“I fear nothing will reclaim him now”
this is written in text B; suggesting that he has upset God and God most certainly will not offer his Grace to him
In text A, it says ‘can’, suggesting that Faustus cannot be redeemed no matter what he does, perhaps echoing Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne who said that free will was limited and that past a certain point, he trajectory of one’s ends is determined by fate - his conceit has rewritten his fate to make his damnation an irredeemable choice
what does it mean when mephistopheles said “when we hear one rack of god […] we fly, in hope to get his glorious soul”
when God reaches out to save someone, devils intervene and tempt the person to take them to hell and destroy their chances of salvation - God was active, but Mephistopheles was just as reactive and made this clear to Faustus - text B implies that God is loving, but that Faustus turned his love away
“Where hell is, there must we ever be.”- Mephistopheles
Hell is not a fixed physical place; it exists wherever devils are
- Hell is a state of spiritual separation from God
- Mephistopheles carries hell with him
- Undermines Faustus’s belief that hell is distant or unreal
- Creates dramatic irony: Faustus is already in hell’s presence
“All places shall be hell that is not heaven.” - Mephistopheles
Any existence outside God’s presence is hell.
- Heaven is defined by closeness to God
- Hell is privation, not just punishment
- Reflects Christian (Augustinian) theology
- Suggests damnation is a continuous condition, not a future event
“never too late if Faustus will repent”
text B says this - God offers his grace, while text A says ‘can’ - if Faustus has not damned himself to the point of no return - Montaigne’s theology, not traditional Thomist Catholicism, by which one can avoid damnation through indulgences (source of corruption) and unconditional and unwavering faith in God, which Marlowe criticises (Franciscan Friar, Pope scene)
text A’s God is a cruel one that takes away the choice to redeem oneself - grace is not unconditional and this perhaps is where Marlowe, as an atheist, criticises God, who is meant to have infinite benevolence but doesn’t actually will salvation for all his creations
How does Mephistopheles act as an emblem for the distance of God to prove Faustus to be stupid (hell is a fable)?
- Faustus calls him ugly at first - he is likely to have quite a harrowing and devilish appearance
- Mephistopheles talks about how he suffers in the absence of God and tells him how he ended up in hell
- Mephistopheles says ‘our God’ and refers to Lucifer as the ‘prince’ of hell; God is infinitely more powerful and he informs Faustus of this, but Faustus is arrogant is assuming his existing knowledge is completely correct and complete, when we know from the start that it isn’t (ignores rest of Bible verse that sin can be redeemed)
- “I am an instance to prove the contrary” (close ‘after hell is a fable’)
How does Faustus describe Heaven, before Mephistopheles distracts him for the first time and before he returns with a contract?
“such vain fancies” - ironic because earthly power and profit is as material and trivial as ‘vain’ can be; flawed understanding of theology, or the refusal to gain true knowledge; what Calvin referred to as ‘Firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolencetowards us’ - unwavering belief in God’s justice and goodness
When does Faustus almost stop sinning and what happens?
As he signs the contract - “my blood congeals and I can write no more” + “Homo fuge!” written on his arm; God’s last intervention before fate overrides God’s gift of free will (Michel de Montaigne)
- this is immediately followed by Mephistopheles distracting him - “enter devils giving crowns and rich apparel to Faustus”; in his aside, Mephistopheles wants to ‘delight’ Faustus’ mind, but he tells him this immediately after - he is not so deceptive
What does Faustus say about ownership of the soul that once more points to flaws in his theological knowledge?
“Is not thy soul thine own?” - In Christian theology, the soul is a gift from God that he can destroy or exercise any power over, but typically does not out of love; his soul is not his to barter with and is God’s property
When does Mephistopheles distract Faustus at the start?
- Act V
- gives him a book when he asks for a wife - Faustus clearly lacks theological knowledge because he fails to catch the link between the sacred union of marriage and God or Mephistopheles’ refusal to oblige him
What 2 crucial things does Mephistopheles do in scene VI?
- he tells Faustus that his damnation is a result of his own seeking
- he lies to Faustus in saying that Heaven is not as good as the joys he’ll have on Earth, but this doesn’t get repentance out of Faustus’ head; Mephistopheles is not so much to blame
When does Lucifer talk to Faustus and parade the Seven Deadly Sins?
Scene VI
When does Faustus terrorise the Pope?
Scene VIII
In text B, who is Bruno, as a character and a reference? What does this say about the Pope?
- Faustus saves Bruno from Pope Adrian, who captures Bruno because Bruno is a rival for the papacy who was appointed by the Holy Roman Emperor - The Pope challenges the Divine Right of Kings
- Bruno is also an allusion to Giordano Bruno, who was a cosmologist who challenged the geocentric theory; in doing his, he challenged Catholic doctrine, which led to his arrest and execution for heresy, making him a martyr for intellectual freedom
- This is the foundation of Marlowe’s anti-Catholic satire, as a monarchist, not as a protestant
When does Faustus entertain the Emperor?
Scene XII
What could Faustus’ punishment of Benvolio mirror?
- Faustus’ pettiness in giving Benvolio horns for challenging him and not believing him (“I do not greatly believe him”) mirrors God’s condemnation of those who do not believe in him or his power; unloving and immature
- This could be subtle atheist commentary on Marlowe’s part
- Later, Frederick asks Faustus to “Pity us, gentle Faustus, save our lives!” - Faustus tries to be God, but is just as unloving because God ultimately allows him to go to hell also (although Faustus never actually asks to be saved)
Where is the Old man in the play?
Scene XVIII
How does the Epilogue enforce Montaigne’s view?
“Cut is the branch which may have grown full straight” - Faustus’ free will sealed his fate of damnation; it did not have to be this way
