In the following passage [Act, Scene and lines please] from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus we are presented with yet another attempt of our hero at repentance. Faustus seems distressed and not that confident in his decision to serve the evil after all. ü But is there a chance of turning back? Not for Faustus! Try to keep to a scholarly style of writing, Damien. His biggest mistake is in his inability to believe that God would still forgive him should he repent, to solidify his faith in Christianity and resist the sinful temptations. I'd draw attention to the particular focus of the question within your opening section.
There are certain aspects of the passage's structure that Marlowe uses to show the character's indecisiveness and inner struggle. Do you mean by 'structure' the pattern formed by the metre, for example?
First and foremost the passage is yet again [why yet again?] written in blank verse with a full use of iambic pentameter. Each line is constructed from five strong positively stressed sylable [check spelling] words, [punctuation] this rhythm is believed to follow the closest to human speech, particularly usefull when the verse does not rhyme. You should acknowledge Pacheco here. Also, your point about the metre deserves to be further qualified. If you look carefully, you will see that Marlowe uses a combination of iambic pentameter with other rhythms. The effect would be very different indeed if all lines were in i.p. form.
It is also important to notice a few repetitions in the passage. The words repeated most are repent, pity and despair. The author is obviously trying to emphasise what's [what is] on Faustus' mind. ü Should he repent and carry on living in "deep despair" (because the human knowledge is so limited) or fall for the "sweet pleasures" of demonic forces to keep himself contained? Not sure about the last word of your sentence; otherwise, this is a much more satisfying point you are making!
The passage opens up Faustus' fears on becoming "damned". The use of short nouns with a stress on the first syllable "poison, guns, halters and envenomed steel" (Marlowe, p49, 23), combined with the appropriate punctuation (commas in this case) make us believe he is genuinely scared not only of the whole idea of becoming a "spirit", [yes!] but also to be rejected by the human society he is still desperately trying to fit in and be part of. I'm not sure I would entirely go along with the last point. Some might argue that he is merely scared of the Devil and is not ready to face the consequences in case of his repentance. Good!
At the end of the passage he yet again makes the wrong choice by refusing to repent and seeks Mephistopheles [apostrophe] company. Interestingly, how throughout the play he addresses Mephistopheles as "my Mephistopheles" or "sweet Mephistopheles" prompting the audience to believe there was a homosexual connection in their relationship. Not a full sentence. I'd qualify the argument scholars and critics do not all agree on this point. The best way around this is to provide a clear scholarly reference.
All of this combined makes a story that is hard to put down [try to maintain the focus upon the needs of the question] and a protagonist that at first you feel sorry for, and then change maybe to pity, [note the change of tone and rhythm in line 32!] it paints a picture of a man who is living in a fantasy world, where he has risen through the social ranks, and learned more then most men, to the end where he is no longer interested in mortal thoughts and deeds, but wishes for immortality. ü
The use of the language helps to portray Faustus as living in a fantasy world, [try not to repeat points] and unable to differentiate between reality [the real] and [the] imaginary, this is shown especially within the lines where he is talking to himself almost in a panic "Faustus thou art damned"(Marlowe, p.49. 22). cursing himself and his thoughts, only to talk himself out of it later on, finally submitting to Mephistopheles. Try to close off the discussion with a more overarching statement that addresses the question as a whole.
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, Act 2, Scene 3, II. 13-38; in John O'Connor (ed.)(2009), Doctor Faustus; the A text, Pearson Longman, P,49.
Reworked version:
Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus
Read the following passage from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Discuss Marlowe's use of language in the passage and how it contributes to the characterisation of Faustus. Your answer should be no longer than 500 words.
In the following passage (Act 2, Scene 3, ll, 13-38) from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus we are presented with yet another attempt of our hero at repentance. Faustus seems distressed and not overly confident in his decision to serve the evil after all.
There are certain aspects of the passage's structure that Marlowe uses to show the character's indecisiveness and inner struggle. We find Faustus talking to himself, the use of metre here gives a sense of desperation, it sounds as though Faustus is talking ferverently and desperately trying to persuade himself out of what he has done.
First and foremost the passage is written in blank verse with a full use of iambic pentameter. Each line is constructed from five strong positively stressed syllable words, this rhythm is believed to follow the closest to human speech, particularly usefull when the verse does not rhyme. (Pacheco, Reputations, p43)
It is also important to notice a few repetitions in the passage. The words repeated most are repent, pity and despair. The author is obviously trying to emphasise what is on Faustus' mind. Should he repent and carry on living in "deep despair" ( because the human knowledge is so limited) or fall for the "sweet pleasures" of demonic forces to keep himself in control?
The passage opens up Faustus' fears on becoming "damned". The use of short nouns with a stress on the first syllable "poison, guns, halters and envenomed steel"(Marlowe, p49, 23), combined with the appropriate punctuation (commas in this case) make us believe he is genuinely scared not only of the whole idea of becoming a "spirit", but also to be rejected by the human society he is still desperately trying to fit in and be part of. Some might argue that he is merely scared of the Devil and is not ready to face the consequences in case of his repentance. All of this combined creates a story about a protagonist that at first you feel sorry for, and then change maybe to pity, there is a change of tone and rhythm from a "rapid fire" at the beginning, to a more pitifull and sorry Faustus towards the end, it paints a picture of a man who is living in a fantasy world, where he has risen through the social ranks, and learned more then most men, to the end where he is no longer interested in mortal thoughts and deeds, but wishes for immortality.
The use of the language helps to portray Faustus as living in world he has created, and unable to differentiate between the real and the imaginary, this is shown especially within the lines where he is talking to himself almost in a panic "Faustus thou art damned"(Marlowe, p.49. 22). cursing himself and his thoughts, only to talk himself out of it later on, eventually realising that there is nothing left to do but allow himself to be taken away by Mephistopheles.
