Doctor Faustus is a tragedy written by Christopher Marlowe. Doctor Faustus has been called one of the greatest Elizabethan tragedies and is the earliest example of a theatrical “tragedy of repentance.” Doctor Faustus was a man who sold his soul to the devil for superhuman powers so that he may be an accomplished scholar and advance scientific learning, but in turn he gained nothing but damnation upon his death.
Doctor Faustus Death occurs after Doctor Faustus makes a pact with Lucifer (the devil) and sells his immortal soul for twenty-four years of service from Mephistopheles (Lucifer’s servant). When Doctor Faustus does not come home at midnight on Saturday to seal their bargain, Lucifer comes to Doctor Faustus’ study to take him captive. Doctor Faustus willingly submits, and Mephistopheles chains Doctor Faustus with magic spells so that he cannot flee or resist. Doctor Faustus regrets his hasty decision but is determined not to be damned for an eternity in hell.
Doctor Faustus attempts to rid himself of the damnation brought upon by selling his soul by performing good deeds that will outweigh the bad deeds committed while making a pact with Lucifer. But still… Doctor Faustus death is inevitable as it was written in his destiny before he ever sold his soul to Lucifer.
Doctor Faustus is a tragedy written by Christopher Marlowe in the 16th century. Doctor Faust is a man who sells his soul to Mephistopheles for power and knowledge. Doctor Faustus dies in the end of this play, but Marlowe does not give a clear explanation of how he dies. According to some scholars, Doctor Faustus’s death may have been caused from hanging due to being hanged on stage after being captured when he tried to escape from Duke Heinrich. Other critics believe that Doctor Faustus died because he could not handle all the power and knowledge was given with his deal with Mephistopheles and ended up going mad.
Doctor Faust promises never to repent if Mephistopheles does everything Doctor Faust has asked. Doctor Faustus then begins to pray to God to give him time for repentance, but Mephistopheles tells Doctor Faustus that he cannot repent. Doctor Faust still does not repent and claims he is not afraid of dying. Faustus calls out in despair, “Away, you fond old man! ” (5. 1. 12), when he thinks that Lucifer will take away his soul anyway because of all the knowledge Doctor Faustus knows now.
However, like other scholars believed before this quote came up, Doctor Faustus dies from hanging because in line 13 it clearly states that Mephistopheles ‘lends him rope enough’ (13) for Doctor Faustus to hang himself with. Doctor Faustus then hangs himself with the rope that Mephistopheles gave him after he made Doctor Faustus promise not to repent, which Doctor Faustus does not do because he knows it would violate what he promised Mephistopheles in line 12 when Doctor Faustus said ‘Thou must undo this knot again’ (12).
This shows Doctor Faustus cannot escape his contract with Mephistopheles even if Doctor Faust wants to because of what Doctor Faust has already promised to Mephistopheles. Doctor Faust commits suicide immediately after affirming that he will never repent. There are many reasons Doctor Faust kills himself on stage in this play, but one because Doctor Faust was mad at himself for how he was tricked by Mephistopheles. Doctor Faustus knows that Doctor Faust should not have made another deal with Mephistopheles because Doctor Faust has already given his soul away to the devil.
Doctor Faustus is mad at himself for making this deal because Doctor Faust knows now that Doctor Faust cannot break it. Doctor Faust does not want to die, but Doctor Faust shows willingness to do it when Doctor Faust takes responsibility for what he has done. Doctor Faustus promises never to repent if Mephistopheles will give him knowledge and power in exchange of his soul, so he tries to pray to God to give him time for repentance before Lucifer comes down. Near the ending of this play, Lucifer claims Doctor Faustus has a whole minute to repent.
Doctor Faust realizes that he cannot repent because Doctor Faust knows breaking his promise with Mephistopheles would be going against it and Doctor Faustus cannot let himself go against his word for power and knowledge. Doctor Faust does not want to die either, so Doctor Faust kills himself on stage because Doctor Faustus knows Lucifer will take him away from Earth if Doctor Faust does not repent. Doctor Faust’s death is his own fault even though Doctor Faust only wanted power and knowledge from Mephistopheles in exchange of Doctor Faust’s soul.
There are many interpretations of how Doctor Faust dies in this play, but most scholars believe that Christopher Marlowe makes it clear that at the end of the play Doctor Faust dies from hanging on stage after Doctor Faust is captured when Doctor Faust tries to escape from Duke Heinrich. Doctor Faust’s death may have been caused from hanging because it states that Doctor Faust ‘lends him rope enough’ (13) for Doctor Faustus to hang himself with.
The quote states that Doctor Faustus hung himself, so most scholars think this is how he died. This interpretation of how Doctor Faust dies is the most popular and gives a clear understanding of what Christopher Marlowe intended his audience to understand about Doctor Faust’s death. There are other possibilities as well, but the most logical one is still by hanging on stage after being captured when trying to escape from Duke Heinrich which shows that Doctor Faust dies by suicide when Doctor Faust is captured.
There are many possibilities to how Doctor Faustus dies in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, but most scholars think Doctor Faustus’ death is suicide which shows Doctor Faust cannot escape his contract with Mephistopheles and Doctor Faust kills himself on stage because Doctor knows Lucifer will take him away from Earth if Doctor does not repent and Doctor cannot break the deal with Mephistopheles even if Doctor wants to.
Doctor Faustus commits suicide after he tries to ask for God’s help to give him time for repentance before Lucifer comes down, but realizes that he cannot repent because breaking his promise to Mephistopheles would be going against it which violates what Doctor Faustus’ word is to Mephistopheles.
Doctor Faust does not want to die either, but Doctor Faust cannot escape his contract with Mephistopheles and Doctor Faust kills himself on stage because Doctor knows Lucifer will take him away from Earth if Doctor does not repent. Doctor Faust’s death is Doctor Faust’s fault even though Doctor only wanted power and knowledge from Mephistopheles in exchange of Doctor Faust’s soul because Doctor promises never to repent when Doctor makes the deal with Mephistopheles.