Themes in Doctor Faustus

Lucifer's statement here can be read as a sign of Faustus's predestined damnation: not even repentance or Christ can save him because he has been made for hell. However, this could also be read as a trick played on Faustus by the devil. Just as he is about to ask forgiveness and turn to God, Faustus is told that he cannot do so by the devil.

"Homo fuge" means "O man, fly!" These words imprinted in his arm are a divine or psychological warning to not sign this contract with Mephistophilis. However, Faustus once again dismisses this thought by stating his inability to do anything else: if he were to walk away from the Devil, where would he go? This claim supports reading Faustus's decision as a reaction to his predestined damned nature.

This rhetorical question inadvertently invokes Predestination philosophy. Predestination proposes that the soul does not actually belong to a man, but to God. God decides what will become of the soul before the person even comes into existence. Thus, Faustus is selling something that does not really belong to him.

Here Faustus directly states the hopelessness of his situation: he cannot even think about God because he "cants not be saved." This can be interpreted as a statement that claims his actions are so terrible no amount of repentance can save him or a recognition of his irreversible, predestined damnation.

Notice that Mephistophilis does not consider Robin and Ralph "glorious souls" that are worth buying for the Devil. This could be a classed understanding of the afterlife, that low souls are not worth collecting. Or it could be another exploration of predestination. Perhaps Mephistophilis cannot collect these two souls because they are not predestined to damnation. Thus their involvement with magic is only a waste of his time.

Notice that Faustus calls himself a "scholar" rather than a magician. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Humanism became a dominant philosophical idea. Humanism held that humans could achieve divine grace by the cultivation of intellect, human goodness, and rational thinking. Some scholars have considered this play an exploration of this humanist idea: Faustus demonstrates the reality of a man focusing entirely on learning instead of the power of God?

Notice that the Old Man calls Earth a "furnace," a descriptor generally reserved for Hell. To this pious man, Earth itself has been a Hell because he is so pure. Unlike Faustus, the Old Man was able to resist temptation and pride and will now be rewarded with Heaven. The Old Man acts as a foil that demonstrates Faustus's faults.

Notice again that Faustus is not looking for salvation, he is looking for immortality. Faustus's pact with the Devil can be interpreted as a fear of inevitable death, and his attempt to outsmart death.

At the end of the play, Faustus fully recognizes the damnation that he has been pretending to ignore since the beginning. Notice though that Faustus does not react to the Old Man's warning the way a typical Renaissance character would. The recognition of his damnation and inevitable death does not make him repent. This suggests that Faustus cannot repent; he is predestined to die damned.

Notice that Faustus's last words are to renounce his books, not repent. This suggests that he believed knowledge was his greatest sin. This ending emphasizes the theme of dangerous knowledge damning Faustus.

Faustus demonstrates his lack of faith in God in this sentiment. In Christian doctrine, there is no higher power than God and his mercy. If Faustus were a true Christian, he would repent and believe that God would protect him from the Devil. However, Faustus believes the Devil will take him and God will not protect him, so he cannot repent. This suggests that Faustus was predestined to be eternally damned.

The theme of dangerous knowledge resurfaces at the end of the play. Faustus blames his damnation and deal with the Devil on his identity as a "student." This suggests that he does not engage in this deal out of hubris, or evil intention, but out of a desire for knowledge.

In using the word "entice," tempting or deviously attracting, the Chorus also blames the knowledge itself for Faustus' fall. In other words, Faustus was just as much tricked into selling his soul to the Devil as he is at fault for selling his soul to the Devil. While one might think that this play offers a straight forward moral about having faith in God, these final lines suggest the play holds more empathy for the damned.

To "wonder at unlawful things" could be read as a condemnation of the pursuit of knowledge. In this way, the Chorus blames Faustus' fall on his pursuit of dangerous knowledge, knowledge that man was not meant to have.