Act 5 + Faustus Epilogue Quotes' Analysis Flashcards
what role does the Old Man play in the final act?
stock character representing wisdom, conventions of a morality play that Marlowe subverts by having Faustus reject him + potentially a foil for Faustus who will never reach that age
break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears
audience would interpret blood as representing Christ’s love, subverted by Faustus using it to reaffirm his deal with Lucifer, blood represents chance of redemption
with greatest torments that hell affords
Faustus previously did not believe in Hell, so suggests an acceptance of his fate and Christian teachings
Mephistopheles gives him a dagger
hoping Faustus will kill himself and therefore be damned, suicide seen as the worst sin to commit
how does the Old Man’s death link to morality plays?
represents the death of Faustus’ chance for redemption, finality of damnation/ downfall, symbolic of Lutheran ideas and beliefs
her lips suck forth my soul
proves Faustus’ damnation as it conveys how corrupted his desires have become, pursuit and value for base desires, level of debauchery and foolishness, hollow nature of necromancy as he devalues his soul, ironic as his soul belongs to Lucifer
for heaven be in these lips
damning himself, takes joy in being blasphemous
I will combat with weak Menelaus
lack of self-awareness, trying to present himself as a brave warrior despite it being set up multiple times that he is not
as in this furnace God shall try my faith
unlike Faustus’ fickle nature, the Old Man has strong, firm faith in God
what context can be linked to despair/ suicide?
despair means the inability to believe in God’s power to forgive sin, complete loss of hope which was the greatest of all sins for Renaissance theologians
tis but a surfeit
structural parallel to the chorus, reference to gluttony, excess, over-indulgence
O, he stays my tongue
imagining that the devils are controlling him, not taking responsibility
O, I’ll leap up to my God. Who pulls me down?
short, sharp utterances reflects inevitability, urgency, and hurried nature
clock strikes eleven
symbolic of the penultimate hour/ time of his life
stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven
Faustus’ desperation to stop time has made him become illogical
mountains and hills, come, come and fall on me, and hide me from the heavy wrath of God
coming up with impossible ideas that defy the laws of nature because he knows his fate is sealed
offence can never be pardoned… nothing can resolve me
fatalism, Calvinistic
this soul should fly from me and I be changed unto some brutish beast
lowering himself in the Great Chain of Being, shows how desperate he is
curse be the parents that endangered me… curse Lucifer, that hath deprived thee of the joys of heaven
Faustus unable to take personal responsibility for his actions
let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, a hundred thousand, and at last be saved
mirroring of Faustus’ first soliloquy where he faces inner conflict shows a lack of growth, has not learned about the consequences of his actions, highlights hubris
thunder and lightning
use of sound/ imagery builds tension
I’ll burn my books
furthers desperation, willingness to sacrifice what is most important to him (the cause of his plight)
ah, Mephistopheles
calling out for him and not getting a response shows how much their relationship has changed
cut is the branch that might have grown full straight
metaphorical language emphasises his wasted potential
what is the significance of the epilogue being spoken by a chorus?
structural mirroring of the prologue, focusing on the lesson of the morality play, directing the audience to reflect
burned is Apollo’s laurel bough
classical influence, indicative of the destruction of indulgence/ reverence/ frivolity
whose deepness doth entice such forward wits to practise more than heavenly power permits
main message of the morality play to not overstep/ overreach, rhyming couplet
