I’m
a pretty compassionate person, so I tried (honestly, I did) to find at least an
ounce of sympathy for Faustus. In truth,
I could see where the sympathy could possibly come from (although that wasn’t
an easy task, either). We have this guy
who is tempted by wealth and knowledge (arguably two of the biggest tempters of
sins) and gives in to a devil.
Personally, I don’t think 24 years of unlimited power is a fair trade for
an eternity in Hell, but that’s just me.
I think the guy truly believed that it couldn’t happen to him. There’s a common belief in Christianity that,
if you ask for forgiveness (and you truly mean it) God will forgive you until
your last breath. So yes, of course
Faustus would be in denial about his sealed fate. But he didn’t consider some things. 1.) He didn’t even think about what the
Lucifer would do if he tried to repent.
2.) He had many opportunities to
ask for forgiveness, yet he continuously chose the wrong path. So really, this was a no-win situation for
Faustus. He was in denial about his
contract with the Devil (he couldn’t possibly be sent to Hell) and he was also
in denial about God’s willingness to forgive him. Never once did he stop assuming things (and
you know what they say about that). That’s
one reason I don’t feel sorry for him.
But
his real nail-in-the-coffin moment for me was the fact that, even though he had
enormous access to wealth and power, he chose to screw around and play practical
jokes. On the Pope, nonetheless. You know, if he chose practical jokes as an
outlet the first time he was bored, he’d never be in this mess in the first
place. What bothers me is the fact that
he supposedly had all this “magic” but it was Mephostophilis just doing his
bidding. There’s no magic involved at
all here. He was duped, yet he should’ve
known better because (especially during this time period) it was basically
drilled into their heads to beware temptations from the Devil. Seriously Faustus??? Have your philosophical studies
impaired your ability to see the obvious?
It’s
funny because as I’m writing this, I’m getting more confused about my feelings
on the issue. It’s easy to be mad at
Faustus’ stupidity, but it’s another thing entirely to try to understand the
reasoning behind his actions.
I'm with you 100% of the way. I'll just say that Faustus deemed religion too impractical in the opening scene, implying he doesn't really believe he could go to Heaven any more than he believes he will actually go to Hell. So, waiting to genuinely mean you repent your sins doesn't work here if he doesn't believe it. Also, I don't think it's possible to wait until the last minute to repent and mean it. If he genuinely meant it, he would do it ASAP. Or, you know, wouldn't have signed a deal with the devil in the first place. On a real note though, that scene with the pope... wtf are they doing? "Oh hey I am Faustus! Everyone will know of my mighty power because I am Faustus and I am great! But.. I think I'll be funny instead and make myself invisible and screw with these peoples' dinner plans because I'm hysterical and sold my soul to the devil just to be funny!" Oh. Good work, Faustus. Good work.
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