He Wants It All

          How far would one go to obtain the power and control he thinks he deserves? What price would he pay in exchange for superiority and rule over the universe? Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus centers on a man who is gifted with intelligence and the opportunity to study a variety of esteemed topics such as law, philosophy, and medicine, but he is overtaken by ambition and obsession. “Falling to a devilish exercise,” Faustus learns how to practice necromancy, the highest form of sorcery where one is able to raise the dead and summon spirits (Marlowe 1). Because Faustus’s greed and pride control him, he desires infinite power and control over the universe which leads him to become discontent with traditional forms of knowledge and eventually strike a deal with the devil and sell his soul.

“Nothing [is] so sweet as magic is to [Faustus]” because he believes traditional forms of knowledge, unlike magic, will end and fail to provide him with absolute control (Faustus 1). At the beginning of his quest for knowledge, Faustus swears that he “lives and dies” in Aristotle’s works (Marlowe 3). He relishes philosophy but soon, logic is not enough for him. Faustus then becomes a physician, but he later decides not to study medicine anymore since medicine does not have the ability to “make men live eternally” or “raise [the dead] to life again” (Marlowe 4). He switches his focus to law and approaches Justinian, “under whom the Roman law was codified” so that he can learn from him (Marlowe 4). Faustus begins to detest the fact that he is required to serve and be constrained by the law and eventually leaves. Thinking “divinity is best,” he studies theology until he realizes that sin always leads to death (Marlowe 4). Faustus has gained as much as he can intellectually, but he is dismayed that each of these professions has limitations, and he wants more than what the Earth offers. Though he serves Lucifer, Faustus believes magic gives him absolute authority. From the beginning, Faustus has understood that nothing on Earth can satisfy his longing for something greater. Rather than humbling himself and turning to God to fulfill him, he greedily seeks to elevate himself by trying to “gain a deity” (Marlowe 5).

 “Swollen with…self-conceit,” Faustus desires absolute power and dominion over the universe with no regard for the consequences that follow (Marlowe 1). Esteemed positions such as those of kings and emperors fail to appeal to Faustus. Though they are revered and obeyed, kings and emperors are restricted to a specific jurisdiction, and they are unable control the elements. In an effort to meet his need for glory and greed, Faustus considers ordering spirits to partake in extravagant tasks such as “flying to India for gold,” “filling the public schools with silk,” and “chasing the Prince of Parma from [their] land” (Marlowe 6). Although Faustus wishes to improve Wittenberg, he is primarily concerned with how much he can attain for himself materially as well as how the people would view him; they would adore him since he restored their home. In his quest to become a “mighty god,” Faustus willingly risks his body and his soul (Marlowe 5). Before he conjures the devil Mephastophilis, he tells his friends Valdes and Cornelius that he will practice magic even if it kills him (Marlowe 8). He then makes a bargain with Lucifer that will be upheld for eternity. In exchange for Mephastophilis serving Faustus for twenty-four years and “giving [him] whatsoever [he] shall ask,” Faustus will sell his soul to the devil (Marlowe 14). Faustus believes giving up his soul is a small price to pay to be “great emperor of the world,” and he even states that if he had “as many souls as there be stars, [he’d] give them all for Mephastophilis” (Marlowe 14).

Faustus’s desire for control and power is driven by his overwhelming greed and pride. In an overview of Faustus’s life, the Chorus compares his prideful and greedy nature to Icarus, the boy with waxen wings who flew too close to the sun (Marlowe 1). Even though Icarus was told not to fly too close to the sun, he ignored these warnings and succumbed to his pride, ultimately falling to his death. Like Icarus, Faustus wants more than what he is given. In his quest for superiority, he defies the rules of nature and God’s law, and his disastrous end will result in eternal damnation. As Proverbs states, “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,” and this sentiment is aptly demonstrated in the story of Dr. Faustus (NIV., Prov. 16.8). Though Faustus will live as an absolute authority for twenty-four years, he will eventually pay the ultimate price if he does not truly repent for his greed, his pride, and the deal he makes with the devil.