Christopher Marlowe - Dr. Faustus - Remind yourself of Scene 5, lines 167-280 from "Now would I have a book" to the entrance of the seven deadly sins.

Essay by zoomspluva1309College, Undergraduate January 2004

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What is the importance of this section in the context of the whole play?

In your answer you should include:

The way the 16th century view of the world is presented

The dramatic effects created by the good and evil angels.

The language used by Faustus and Mephastophilis.

This Scene is the longest, and perhaps most important scene in the play. So far in the play, the audience have been teased with the possibility of Faustus signing his soul over to the devil. In this scene he finally does that, but before he does, Marlowe creates tension by using a pattern throughout the scene. First Faustus will display doubts, which will lead to him being persuaded. Then comes resolve, and finally gains. We can see Faustus doubting Mephastophilis in lines 175-187 when Mephastophilis does not satisfy Faustus. We then see persuasion when the Good and Evil Angels enter. Then comes resolve when Faustus sides with the devil, while thinking about all the things he has done, his gains follow as a conversation with Mephastophilis about astrology.

The Good and Evil Angels play an important part in the play, each time they talk, the Evil angel always has the last say, and sometimes gets to say more then the Good Angel, considering Faustus will always agree with the last thing the Angels say, this is important because it means he is always siding with the Evil Angel. However, in lines 253-256, the Good Angel get to speak last, it is the only time in the play that the Good Angel gets any notice taken of him, this is important at this point in the play, as it adds to the dramatic climax just before the entrance of the seven deadly sins, because first Faustus resolves on the side of good,