Page 146 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes duchess. All this is far removed from his initial assertion: “A sound magician is a demi-god.” The
knowledge of magic and its powers makes a buffoon of him. In this way, Faustus’ quest for knowledge
is shown to be inadequate, unsatisfying and incomplete.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:

11. Conflict between good and evil is best depicted by
(a) good angel and bad angel
(b) morals and sufferings
(c) thrust for knowledge and supreme power
(d) evil will gains the upper hand over good will.
12. Pride and sin is one of the seven deadly sins that leads to
(a) be saved by the gift of grace
(b) all other deadly sins
(c) the man’s abasement
(d) world’s major belief system.
13. The theme quest for knowledge best embodies by
(a) the gain the magical power by Doctor Faustus
(b) the creation of illusion
(c) the Renaissance aspiration for infinite knowledge
(d) the gain of spiritul knowledge.

Fill in the blanks:
14. Doctor Faustus is frequently accompanied by two angels, one ......... and one evil.
15. Faustus was self-driven by ......... and ambition.
16. Faustus has a thirst for knowledge, but he seems unable to acquire ......... .
17. Knowledge bestows ......... on the knower.

State whether the following statements are true or false:
18. Pride is a lethal motivation because it makes the sinner forget his fallen state.
19. The division between flesh and spirit was stronger in Christian Theology.
20. This gap between high talk and low action seems related to the fault of valuing
knowledge over wisdom.

11.4 Summary

• Doctor Faustus, a talented German scholar at Wittenburg, rails against the limits of human
knowledge. He has learned everything he can learn, or so he thinks, from the conventional
academic disciplines. All of these things have left him unsatisfied, so now he turns to magic.
• A Good Angel and an Evil Angel arrive, representing Faustus’ choice between Christian
conscience and the path to damnation.
• Faustus curses Mephostophilis for depriving him of heaven, although he has seen many wonders.
He manages to torment Mephostophilis, he can’t stomach mention of God, and the devil flees.

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