Analysis Dr. Faustus as a tragedy by Marlow
The tragedy of Dr. Faustus is primarily related to the concept of fate, free-will, sin, Christian concept of redemption and death after sinful life. Though Faustus falls for his overwhelming lust for the worldly life, yet his tale does ignite certain facets of human suffering and the on-going war between good and bad. Fate and freewill have often been discussed and perceived as a life imposed upon man by Nature, an outer force and agent to Sublime. Dr. Fautus, the protagonist, is of the opinion "Che sera, sera". He has a firm belief in predestination and a fate which is final and inevitable. Therefore, the concept of sin and resultant miseries of hell are undermined by him:
"If we say that we have no sin,
We deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us."
Therefore, he is willing to lead a sinful life to satiate his thirst of triumph and worldly success as well as to lead a voluptuous life.
Hubris for Faustus becomes his desire for absolute knowledge and power. Faustus is a man of average parentage. But he is respected and honoured for his great knowledge he has in various fields of study. He excels and the excess of knowledge makes him carve for more. The proud man is yearning to satiate his deep desire for knowledge. He is becoming power hungry and devoid of religion. His faith shrinks from the Christian beliefs of salvation and redemption. He wants to lead a carefree and powerful life. Moreover, Faustus is almost crazy for the praise he receives from the people around him. He wants to add to his vast knowledge for the sake of fame and influence over the people. This turns him to the use of magic as a knowledge which may do wonders. He shows his boredom with medicine as valueless because it cannot perform wonders like raising the dead.
Disobedience to God and Sin, a gift of the devil, and the resulting hell is related to the fall of Faustus. He not only falls for the worldly pleasures and supernatural powers but also does he see sin and the fall as inevitable and predestined. Therefore, he deliberately moves into the clutches of evil by signing a pact with Lucifer. He "surrenders" "his soul" to the devil for a life of twenty four years. Though Mephistophilis tries to convey the danger and risk of associated with the act of Faustus in the manner:
O Faustus, leave these frivolous demands
Which strikes a terror to my fainting soul!"
But our dear Faustus remains blind to the fact of life that God Almighty is the ultimate ruler and creator of this world and partying with the devil would earn him no good. He fails to see the pain of Mephistophilis:
"Am not tormented with ten thousand hells
In being deprived of everlasting bliss?"
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