Which characters in the play seem to believe that
Faustus is damned to hell no matter what he does? Faustus himself. This is evident in the cyclical structure of struggle, doubt, persuasion, resolution and finally a gain.
Which ones seem to think he can still be saved? All characters despite Faustus, seem to think Faustus can still redeem and repent his actions. This most applicable to Act 5 Scene 1 where the Old Man wishes to free Faustus of his sin. It is in this scene where Mephistopheles hands a dagger to Faustus -as the ultimate act of despair - the refusal to believe that God can save any soul- as he prepares to stab himself, and the Old Man prevents Faustus from this act. The Old Man can be described as a character or morality, as well as the Good and Evil Angels as well as the fact he exemplifies what Faustus could have been, but manifestly is not.
What does Faustus believe? Faustus believes that he is damned, and therefore this causes him to refuse to repent with this being described as the sin which is unforgivable.
What do you make of Mephistopheles's admission at the
end of the play that he "turned the leaves" and led Faustus's eye in
the reading of Scripture? Is he to blame for Faustus's damnation? Or is Faustus
still responsible? In Act 1 Scene 1, it is made clear that no matter what opinion Faustus can extract from the Bible, it informs him that he is damned to hell - and therefore corresponds with the Calvinist idea of predestination. "What doctrine call you this? Che sera, sera?". This continues to the arrival of the Scholars, who sum up the eternal question in Dr.Faustus as can Faustus be saved? Or has he decision to interact with Dark Magic ruined his chance of survival and redemption? Faustus also speaks of his blasphemy against God, and therefore can be said to have lost hope in Heaven in Act 1 Scene 3 'Say he surrenders up to him his soul'.
At what point in the play does Faustus reach the point
of no return? Or does he reach it at all? Arguably Act 5 Scene 2, see's Faustus realise God cannot pardon his previous sins, despite persuasion otherwise from the Old Man and Mephistopheles, who attempts to take the blame for his actions.
What do the Scholars tell Faustus to do when he is
damned to hell for his sins? What do you think of their advice? "Yet, Faustus, look up to the heaven and remember mercy is infinite." The Scholars advice is to 'call on God', whilst Faustus disagrees and is aware that he has been damned to hell, the Scholars, like they were in beginning, they assist Faustus when he returns to Wittenberg and offer support to him.
Religion:
What is Faustus's attitude toward the study of religion?
Does this attitude have anything to do with his downfall? Similarly to Marlowe, Faustus has been described as an Atheist and the conflict between belief and unbelief is a dominant themed in the play. At various points throughout the play, Faustus asserts that there is no such thing as God or Heaven-'There is no chief but only Beelzebub . Whilst he may not believe in a Christian God, he refers to a 'mighty god' in Scene 1 as an alternative. Despite his scepticism towards 'God', he is aware that he possesses a soul, therefore subscribing to aspects of conventional theology.
How does Mephistopheles define hell? How does Faustus
react to what Mephistopheles says? Mephistopheles depicts hell a place where everything that is not heaven, is Hell, a place without God. 'Why, this is helm nor am I out of it. Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God, and tasted the eternal joys of heaven, am not tormented with ten thousand hells in being repaved of everlasting bliss?'
What are Faustus's beliefs about heaven and hell? Do
they change at any point? Faustus' disbelief in God is accompanied by an associated disbelief in hell. It is later revealed to Faustus that damnation and belief are actually the same thing for Faustus, since only belief brings him the understanding that generates the pain of damnation.
What's the purpose of the Pope scene? The Pope serves a representation of the self-indulgence of Churchmen and can be linked to Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
Sin
What sins does Faustus commit in the course of the play?
What, in your opinion, is his worst sin? Why? In making a pact with the Devil, in the world of Christianity in which the play was written, this can be seen as the greatest of all sins: as not only does he disobey God, but consciously acknowledges his disobedience to him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the Devil. Whilst Faustus is given an abundance of opportunities to repent through the persistence of the Good Angel, who can be described as Faustus' conscience, at the concluding of the play, he decides to repent, but by this time, is too late.
Does Doctor Faustus portray any one of Faustus's sins as
"originary," that is, as
the sin that leads to all his other sins? If so, which one was it? And how does
it lead to all those other sins?
How does Faustus react to the parade of the Seven Deadly
Sins? Does his reaction surprise you? Why or why not? Faustus dismisses the parade of the seven deadly sins as he has already decided he would rather serve the Devil than God, and consequently, ignores the warning from them to repent.
What's the cure for sin, according to Faustus's friends?
Why is Faustus unable to take it? Presumably the cure for Sin, is repentance, and acceptance of God, which Faustus disbelieves, as he is aware, in accordance with Calvinist ideas that his future has been 'Predestined' and therefore is callous of the idea of Heaven.
The Supernatural
Why does Faustus want to be able to do magic? What do
you think of his reasons? Faustus feels that he must turn to magic in the hope that, combined with his intelligence, it will make him godlike and capable of transcending mortality. This is because he feels theology is logically inevitable and that all human beings must sin, and so die.
What does Faustus do with his magical powers? What do
the peasants use magic for? How does their use of magic compare with Faustus's? Whilst in the beginning of the play Faustus wishes to possess powers of necromancy, witchcraft and comparable powers to that of God, throughout the play it becomes apparent that the very powers he sold his soul to the Devil for are to an extent superficial. The comedic conjuring between characters Robin and Dick are equipollent to scenes involving Faustus and Mephistopheles. Whilst Robin uses powers for free alcohol, instead of power and wealth as Faustus does, this scene questions the use of Faustus' unearthly powers, as it is lowly imitated by stock characters.
Does Faustus do any harm with his magic? Why or why not? The ambitious goals of Faustus are not dissimilar to those of the simple peasants, which is demonstrated in Act 3 Scene 3 as Dick conjures Mephistopheles.
Knowledge and Wisdom
Why does he reject philosophy, medicine, law and
theology as not worth his time? Faustus lists the discoveries and ideas of each of the great authors he has studied and imagines giving himself over wholly to each field of knowledge in turn. Each discipline, whether it be theology, philosophy, medicine or law, is superseded by the other, until it seems useless to him. He feels it is inevitable that all human beings must sin and so die and therefore turns to magic in the hope that it will make him godlike and capable of transcending mortality.
How does a desire for knowledge motivate Faustus's
decision to practice magic? The subject of magic is one which Faustus is a novice, and therefore he conjures the help of Valdes and Cornelius who can teach him how to gain power over the spirit world. The characters feed Faustus' expectations, promising the serves of spirits in many disguises leading to Faustus hoping to learn enough magic to practise independently.
How does Mephistopheles aid Faustus in his quest for
knowledge? Is there anything that Mephistopheles can't teach Faustus? If so,
why can't he? Mephistopheles is vital in Faustus quest for knowledge in the sense that he provides reinforcement when the cycle is brought about throughout the play, where a resolution and gain is inevitable.
Cunning and Cleverness
Who else besides Faustus displays cunning and cleverness
in the play? What do they use it for? Robin and Dick are also involved in the use of magic, as they read from Faustus' magic books, inferring his skills may not be as rare as first thought.
After he becomes a magician, what does Faustus do to
display his cunning and cleverness? To portray his cunningness, he interacts with the Pope, although, he is either in disguise or completely invisible
How do Robin and Dick's abilities to conjure change our
opinion of Faustus's cleverness? Their 'peasant' status as character imply that they should not be able to carry out the level of magic Faustus is able to. Yet, they manage to surpass this expectation and even summon Mephistopheles. This changes our opinion of Faustus, as it questions his pact with the Devil for his soul, when Robin and Dick are able to demonstrate the same magic as Faustus does.
Wealth
What kinds of luxury goods do Faustus, Valdes, and
Cornelius imagine that their magical spirits will bring them? What does their
imagination tell us about their personalities? Faustus wishes for silk to aid impoverished scholars. Valdes echoes Faustus' desire to be exploit the wealth of the 'new' world. As Valdes reveals a plan to steal from the King of Spain, it reveals the way both Faustus and Valdes imagine wealth to be the means by which they can help their homeland excel over surrounding nations.
What does Faustus imagine himself doing with
spirit-produced wealth before he has it? What do these plans reveal about his
character and priorities? Faustus wishes to possess the wealth of the New World, and in doing so reveals his ambition to conquer and explore the world. This can also transgress into his desire for power, as the New World was difficult to reach in subsequently more expensive.
How does Faustus use his magic to cheat people out of
their money?
Why does Faustus will all his possessions to Wagner? And
what does this have to do with Mephistopheles?
Power
Which characters in the play desire power, and why? Valdes in Act 1 Scene 1 describes the power that is in waiting for himself, Corneilus and Faustus through the expectation that many people will honour and admire them.
What kind of power does Faustus imagine himself gaining
before he signs his contract with Lucifer? Does he achieve this level of power?
Why or why not?
What are the limits of Faustus's magical powers? He can recall spirits of those who are dead, yet cannot recall the actual presence.
Is Mephistopheles powerful? Why or why not? In some respects yes. He is a devil who is a tempter, and therefore can be seen as an enemy of Faustus. This is portrayed as he offers Faustus a dagger to encourage him into suicide, as a quick way of ensuring the result that apparently still hangs in doubt at this stage of the play. Nevertheless, there is points in the play whereby Mephistopheles almost warns Faustus not to commit the same error as he, of his disloyalty to Lucifer on one occasion- 'Think'st though that I, who saw the face of God, and tasted the eternal joys of heaven, am not torment with ten thousand hells in being deprived of everlasting bliss!'.
What does the pope claim as the basis of his power?
Bruno? What does the pope use his power for? The basis of the Pope's power are two things intrinsically regarded by Catholics as powers belonging to the church. Firstly, is the Pope's power to decree infallibly in his papal office. Secondly is the power to forgive sins and therefore controls individuals access to salvation. This is also accompanied by the power to excommunicate, which is used by the Pope selfishly, to make the world 'stoop'. Bruno recognises the power of the Pope, and admits that he submits due to his respect for St.Peter.
