Faustus Task 2

The first thing we learn about Faustus’ character is his origins. He doesn’t come from a well-off background “his parents base of stock.” This comes from the ‘chain of being’ where stone was the lowest and God was the most supreme level of the chain. It then explains that he moved from his home town of Rhode to Wittenberg. This is significant to the play as Wittenberg was the home of Lutherism and the overturning of the Catholic Church. It could be interpreted as Marlowe’s personal comment on the Catholic religion. It is also significant because we learn from the prologue that Faustus is studying divinity, “So soon he profits in divinity” as was Marlowe at the time of writing. This links with the regular of usage of religious vocabulary, “heavenly...devilish” which is one of many examples of the binary opposition that is frequently used. The fact that Marlowe was also studying divinity at university raises the question of whether the character of Faustus is in fact Marlowe talking about himself. In lines 20 and 21 the chorus hint towards what causes Faustus’ downfall, “swoll’n with cunning of a self deceit,” indicates that Faustus had knowledge and was a very intelligent man,  however this could have been his weakness. “his waxen wings did not mount above his reach,” tells us that he became too arrogant and aimed to high. His arrogance is reinforced by  the use of the word “chiefest” in line 27.