This essay examines Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus through the framework of the seven deadly sins, arguing that Faustus's damnation is the inevitable result of his indulgence in pride, envy, avarice, gluttony, and sloth. Beginning with a summary of Faustus's bargain with Lucifer and his ultimate fate, the paper analyzes each sin in turn, drawing on biblical references and theological definitions to show how Faustus mirrors Lucifer's own rebellion against God. The essay demonstrates that Faustus's pursuit of unlimited knowledge and power is not merely an intellectual failing but a spiritual one, rooted in the same deadly vices that caused the fall of the brightest angel.
Doctor Faustus, as Christopher Marlowe's protagonist, is a German scholar who wants to exceed the limits of traditional logic, medicine, law, and religion by practicing black magic. Through this pursuit, he calls upon Mephistopheles, a demon, who arranges a deal between Faustus and Lucifer: 24 years of power and glory in exchange for his soul. Despite Mephistopheles' warnings about the horrors of hell and his own doubts about what the deal truly means, Faustus persists in his decision to enter into the bargain, which he signs in his own blood. Rich gifts and displays of pleasure from Mephistopheles and Lucifer distract his doubts and lull his senses and reason, as does Mephistopheles' impressive account of the nature of the universe. The parade of the seven deadly sins particularly wins Faustus' mind and will. In fulfillment of their end of the bargain, Mephistopheles takes Faustus to Rome, the court of Charles V, and the court of the Duke of Vanholt (Sparknotes 2004).
Dread and remorse fill him as the agreed 24 years come to an end. He is urged to repent, but he refuses and instead conjures the spirit of Helen of Troy to dazzle him out of that dread. Towards the end, he pleads for mercy, but time has run out. At midnight, demons carry off his soul (Marlowe, etext #811, 1997).
The seven deadly sins — pride, wrath or anger, envy, avarice or greed, gluttony, sloth, and impurity — are revealed by the Word of God, though not in a single enumerated list (Finnan 1998). These sins are called deadly because they evoke God's justice and punishment more severely than other sins. Of these, pride offends God the most. The Proverbs and the Psalms declare that the "proud of heart" will not go unpunished; destruction follows pride as a fall follows a haughty spirit.
Pride is undue self-esteem or a sense of superiority (Finnan 1998). Webster's dictionary describes its manifestations as "lofty airs, distance, reserve and… contempt of others" — an insolence that lashes out with oppressive treatment of those around it. Pride, arrogance, or haughtiness arises from the fallen, sinful, and rebellious heart that bases its superiority on looks, race, religion, social status, intellectual capacity, or achievements (Finnan 1998). The Biblical Way of Life Encyclopedia teaches that pride in the selfish and sinful heart will be brought low (Prov 11:2, 16:18, 29:23), that it results in quarrels and contention (Prov 13:10), hardens the mind (Daniel 5:20), and leads one to be deceived (Obad. 3). Unrepented pride brings heartache, destruction, and death (Finnan 1998), and in any of its forms it hinders a person from entering the kingdom of God because it places the self in the position of God.
It was pride that drove the brightest angel, Lucifer — the "Morning Star" — to rebel against God. That rebellion is the deadliest and most severely punished sin in theological tradition, and it is the same rebellion Faustus reenacts.
Dr. Faustus already possesses great knowledge, yet he desires not only excellence but also the ability to control other lives and nature itself. He resorts to the occult to seize spiritual power over men and matter. In doing so, he allies himself with the powers of darkness that made the original attempt to dislodge the Almighty as Ruler of the universe. Faustus, like the first rebellious spirits, will not obey or bow down to God. He wants his own way in all things, and in pursuit of this he trades his only soul to Lucifer in exchange for 24 years of unbridled power, pleasure, and other carnal satisfactions (Marlowe, etext #811, 1997).
Like most mortals, Faustus experiences moral uneasiness when his wish is granted by Lucifer through Mephistopheles, and at other moments when his conscience accuses him. But unlike most mortals, he persists in self-indulgence and self-worship as a replacement for the worship of the one true God.
Pride is quite often, as in the case of Faustus and Lucifer himself, the consequence of another deadly sin: envy (Finnan 1998). Envy, or jealousy, is grief or fretting over the real or imagined superiority, success, happiness, or prosperity of another. It destroys relationships, homes, reputations, and lives quite effectively. The Bible expressly denounces it as rotting the bones (Prov 14:30) and causing disorder and every evil practice (James 3:16). The first murder was a consequence of envy when Cain slew his brother Abel. Earlier still, Lucifer envied the infinite goodness and excellence of God, and that envy led him to try to usurp the heavenly throne.
That same desire to equal God which motivated Lucifer now motivates Faustus. When Faustus proposes his exchange deal with Lucifer for 24 years of wantonness and power, Lucifer is entirely familiar with the motive, because he holds the patent to envy and sin itself. It is, therefore, to his "credit" when a man duplicates and shares his infinite failure and punishment. Mephistopheles has the curious "conscience" to warn Faustus about the danger of his pride and envy and, ironically, tells the truth about the horrors of hell as punishment. Yet Mephistopheles' warning does not prevent Faustus from making the deliberate choice to oust God as his ruler.
"Greed drives Faustus's bargain with Lucifer"
"Sensual excess and idleness seal Faustus's fate"
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