My mom used to say, “you can’t break someone who is already
broken.” I know this saying may seem quite random, but it seems to apply well
to Faustus, both physically and mentally. As we read in the story, Benvolio
plans to attack Faustus and proceeds to cut off his head. Benvolio, Frederick
and Martino then dance around in joy when they think they have killed Faustus,
yet to find out that he magically is pieced back together and alive. Faustus
has already given his soul to the devil, so he cannot die because his soul is
already in the hands of death. They cannot break Faustus because he was already
broken as soon as he signed the contract with the devil. But, perhaps Faustus
was already broken the moment he started doubting his faith. The second Faustus
questioned who he was and who God was to him, was the minute he started listening
to the devil. Did the devil break Faustus or was he already broken?
At the end
of class last week, we were told to think about the significance of the clowns.
It seems to me that these clowns foreshadow the being Faustus will become by
giving his soul to the devil. Like the clowns, Faustus submits to simple
trickery and this helps lead to his downfall. Faustus plays numerous pranks on
people, even those of high religious status like the Pope. It seems to me as if
Faustus is mocking those who believe in God, those who are against the devil. I
understand the saying that “curiosity kills the cat,” and maybe Faustus’
curiosity lead him to side with the devil, but why take it a step further and
mock those who believe in God? Isn’t he mocking his friends, his family, his
old self? How can Faustus mock who he was when he ultimately still isn’t happy
with who he is now? He is using the devil as a way to escape his problems, to
run away from the answers he does not know and pretend like he is happy when he
is not.
Although I
have jumped all over the place there are a few key points I’m hoping to make:
- · Faustus is broken
- · The Devil broke Faustus (Or Maybe Faustus broke Faustus?)
- · Clowns=Faustus’ future self
- · Faustus is not happy and seems like he never will be
Also, could there be more to the clowns? Could they in fact
be on the side of the devil too?
You make some good points, and I think it's ironic that Faustus' "broken" nature is in fact his strength in his present life. Because he's broken, Benvolio could not kill him. While it is true we cannot break what is already broken, it is certainly still possible to make it worse. I can shatter a glass and it's broken, but I can still break those broken pieces further, and then those even further, and so the cycle continues. Faustus' knowledge ultimately broke him to begin with-- he is undoubtedly smart. He's done all these great things, learned so much in so many diverse fields of study, so what's left? How can he still fulfill his life if he's done what seems like everything to him? So as you mentioned, there's nothing left to make him happy. Therefore, he continues to break himself further, and while they may not make the awful decisions for him, the devils assist his downfall. Great picture by the way!
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