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 of shall be mine.
When Mephistophilis shall stand by me,
What god can hurt thee? Faustus, thou art safe:
Cast no more doubts. Come, Mephistophilis,
And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer; (Marlow 1.5 ln.16-30).
Faustus’s hubris overwhelms him and he decides to continue practicing magic. He believes his wealth from the devil is more important than asking for forgiveness and living a free after-life. His pride causes him to choose wealth over freedom because that gives him more power. Yet, in the end, power will not save his soul but instead, destroys it.
Faustus’s flaw, hubris, is also portrayed when he uses magic for trickery rather than knowledge. Faustus uses his powers to travel around the world and insists on invading the Pope’s chamber to play a practical joke. He taunts the Pope and friars by intercepting plates of food and punishing them for crossing themselves. Faustus’s hubris is blatantly illustrated while gleefully laughing with Mephistophilis. The friars enter to sing the Dirge:
FAUSTUS. What, are you crossing of yourself?
Well, use that trick no more I would advise you.
[The POPE crosses himself again.]
Well, there's the second time. Aware the third,
I give you fair warning.
[The POPE crosses himself again, and FAUSTUS hits him a box of the ear; and they all run away.]
Come on, Mephistophilis, what shall we do?
MEPHIST. Nay, I know not. We shall be cursed with bell,
book, and candle.
FAUSTUS. How! bell, book, and candle,—candle, book,
and bell,
Forward and backward to curse Faustus to hell!
Anon you shall hear a hog grunt, a calf bleat, an
ass bray,
Because it is Saint Peter's holiday.
Re-enter the Friars to sing the Dirge.
FIRST FRIAR. Come, brethren, let's about our business
with good devotion.
They sing…
[MEPHISTOPHILIS and FAUSTUS beat the Friars, and fling fireworks among them: and so exeunt.] (Marlow 3.3 ln. 80-105).
This scene shows that Faustus has complete disregard for Catholicism and the religious establishment. Faustus’s pride causes him to use magic for his own entertainment. He is no longer using it to fulfill his curiosity or to expand his knowledge. The hubris triggers Faustus to go into a “downward spiral” to his own destruction.
By the last act, Faustus’s hubris completely overpowers him and he himself commits devilish acts. The job of the devil is to torment and harass the people who are not devoted to the devil. Faustus imitates this harassment when the knight doubts his abilities to perform magic. By doubting Faustus, the knight shows his disbelief in the devil as well. While Faustus conjures the spirit of Alexander the Great for the Emperor, the knight is uncertain of his power:
FAUSTUS. My gracious lord, I am ready to accomplish
your request so far forth as by art, and power of my
Spirit, I am able to perform.
KNIGHT. I'faith that's just nothing at all.
[Aside.] …
KNIGHT. Thou damned wretch and dog,
Bred in the of some monstrous rock,
How darest thou thus abuse a gentleman?
Villain, I say, undo what thou hast done!
FAUSTUS. O, not so fast, sir; there's no haste; but, good,
are you remembered how you crossed me in my con-
ference with the Emperor? I think I have met with you
for it.
EMPEROR. Good Master Doctor, at my release
him: he hath done sufficient.
FAUSTUS. My gracious lord, not so much for the injury
he offered me here in your presence, as to delight you
with some hath Faustus worthily this
knight: which being all I desire, I am content
to release him of his horns: and, sir knight, hereafter
speak well of scholars. Mephistophilis, transform him
straight. [MEPHISTOPHILIS removes the horns.] Now,
my good lord, having done my duty, I humbly take my
leave (Marlow 4.3 ln. 83-100).
Faustus’s confrontation with the knight shows the pettiness of his arrogance. Faustus’s pride forced him to act devilish. The knight did not believe in Faustus’s abilities and therefore did not believe in the devil. Faustus punishes and torments the knight by putting horns on his head. Faustus even reprimands the knight’s behavior and warns him to respect himself and consequently the devil.
Portrayed by the character of Faustus, hubris causes his damnation. His pride in his abilities to perform magic leads Faustus on a slow decent toward hell. When Faustus changes and uses magic for trickery and evil, he is responsible for his own destruction. He is too fascinated with the power, wealth, and entertainment magic gives him. He dismisses the idea of salvation because it is pales in comparison to the fortune he has with the devil. Only when it is too late, does he realize that he has caused his own demise and now must live with the consequences.
Work Cited
Marlow, Christopher. Faustus. New York: Prestwick House Inc, 2007.
Metacognitive Paper
After receiving my previous essay back, I reviewed your comments to find patterns of errors that will help me improve. I noticed that you wrote that I drifted away from the topic and into summary; so when writing and editing, I kept that in mind. Because of the limited time in class, I rushed through to make sure I finished and completed it. I looked back at the in-class essay and realized that I needed to clean the whole essay up. I kept the same idea and thesis however after thinking it through,I changed and revised my supporting examples. I looked back at the book and notes I took to reformulate my paragraphs and ideas.
After writing a draft, I edited it right away. Then, I let my essay sit for a day so I could reorganize and rethink my ideas. I then added my ideas and asked my family to proofread and look for grammatical errors and confusing statements. They helped me with editing and readjusting sentences that sounded wrong and awkward. As a reader they helped me fix confusing sentences and ideas that they did not understand.
I used what I learned from writing my last essay . I organized my ideas in a more understandable way and also rethought my original paragraphs to make it sound better and more appropriate. I’m proud that I took your comments and used them in a way to help me rather than discourage me. For next time, I’ll try using more key words to keep me on track and stick to relevant ideas.
