he has done and asks what he can do "to shun the snares of death" - though as soon as Mephostophilis confronts him, he returns to his previous ways.It appears that as Faustus thinks of more Latin quotes, he becomes more dismissive and thinks more negatively of them. When looking at another of Justinian's principles, he uses more harsh language when commenting on it, suggesting that the "study fits a mercenary drudge, Who aims at nothing but external trash". Here he appears to be claiming that wealth is 'trash' compared to spiritual well-being.Because previously Faustus may well have gained respect from the audience having described some of his feats, he may be successful in changing their attitude towards respected figures such as Justinian. However, I believe that Faustus appears to be showing more arrogance as the soliloquy progresses. Certainly one can tell already that Faustus lacks modesty.This arrogant character could be considered as rather costly later in the play. For example, I believe that his dismissive attitude to the Good Angel could be considered as having some degree of arrogance. If he had considered what this Angel said and acted upon it he may well have not suffered eternal punishment.Also, until the final scenes, he did not believe in the idea of heaven and hell, virtually dismissing Mephostophilis telling him he is suffering eternal punishment for his wrongdoings. He also fails to take Mephostophilis' advice when initially meeting him, i.e. to not go down this path of short-term joy which results in eternal torment.He continues with his negative attitude towards principles having considered that "Divinity is best", looking at a 'Romans' biblical passage. This time he does in fact agree with the principle, yet fails to show any appreciation - instead he sarcastically comments, "That's hard".So here one can consider that if Faustus continues with such an attitude (he is becoming even more arrogant as he can only see the faults in one's view, and shows no appreciation even if his view complies with theirs), he may suffer later on as a result. He only appears to learn the mistakes of such an attitude when it is too late - in his final soliloquy, when his fate has already been decided, he refers to Pythagoras' metempsychosis in what seems to be a positive light.Also, note that from his attitude here one may well discover that he does not appear to be a believer of Christian afterlife, as he does not appear to show that sin will be punishable after death, and he refers to death as "everlasting". From this, audience members may begin to raise doubts about him - even though he displays great wisdom he fails to see that sins result in punishment, something that was considered as a fact at the time the play was written in.However, in the quote from 'John I' he does appear to show some logical reasoning to why he asks "What doctrine call you this?" I consider this to be quite a contrary method of analysis to when he considered previous quotes, instantly dismissing them with and providing little explanation for doing so. This may be an example of Faustus' quickly altering attitude, showing the way in which his mind works. For example in Act II Scene I, he is initially angered at Mephostophilis, then appears to be fond of him as he gains knowledge from him, before again being angered by him after Mephostophilis refused to answer one of his questions.Although Faustus appeared to become more negative towards the Latin sayings, he appears to reach his conclusion having looked at the popular Italian saying "Che sera, sera", arguably misinterpreting the meaning behind this church doctrine.He uses the word "adieu" in saying goodbye to divinity. Notice that only a few lines before this he claimed "Divinity is best". This may also suggest how Faustus' mind works - he appears to be quick in making statements and claims as if he wholly believes in them, only to go on to quickly change his attitude.Further evidence for this theory can be seen in the play as his character appears to be contrasting at different times. He is generous to noblemen yet cruel to Benvolio and the Pope. He shows signs of courageousness at times, at other times he acts cowardly, as examples.Once he has said "adieu" to divinity, he is ready to proceed, and now explicitly reveals to the audience that it is necromantics that he most desires, as this leads to "a world of profit and delight, Of power, of honour of, omnipotence…"As he continues here, one may realise that his ambitions may be considered as slightly too optimistic, for example in lines 55-56, he has the desire to be in control of "All things that move between the quiet poles". Again, this provides further evidence for the theory that Faustus will not be content unless he is able to use his power to its full potential.One could forecast that either his plans may not go exactly as he desired, or if he is indeed successful then he will be severely punished. It is at this point that the audience will see the extent to which Faustus wishes to go - not only does he want the ability to raise the dead, but possibly to "raise the wind or rend the clouds" and be in control of the entire world. In the last lines he suggests that he wishes to have enough magic to be considered as a "demi-god" - this is a powerful term to use when nearing the end of the soliloquy as it may have shocked audience members, as it suggests that he is serious in becoming a dark magician. One may have realised (when the play was written) that because of this he is not considering the possible outcome of his wrongdoings.In general, the opening soliloquy is successful in showing that Faustus has great knowledge and wisdom, though some of his characteristics and his attitude may not be considered to all as highly favourable, and some character traits that are evident here are seen at other points in the play. Thus from the very start, Marlowe has successfully given the readers an accurate impression to what Faustus is like regarding his attitude and character.
