"Doctor Faustus"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe's character, is a German scholar who wants to exceed the limits of traditional logic, medicine, law, and religion by practicing black magic and how, through this, he calls upon Mephistopheles, a demon who arranges a deal between Faustus and Lucifer for 24 years of power and glory in exchange for his soul. In particular, it looks at how the parade of the seven deadly sins wins Faustus' mind and will.

From the Paper:

"The seven deadly sins are pride, wrath or anger, envy, avarice or greed, gluttony, sloth, and impurity (Finnan 1998) and these are revealed by the Word of God, although not in a straight list as they are identified and named. These seven sins are called deadly in that they evoke God's justice and punishment more severely than other sins. Of these deadly ones, pride offends God the most. The Proverbs and the Psalms (NIV) say that the "proud of heart" will not be endured or go unpunished; proof is that destruction follows it as a fall follows a haughty spirit. It is the deadliest and most severely punished sin. It was pride that drove the brightest angel, Lucifer, or the "Morning Star," to rebel against God."

More papers on "Doctor Faustus":

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• Analytical Essay # 112421 : "Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"
• Analytical Essay # 64219 : "Bad Education in "Doctor Faustus"

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