Page 156 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes • Pride is the exaggerated opinion of one’s worth in comparison to God and others and a willful
oblivion to one’s flaws.
• Envy is the unhealthy longing for the possessions, abilities, or status of another.
• Gluttony is excessive indulgence in the pleasures of food and drink.
• Lust is extreme desire for sexual and sensual gratification.
• Anger is manifested by fits of wrath and rage due to intolerance of others.
• Greed is an insatiable desire to acquire material goods.
• Sloth is an almost pathological laziness which hinders productivity and good health.
• Anyone possessing some of the deadlly sins was considered evil and anyone who possessed
all of them was utterly doomed.
• In Romans, Paul indicates that the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God.
• The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again; Jesus paid the
price.
• God has promised to make us pure and white and whole; this cleansing and purification was
provided through, His Son, Jesus Christ.
• Marlowe has ordered seven cardinal sins in his play Doctor Faustus, viz. pride, covetousness,
envy, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and lechery.
• Faustus is proud of his knowledge. Pride, creates Doctor Faustus’ inability to repent, therefore
ultimately resulting in his death. An eternity in hell becomes Doctor Faustus’ fate, a fate
determined by his own irrational decisions. By making a deal with the devil, Faustus trades
his soul for satisfaction, and a greater field of study.
• Throughout the twenty-four year period in which Faustus has power and knowledge, his
pride is constant and emerges in several scenes. In these examples, Doctor Faustus clearly
regards himself on a higher level than hell and its devils.
• It is the extreme pride of Doctor Faustus that leads him to believe that he is more deserving of
the special dish than the Pope. Faustus also reacts in the same manner with the horse-courser.
• Despite his agreement with the devil, Faustus is a free individual. However, Faustus was too
stubborn and overcome by his pride to realize his freedom, and therefore does not repent.
• The level of pride that Faustus contains at the end of the play is still abundant, and at this
point, it is too late for him.
• With the closing of the play as Doctor Faustus is sent to hell, there are many ironic details
evident. The main one is that despite his great knowledge and power, Faustus makes the
most unwise decision.
• Faustus demonstrates covetousness in various scenes, when he evokes the devils magic, the
want of a wife, and the overall actions of his character portray his pursuit of knowledge and
glory.
• Doctor Faustus wanted more in his life and envied the powers of others. Therefore he wanted
to command the demons to control the world to his accord.
• Often wrath is our first reaction to the faults of others. Faustus demonstrates his impatience
with the way he treats the people around him, his servants (demonic and human), as well as
other characters.
• Faustus demonstrates gluttony when he evokes the use of the dark arts. He is attempting to
go beyond his earthly knowledge while disturbing the natural balance of Gods laws and
expectations.

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