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Dr.Faustus
Character Analysis
Smart Is as smart will
Faustus is super-smart. thus good that he will best anybody of his educational colleagues in dialogue, thus good that he becomes self-important, "swoll'n with crafty, of a self-conceit" (Prologue.19). and that is wherever all the difficulty begins. See, character thinks he is aware of higher than the thousand years'-worth of students United Nations agency have gone before him and been content to devote their lives to philosophy, medicine, theology, or the law. He thinks those disciplines area unit wholly useless.
Why? as a result of he thinks they can not do something for him, or a minimum of, nothing like what magic will do. And magic will do plenty. that is sweet as a result of additionally to being self-important, character is additionally power-hungry. He makes it clear that he longs to find out magic as a result of "a sound magician could be a demigod" (1.1.60). will that sound spookily familiar? It ought to. Lucifer, himself, fell from heaven as a result of in his pride he, too, wished to be a god.
You'd suppose character would learn from previous Lucy's mistake, huh?
The Loss of Lofty Goals
That said, perhaps character may halfway redeem himself if he used his magic to try and do one thing worthy, like, say, saving lives or saving souls. however instead, he uses it primarily to lazily amuse himself and, most despicably, to play mean tricks on peasants and courtiers like poor Benvolio.
What character chooses to try and do along with his powers once he sells his soul to achieve them could be a bit anticlimactic considering that he had planned to "resolve ME of all ambiguities," learn "strange philosophy," and "the secrets of all foreign kings," and even to become the king of his land (1.1.78, 84, 85). we do not fathom you, however Shmoop extremely wished to be resolved of all ambiguities. That sounds awe-inspiring.
But no sooner has character gained his awe-inspiring powers than his lofty ambitions fade into one thing far more, well, boring. Why he loses those ambitions could be a little bit of a mystery. it would be AN example of the previous maxim that "absolute power corrupts completely," except that during this case, absolute power seems to corrupt not simply the person United Nations agency possesses it, however conjointly the goals that prompted him to induce that power within the 1st place. This whole demi-god factor could be a mussy business.
The Guy we tend to like to Hate
So he is proud, he is self-important, and he is generally over a trifle mean-spirited. Why within the world area unit we tend to reading regarding this guy, then? Sure, his accord with the devil looks to possess been actuated mostly by a need for wealth and power. however the text conjointly suggests that one thing else may be occurring. perhaps Faust thought he ne'er had an opportunity at heaven to start with.
Think about it. As character contemplates theology, evil spirit guides his reading of the Bible in order that he concludes that "we should sin / then consequently die"—i.e., visit hell (1.1.43-44). Throughout the play, character mopes over this question, invariably terminal (with the assistance of that unhealthy Angel on his shoulder), that he is got no shot at salvation. he is doomed from the outset, or a minimum of thus he is LED to believe.
All the wealth within the World
Unfortunately, though, character may not be as good as he thinks. He ne'er quite manages to suppose all the means through the question of whether or not or not he contains a probability at a price tag to heaven. he is invariably distracted by his devils transfer some new delight.
In the end, character "didst love the world"—in different words, material things—more than non secular things (5.2.101). His pride and need for power prompt him to sign his soul over to the devil. Once that is done, his inability to dropping of all the awe-inspiring stuff his devils bring him prevents him from ever repenting. He is, plainly, weak. For that reason, we tend to pity character. He comes thus near heaven such a lot of times, at the same time as he misses it by a mile.
Character Analysis
Smart Is as smart will
Faustus is super-smart. thus good that he will best anybody of his educational colleagues in dialogue, thus good that he becomes self-important, "swoll'n with crafty, of a self-conceit" (Prologue.19). and that is wherever all the difficulty begins. See, character thinks he is aware of higher than the thousand years'-worth of students United Nations agency have gone before him and been content to devote their lives to philosophy, medicine, theology, or the law. He thinks those disciplines area unit wholly useless.
Why? as a result of he thinks they can not do something for him, or a minimum of, nothing like what magic will do. And magic will do plenty. that is sweet as a result of additionally to being self-important, character is additionally power-hungry. He makes it clear that he longs to find out magic as a result of "a sound magician could be a demigod" (1.1.60). will that sound spookily familiar? It ought to. Lucifer, himself, fell from heaven as a result of in his pride he, too, wished to be a god.
You'd suppose character would learn from previous Lucy's mistake, huh?
The Loss of Lofty Goals
That said, perhaps character may halfway redeem himself if he used his magic to try and do one thing worthy, like, say, saving lives or saving souls. however instead, he uses it primarily to lazily amuse himself and, most despicably, to play mean tricks on peasants and courtiers like poor Benvolio.
What character chooses to try and do along with his powers once he sells his soul to achieve them could be a bit anticlimactic considering that he had planned to "resolve ME of all ambiguities," learn "strange philosophy," and "the secrets of all foreign kings," and even to become the king of his land (1.1.78, 84, 85). we do not fathom you, however Shmoop extremely wished to be resolved of all ambiguities. That sounds awe-inspiring.
But no sooner has character gained his awe-inspiring powers than his lofty ambitions fade into one thing far more, well, boring. Why he loses those ambitions could be a little bit of a mystery. it would be AN example of the previous maxim that "absolute power corrupts completely," except that during this case, absolute power seems to corrupt not simply the person United Nations agency possesses it, however conjointly the goals that prompted him to induce that power within the 1st place. This whole demi-god factor could be a mussy business.
The Guy we tend to like to Hate
So he is proud, he is self-important, and he is generally over a trifle mean-spirited. Why within the world area unit we tend to reading regarding this guy, then? Sure, his accord with the devil looks to possess been actuated mostly by a need for wealth and power. however the text conjointly suggests that one thing else may be occurring. perhaps Faust thought he ne'er had an opportunity at heaven to start with.
Think about it. As character contemplates theology, evil spirit guides his reading of the Bible in order that he concludes that "we should sin / then consequently die"—i.e., visit hell (1.1.43-44). Throughout the play, character mopes over this question, invariably terminal (with the assistance of that unhealthy Angel on his shoulder), that he is got no shot at salvation. he is doomed from the outset, or a minimum of thus he is LED to believe.
All the wealth within the World
Unfortunately, though, character may not be as good as he thinks. He ne'er quite manages to suppose all the means through the question of whether or not or not he contains a probability at a price tag to heaven. he is invariably distracted by his devils transfer some new delight.
In the end, character "didst love the world"—in different words, material things—more than non secular things (5.2.101). His pride and need for power prompt him to sign his soul over to the devil. Once that is done, his inability to dropping of all the awe-inspiring stuff his devils bring him prevents him from ever repenting. He is, plainly, weak. For that reason, we tend to pity character. He comes thus near heaven such a lot of times, at the same time as he misses it by a mile.
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