Characters in Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Introduction Plot Overview Chapter-wise Summary Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbolism A gifted scholar of humble origins living in Wittenberg, Germany in the 16th century, Doctor Faustus is the tragic hero of Marlowe's play. Having come to what he believes is the limits of traditional knowledge, he decides to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for twenty-four years of unlimited knowledge and power. To be Faustian is to be recklessly ambitious, and Marlowe's Faust uses his newfound power to travel around the world and attain all kinds of knowledge. However, he also uses his magic to engage in petty practical jokes (at the expense of the pope, for example) and to indulge his desire for a beautiful woman (summoning Helen of Troy to be his lover). Faustus begins to see the error of his ways early on in the play, and wavers in his commitment to his deal with Lucifer, but it is not until the final scene of the play that he realizes his doom. While he tries to repent at the end of …