Dr Faustus and Seven Sins

Dr Faustus and Seven Sins

Dr Faustus is a short play written by Christopher Marlowe. The play is a masterful insight into the paradoxical soul of mankind and its ironically self inflicted corruption. The play could be classification as a theological allegory. It can be assumed that the play specifically speaks to the religious motivations of the time, but can be adapted to the present as well. Marlowe portrays Faustus’ ambition as dangerous; it was the cause of his demise. Perhaps Marlowe used the theme of over-ambition as a warning to the audience, who would be likely to be wary of ambition - it was looked down on as a negative personality trait in Christian England (Calvinism) (Munteanu, Class notes). An on going theme within the story is the corruption of a soul which is played out through the use of religious beliefs. Specifically, the use of the seven deadly sins is a precursor to man kinds self inflicted death. Marlowe uses sin, redemption and damnation to get his point across to the audience. The sins that Marlowe specifically uses are those of: pride, covetousness, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth and lechery. Theses sins are colourfully displayed through the character traits of Dr Faustus. In the process we view them and can adapt them to our own lives and how they are all parts to the corruption of our souls.

Marlowe reflects ambition in the character of Faustus to deter the audience from being ambitious, and over-reaching their place in the laws of the church. Marlowe uses symbols of religion to fill the play such as the use of the dark arts, angles, demons, God, the Devil, quotes from the bible, the symbol of blood, and the use of the seven sins. With the use of these icons he humours the reader he displays the gullibility of even the greatest leaders.

In the prologue, Marlowe introduces us to Dr Faustus via the chorus. Here we are told of the life of an ordinary man, born to modest people. This piece tells us that in the new age of the Renaissance, a common-born scholar like Faustus, is as important as any king or warrior, and his story is worthy of being told. Also state is that Dr Faustus’s swelling pride will lead to his downfall. Here we are addressed with a precursor of what is about to happen and how it is to be facilitated, again by one mans desire to destroy himself in respect to Godliness.

In act one, Marlowe portrays Faustus as being over-ambitious by his turning to magic, which is a much more sinister and much less conventional pursuit than others that he had been discussing previously. Faustus hopes that magic will make him omnipotent and god-like.

Through out the next few acts we see Dr Faustus disregard the teachings against the seven deadly sins with his trickery and debauchery. The great doctor Faustus has the seven deadly sins entrenched in his life and they are displayed by his various actions during the play.

The first deadly sin was that of pride. Dr Faustus saw himself as in comparison to others in a competitive nature. Pride and vanity are competitive. This was done in Act One when he sits there and tells the audience of his accomplishments and wishes for more glory.

The second is covetousness, it is manifested in the play through various actions. Faustus demonstrates this in various scenes, when he evokes the devils magic, the want of a wife, and the overall actions of his character portray his pursuit of knowledge and glory. Usually this sin is manifested through sex, power, or image which demises the self control and can suffocate the soul. It is the self-destructive drive for pleasure which is out of control. Faustus does this when he performs his silly tricks for self indulgence.

Wrath is the third sin. Often this is our first reaction to the faults of others. Faustus demonstrates his impatience with the way he treats the people around him, his servants (demonic and human), as well as other characters with in the play. Wrath is what Faustus feels when he conjures up horns to place on the head of a knight of Emperor Charles V, court (Marlowe, 41-42). Since the knight shows scepticism in Faustus’s powers, Faustus must rebuke his insolence by placing horns on the knight’s head.

The fourth is envy. Dr Faustus wanted more in his life and envied the powers of others. Therefore he wanted to command the demons to control the world to his accord. Envy is almost impossible to differentiate from pride at times. Dr Faustus was envious of the accomplishment of others and wanted to exceed their glory (Act One). In one of the comic scenes, scene 6, we learn that Robin and Rafe have stolen one of Faustus’ books and plan to use it to seduce a woman. They must have been jealous of Faustus’ power and his magical aptitude.

The fifth sin is gluttony; temperance in accepting the natural limits of pleasures, and preserves of the natural balance. This