An Analysis of the Tragic image in Doctor Faustus

馮宇 鄒依桐

Doctor Faustus is a drama about a famous scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for magical powers.It was written by the English play-writer Christopher Marlowe.Dr.Faustus，the famous scholar of Wittenberg，stays in his study to decide his future career.Law，medicine，the theology，he has mastered them all，but he feels them all dissatisfying. Faustus wants a career to match his ambition，a subject to challenge his intellect.So he turns to black magic，which seems to offer him unbelievable powers.That night，in the midst of a crashing thunderstorm，Faustus raised up the spirit of Mephistophilis，and promised to give his immoral soul to the devil in exchange for twenty-four years of magic.Mephistophilis dose not have the power to conclude such an agreement.He is only a servant to Lucifer，the prince of the hell.He will grant Faustuswish.Lucifer wants a contract to make sure he is not cheated，and the contract must be written in Faustusown blood.In compliance with Lucifers demand，Faustus stabs his arm，only to find that his blood has frozen in his veins.Mephistophilis comes running with hot coals to warm Faustusblood，and it starts flowing again.The contract is completed.

Doctor Faustus is a knowledgeable man who has a good understanding about all aspects of knowledge such as law，medicine and philosophy.However，just just because of this，he has a lot of dissatisfaction with them.He shows his negative attitude toward them.For instance，medicine could help to cure diseases and release the pain on the body，but could not make human live eternally.The practice of law may serve society，but what does not mean one should become a lawyer.Logic offers a tool and a method of thought，but it does not even begin to approach lifes ultimate truths.None of these disciplines offers a supreme purpose.All leave him still“but Faustus and a man.”So，he decides to study magic with his full concentration，and hopes that he could learn limitless knowledge to obtain absolute power one day.The final hour approaches.Faustus tries to stop the clock to give him one more month，one more week，one more day to repent. But it does not work.Midnight strikes.The devils arrives and Faustus is led away to hell.In the morning，the scholars find Faustusbody.They deplore his evil fate，but honor him for his learning.

Faustus is eager to satisfy his passionate curiosity and appetites.He also wants a wife to share his bed.Faustusdemands are met.In a magnificent conjuring trick，he raises the spirit of the most beautiful woman in history，Helen of Troy.Then，an Old Man appears to plead with Faustus to give up his magic art.The old man promises that God is merciful.The magician hesitates，visibly moved by the Old Mans words.But Mephistophlis threatens Faustus with torture if he betray his contract with Lucifer.Faustus collapses under pressure，and he is lost.

Although Doctor Faustus has mastered superb magic，he does not make any achievement actually.And finally，he is indulged in his endless desire in the real world，and lose his balance between desire and rationality. Make any simple statement about Faustus，and you will find you are only talking about part of man.Doctor Faustus is a character with a great spirit of self-questioning.He often makes a hard choice between religiosity and heresy，black magic and white magic.Doctor Faustustragedy is not only a reflection on the European intellectualsmental distress at that time，but also a representation about the humans choice and pain. In the play，Doctor Faustus is an ambitious intellectual during the renaissance.He is eager to search for various sorts of knowledge in order to release himself to the utmost extend and surpass human limits，which represents human beings desire for knowledge in their inner heart.

References

[1]Christopher Marlowe.Doctor Faustus.Beijing：Chinese Translation and Publishing Corporation，1994.

[2]Erich Pommer，“Faust，a German folktale”.Cineaste，spring，2016：62.

[3]Heather Anne Hirschfeld.“The verie paines of hell”.Shakespeare Studies，Jan1，2008：166-181.

[4]William M.Hamlin.“Casting Doubt in Marlowes Doctor Faustus”，SELN，2 spring，2001：257-275.