Doctor Faustus [New way of looking at the end of Doctor Faustus' tragedy]

Hello Friends,

I tried to apply new way of looking at Marlow's famous tragedy - Doctor Faustus. We can't call it perfect comedy but this is just contemporary way of looking at character of Doctor Faustus.


If Christopher Marlow had written this tragedy today, it would not have been a tragedy but a interesting and logical comedy.  In this world of meaningless, mental shortcomings, a person can get everything he wants, he can do everything he wants,there is paradise if anyone can live any moment of their wish.  Then the Doctor Faustus enjoyed the life of this paradise on this earth for 24 years. Why he grow up the hope for heaven now!

Doctor Faustus

[New way of looking at the end of Doctor Faustus' tragedy]

Last Monologue

FAUSTUS: He is doing this because he has never tasted Helen's lips.  The heaven of the world is lies in the lips of Helen and he does not find it and so he denies you.
Doctor faustus, do not be afraid.
Do whatever you want to do.
Do you forget, "Doctor Faustus is man of Knowledge!"

(MEPHISTOPHILIS gives him a dagger.]

OLD MAN: Oh! please stay, good Faustus, stay your desperate steps! I see an angel hover o’er your head, And, with a vial full of precious grace, Offers to pour the same into your soul: 
Then call for mercy, and avoid despair.

FAUSTUS. O friend, Walk on your way!  None of your words can fool me.  I have the knowledge, I am capable of doing what I want to do.  Do you know what the power of knowledge is? Go away, it's beyond your knowledge!

OLD MAN. Faustus, I leave you, but with grief of heart, Fearing the enemy of your hapless soul.

[Exit.]

FAUSTUS(talks himself): Have you seen that paradise? Or even  Have you seen that hell? Do you know where to go?  So why worry and fear! Why do you need to repent and be afraid!

MEPHISTOPHILIS: Your traitor, Faustus, I arrest your soul for disobedience to my sovereign lord: Revolt, or I’ll in piece-meal tear thy flesh.

FAUSTUS: Sweet Mephistophilis! I will not repent for what I did. I will not! If you think that I beg your pardon, you are wrong.  Even though I have contracted with my soul and blood, now I have knowledge.  For 24 years I have known everything I wanted to know and get. Go! Go  to your God of hell and tell him whatever he wants to do, he can. 

MEPHISTOPHILIS. Do it! then, Faustus, with unfeigned heart, Lest greater dangers do attend thy drift.

FAUSTUS: The old man told me how the hell is going to work, but I don't care!  I have the knowledge why I don't need it anymore!

MEPHISTOPHILIS: His faith is great; I cannot touch his soul; But what I may afflict his body with I will attempt, which is but little worth.

FAUSTUS: I want to taste Helen's lips.  Heaven on earth is to be enjoyed, Mephistophilis!  I want to meet Helen.

MEPHISTOPHILIS: This, or what else my Faustus shall desire, Shall be perform’d in twinkling of an eye.                             

[Re-enter HELEN, passing over the stage between two CUPIDS.]

FAUSTUS: Helen, make me eternal.  Touch my lips. Take me to you and give experience of extreme happiness.  Take me to the climax of happiness Helen. Kiss me.

[Kisses her]

Her lips suck forth my soul:  see, where it flies!— Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again. Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips, And all is dross that is not Helena. I will be Paris, and for the love of her, Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sacked;

And I will combat with weak Menelaus, And wear thy colours on my plumed crest; Yea, I wound Achilles in the heel, And then return to Helen for a kiss. Ohh, your  art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars; Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter When he appear’d to helpless  Semele; More lovely than the monarch of the sky In wanton Arethusa’s assured arms; And none but your shalt be my paramour!

Hey!  Hey Helen!  Where my lips are flying in the air.  Look Helen. Come to me, give me back my soul.  What if Troy, good-natured Helen gets ready to go to war.  Aah! What is this? I can't express what I am feeling now. Aah Helen...

LUCIFER: Mephistophilis, it's time to bring the Faustus's soul to hell here. It's time to pay Faustus his final damnation. Now Faustus must give his soul to the forfait he has done.

MEPHISTOPHILIS: In this same room tonight Faustus cries on his own miserable.  No one can come to his aid. Tonight Faustus will grieve over the knowledge he has acquired.

BELZEBUB. And here we’ll stay, To  mark him how he doth demean himself.

MEPHISTOPHILIS:. How should he but in desperate lunacy? Fond worldling, now his heart-blood dries with grief; His conscience kills it; and his labouring brain Begets a world of idle fantasies To  over-reach the devil; but all in vain; His store of pleasures must be sauced with pain. He and his servant Wagner are at hand; Both come from drawing Faustus’ latest will. See, where they come!

[Enter  FAUSTUS and  WAGNER]

FAUSTUS. Say,  Wagner,— you  are you my will pursued,— How do you like it?

WAGNER. Sir,  So wondrous well, As in all humble duty I do surrender My life and lasting service for your love.

FAUSTUS: Gramercy,  Wagner. 

[Enter  SCHOLARS]
. Welcome, Gentlemen. 

[Exit WAGNER.]

FIRST SCHOLAR: Now,  worthy Faustus, I think your looks are changed.

FAUSTUS. O, gentlemen!

SECOND SCHOLAR:  Dr. Faustus, what is the trouble ?

FAUSTUS: My favorite chamber-fellow,  So far I have been with you and now I am still with you, because not only God but Lucifer also can't conspire me. So, don't worry. For me, nothing like troublesome.

FIRST SCHOLAR: Oh my dear Faustus, You are not even frightened of God also! You broke the rule of God, you are siner, you have cracked the wall of seaven deadly sins. You will be destroyed! I have pity on yoy that what will you do then!

SECOND SCHOLAR:  Dr.Faustus, now you have last and single chance for you  you to wash away your sins, it's time to turn around. Do repent, do regreat!

THIRD SCHOLAR:  Now you will punish by the God, niether heaven nor hell will give you a place!

SECOND SCHOLAR: You must be frightened doctor.

FAUSTUS.  I have pity on you dear all.....I did everything.... I did everything what I want to do in this 24-year life.  Now! ... I don't need to run or do anything. Whatever I want to do i have done! Lucifer or Mephistophilis or whoever wants to do anything with my body and soul, one can- I don't care!
I know what I have, everyone can not even think of it.

SECOND SCHOLAR: Yet, Faustus, look up to heaven, and remember mercy is infinite.

FAUSTUS: Shut up! Are you not listening me, what I make you understand? Why you don't want to understand.... For me nothing is heaven, nothing is hell, I have knowledge and now I will conspire  Lucifer also with knowledge. My every breathes are peacefull. I gave my whole life in gaining knowledge. I don't want to live in kingdom of heavon or joy. It will make nothing differ for me to live in heaven or hell.

SECOND SCHOLAR: But tell me Faustus, have you himself experienced of hell? Have you ever feel the happiness of heaven? If not then how can you talk like this about hell! 

SECOND SCHOLAR: Yet Faustus. Think again...remember God may be God will pardon you for your sins  If you go to his feet.

FAUSTUS: If I go to his feet and then & then he will forgive me, then let him conspire me.

FAUSTUS.: (By seeing Lucifer & Mephistophilis) Why! Why your faces are not seeming happy Lucifer and Mephistophilis! O gentlemen, I will give them my soul for my cunning! I am giving you my soul Mephistophilis... I am giving you what you want, I enjoyed my 24 years. Take it away. I dont need this now!

ALL: Please God, forbid him!

FAUSTUS. Of course, God may forbade it, indeed; I did everything myself, not for the vain pleasure of four-and-twenty years, Faustus got eternal joy and felicity. I write them a bill with mine own blood: the date is expired; this is the time. Do, whatever you want to do.

SECOND SCHOLAR. Ups!  Now, what may we do to save Faustus?

FAUSTUS. Talk not of me, but think about yourselves, and depart from here.

THIRD SCHOLAR: God will strengthen me; I will stay with Faustus. Fullish Faustus doesn't know what he is doing but We are his friends, true friends. We will be with you...

FAUSTUS: If you think that you will be with me then you are wrong. You are not even with you himself. But I have.. I have the knowledge, it will be with me, wherever I go!


FAUSTUS: Do not pray for me, do not pray for me; and what noise soever you hear, let it come to me. I will face whatever I pected. I have knowledge and I will fight with my destiny.

FAUSTUS(With smile and happiness): Gentlemen, bye bye. If I will see the sun of tomorrow's morning we will meet again, bye bye.  But yes, for one thing, even though life has chance and its all about chance, the true life comes from choice. Though there is chance it depends on your choice!

ALL(sadly): Faustus, farewell.

[Exeunt SCHOLARS.]

[The clock strikes eleven.]

(Mephistophilis enters  to room with cruel laughter to snatch Faustus' soul and tells Lucifer that I will bring the Doctor's soul here. Knowledgeable person like him will be in our hell)

MEPHISTOPHILIS: Ay, Faustus, now you have no hope of heaven; Therefore despair; think only upon hell, For that must be thy mansion, there to dwell.

FAUSTUS: Poor Mephistophilis, Are you living in the world of illusion?  Are all the idiots in hell like you? Does your Lord not even have the understanding that he can think how the hell can be where there is knowledge!

Even though you gave me a lasting pleasure for a short time, all the joy I have gained its by selling it in my soul, what do you think, 
you...to whom you gave this 24 years, gained what he wants.  Have you gained anything in this your four and twenty years? 
Pity on you Mephistophilis! You passed four and twenty years only in vain for me to help and waiting for my soul.  Pity on you Mephistophilis that you don't know even that one can't abandon the knowledge in hell or heaven!

MEPHISTOPHILIS: Fools that will laugh on earth must weep in hell.

FAUSTUS: let's see Mephistophilis! You will snatch my soul, not my knowledge & that's the mistake you did! I have pact with you that at the end of 24 years, I will give you my soul but not the knowledge I have gained in this 24 years!

[Exit.]

MEPHISTOPHILIS: What the hell are you talking Faustus! Do you forget what you lost? You are going to  hell, your every second make you regret for your lost celestial happiness, unspeakable pleasure, bliss without affected sweet divinity, Hell or the devil had had no power on you but now, I will kept on that way, Faustus, behold, 

In  what resplendent glory you have sit In  yonder throne, like those bright-shining saints, And triumph’d  over hell! And now, poor soul,The jaws of hell are open to receive you.


FAUSTUS: Eh Faustus, German scholar! What you lived! You don't need a single hour more. 
That time may cease, and midnight never come; Fair Nature’s eye, rise, rise again, and make Perpetual day of my hell's days because now Because now Lucifer would cry why he gave this guy four and twenty years!  To keep Faustus enslaved, Mephistophilis had to buy not only his soul, but also his knowledge!

MEPHISTOPHILIS: My dear knowledgeable German scholar! I think you've forgotten what you yourself said. After visiting India, you came here and told me about Indian mythical character of MAHABHARATA. Your knowledge will not come with you at the right time, Doctor.  The knowledge transmitted through this path which you choosed, can never be successful. Don't forget Dr.Faustus!

FAUSTUS:  I think you have forgotten what you remembered. I talked you about Karna, I never told you that I am Karna.I think one more thing I need to remind you about epic of Mahabharata. Karna has gained knowledge by telling lies to Parshurama. While I gained  knowledge by pact and by selling my soul.
Do you think it would be difficult for a knowledgeable man like me to live in hell? Just like I have ruled here for 24 years, I do not mind if my soul have to live perpetually in hell. And you are talking too much about hell and curse and pain of hell from which may be I will pass through. 

I will neither repent nor pray to save my soul. Why are you making much arguments about this! I don't care whether I am going to burn perpetually or temperoary. Why should I frightened for my soul what will happened to my soul or where it will go!

Let autumn come,   I’ll leap up to heaven!—Who pulls me down?—, firmament can't even affect me,  your trembling palms and fierce raging eyes could not scare me But let my soul mount and ascend to hell!. I have choosed it!

[The clock strikes the half-hour.]

FAUSTUS: ups! half the hour is past! As all were saying, If God will do bad for my bad deeds how can I consider him as a God. 

Let me suffer by my incessant pain;
Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, possibilities that doesn't need of  Pythagoras’ metempsychosis will be true. Who knows what happened after death, then why should I have to feared! Blessed  the parents who gave birth to such a son, otherwise who here has the opportunity to gain knowledge even by selling his soul!

Thank you Lucifer.No! no ... No need to thank lucifer, knowledge has taught me and I will pay this debt to my soul.

Sweet hell, I am coming! Lucifer!
Everyone marks you as devil.I’ll bring this book in hell also!—O Mephistophilis! Take me away with you. Why you are not smiling!! Man of Knowledge will be in hell....

[Mephistophilis says to Lucifer that Faustus has no repent for what he has done.If he does not repent of his deeds, then the pain of hell cannot hurt him. If the pain of hell does not hurt him, he will not help us to win heaven. So my Lord Lucifer, why he is given this 24 years if he will not help us to fight with heaven!]


[Mephistophilis comes with devils and exists with Faustus]

I tell you to take me.  Take it with you But I never regret what I did because the power of knowledge is greater than any devil spirit.  I will rule over the hell.

Let's go Mephistophilis. 
Let's go to hell to rule over!

[Mephistophilis is worring and scared and hard to find what Faustus is saying then Faustus laughes!]

[Exeunt DEVILS with FAUSTUS.]

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