Without much coercion needed, the Evil Angel convinces Faustus that the wealth he can gain through his deal with the devil is worth loosing his soul. “No Faustus, think of honour and of / wealth” the Angel persuades him (1.5.22-23). Giving up one’s soul is a very large decision, yet Faustus seems to be persuaded so easily by the Evil Angel. “Faustus decides without even a consideration of the Good Angel’s alternative; there is as yet no real conflict in his mind, which is seduced by dreams of wealth and power” (Cole, 203). He is unwilling to recognize the seriousness and consequence and the penalties, which come along with the choices he makes. With the promise of vast material powers, Faustus sides with the Evil Angel and responds by saying, “Of wealth! / Why, the signiory of Emden shall be mine” (1.5.22-23).
Throughout the entire play, Faustus continually refers to himself in the third person. In the examined lines of Act 1, Scene 5, he does so four times. The first two times Faustus refers to himself in this manner are in lines one and nine. This suggests uncertainty as he mills over whether or not to turn back to God in his head. “Now, Faustus, must thou needs be damned? / And canst thou not be saved?” he questions in his soliloquy. By addressing himself in the third person, Faustus is trying to convince himself to choose a course of action. However, after the Evil Angel has easily convinced Faustus to pursue his dreams of wealth and power with Mephostophilis, his tome changes rapidly. Rather than questioning his actions, Faustus becomes very confident in his choices. He feels invisible with the devil by his side saying, “When Mephostophilis shall stand by me, / What God can hurt thee, Faustus? Thou art safe” (1.5.26-27). Here, Faustus’ tone has changed dramatically from just a few minutes earlier. Faustus addresses himself by name in order to give the impression that he is confident and totally assured in his decisions. Another reason that Faustus refers to himself by name is obsessive need to create an identity for himself. He has a great craving for wealth, power, and fame and this is all revealed the structure of his language.
In the selected passage, Faustus also repeats other words, such as the word God.
Faustus’ many references to God are important in comprehending the overall religious tone of the play. Faustus references God in line three, telling him not to think “on God or heaven” (5.1.3). In the next line Faustus attempts to use logic to understand religious truths of heaven, referring to God and heaven as “vain fancies” (5.1.4). He next declares that he will turn from God, embracing Belzebub in order to gain forbidden powers and wealth. After more internal debate, Faustus again changes what God is to him saying, “The God thou servest is thine own appetite, / Wherein is fixed the love of Belzebub” (1.5.11-12). Rather than thinking of a God in heaven, he chooses to characterize his wants and needs as his God as that is all he is concerned with. In one short passage, Faustus manages to use the word God in so many different contexts.
One of the main attributes of Faustus’ character is his use of logic to criticize religious truths, leading to his embrace of evil. This character flaw also proves ironic, as once he rejects religion, Faustus embraces the evil of Belzebub and hell, evils that only exist in the context of religion. Faustus’ logical shortcomings are emphasized by his inability to understand that if hell exists, as Mephostophilis tells him, then God’s heaven must also be attainable. If heaven is an unattainable goal, how can one define hell, as evil can only be defined in the context of good?
In conclusion, Doctor Faustus’ quest for wealth, power, and knowledge ultimately lead to his demise. He chose to ignore the advice of so many and only listen to the words of those who say what he wants to hear. The Good and Evil Angel represent the two paths of life Faustus could follow, but it is as if the Good Angel says nothing to him because that is what he hears. Alike, Faustus chooses to manipulate the idea of religion and God to conform to his own wants and needs. He picks and chooses which facts to pay attention, therefore, discrediting himself and his ideas. A man who craved prosperity and high reputation, Doctor Faustus became too greedy and let his desires blind him to obvious irrationalities leading to his downfall.