So there was a lot of talk about Doctor Faustus on Monday about the point in the play, if any, where Faustus no longer deserves any mercy if he chooses to repent to God for all his philandering with Mephistophilis and Lucifer and what-not. Some people thought he no longer deserved mercy when his "pranks" started to get a little out of hand. Others thought the point was more towards the end, when he tries to repent, but ends up doing it to the wrong person.
Personally, I pitied Faustus the moment I started reading and learned more about him. He feels incredibly lonely and unappreciated. All he wants is a friend and to feel some semblance of power, so he is easily swayed by Mephistophilis when he is promised ultimate power for however long he desires, so long as he sells his soul to Lucifer.
The only thing that bugs me about Faustus is what he chooses to do with his unlimited new found power. He pulls pranks. That's all. And they're pretty lame. He doesn't choose to do something worthwhile with his power that people would remember him by, which is one of the seemingly biggest personal problems he has before he sells his soul, not feeling appreciated. To me, Faustus is a child. An innocent, immature, lonely child who doesn't feel like any one understands or appreciates him.
So yeah, in conclusion, after I had done some pondering, I decided that there isn't a point in the novel where Faustus doesn't deserve mercy. For the most part, the pranks he pulls are harmless, and he made the decision to sell his soul out of loneliness and desperation. The only mistake Faustus makes is not asking for forgiveness before he is torn limb from limb. He sort of just accepts his fate and takes it. So what does everyone else think? At which point, if there is a point, do you think Faustus no longer deserves any mercy and why?
One of my favorite bands, Kamelot, does a retelling of Faustus' story over the course of two CDs. In their version, he actually finds salvation at the last second. That never seemed implausible or ridiculous to me, and I think that even in the play, any true repentance would have been met with immediate salvation. The problem clearly was not God.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with you on this, there is not a point he couldn't get mercy. I think he was too proud and too foolish to ever see that though. All he had to do was admit for his idiotic mistakes and ask for forgiveness and God would have granted it.
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