Doctor Faustus

The Renaissance was a time when many were discontent with the breadth of their knowledge.  This was of course the greatest point of enlightenment the world has ever seen, and due the spread of humanism throughout Europe many believed the intelligence of many was limitless.  People learned great things in this time, yet there was always a point when the learning was halted, and many simply gave up when reaching this point.  In Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus we see a man who is not content with standing at the wall; he seeks to break through it, through whatever means he sees fit, be they right or wrong.  Through his quest for knowledge and power, Marlowe tells a cautionary tell of reaching too far to all the renaissance men around him.

To say that Faustus fails in his search for power is somewhat wrong, as he does learn many things that men of his time could never imagine, but it is methods that truly reveal the ultimate downfall of Faustus.  After his summoning of Mephastophilis, Faustus asks many questions of his new companion.  He asks him of the nature of Lucifer, he asks him of the realm that is Hell, he asks him of the elements and the planets in the heavens, yet even with all that he has learned, Faustus continues to push Mephastophilis, and when he refuses to admit who made the world, Faustus pushes him even further, enough to anger the demon, and soon Lucifer comes to quiet Faustus’ questioning tongue.  Even after he has learned so much more than any man could hope to learn, Faustus still continues to endanger himself in the search of more.  His whole life he accrues the knowledge of the world and beyond, and his end nears and his contract comes to fruition, he still regrets all he has learned due to his damnation in hell.  After he is betrayed and dragged to hell by Mephastophilis, the Chorus tells of “the branch that might have grown full straight, /and burned is Apollo’s laurel bough, /that sometimes grew within this learned man” (535 1-3).  These lines are all in reference to the greatness that Faustus could have attained had he simply stayed the course, yet by turning from the path he takes the learning and wisdom that had been granted to him.

The tale of Doctor Faustus is quite an interesting one, yet I am a bit confused by the fact that, earlier in the play, Faustus states that he would love to see hell, yet when he is close to death he fears nothing but seeing hell.  Perhaps it is because he doesn’t want to leave all that he has gained, and is feeling extreme regret, or perhaps it is some other reason.