Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe
FAUSTUS. O Faustus,<br />
Now hast thou but one bare hour to live,<br />
And then thou must be damn'd perpetually!<br />
Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,<br />
That time may cease, and midnight never come;<br />
Fair Nature's eye, rise, rise again, and make<br />
Perpetual day; or let this hour be but<br />
A year, a month, a week, a natural day,<br />
That Faustus may repent and save his soul!<br />
O lente, lente currite, noctis equi!<br />
The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike,<br />
The devil will come, and Faustus must be damn'd.<br />
O, I'll leap up to heaven!--Who pulls me down?--<br />
See, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament! [257]<br />
One drop of blood will save me: O my Christ!--<br />
Rend not my heart for naming of my Christ;<br />
Yet will I call on him: O, spare me, Lucifer!--<br />
Where is it now? 'tis gone:<br />
And, see, a threatening arm, an [258] angry brow!<br />
Mountains and hills, come, come, and fall on me,<br />
And hide me from the heavy wrath of heaven!<br />
No!<br />
Then will I headlong run into the earth:<br />
Gape, earth! O, no, it will not harbour me!<br />
You stars that reign'd at my nativity,<br />
Whose influence hath [259] allotted death and hell,<br />
Now draw up Faustus, like a foggy mist,<br />
Into the entrails of yon [260] labouring cloud[s],<br />
That, when you [261] vomit forth into the air,<br />
My limbs may issue from your smoky mouths;<br />
But let my soul mount and ascend to heaven!<br />
[The clock strikes the half-hour.]<br />
O, half the hour is past! 'twill all be past anon.<br />
O, if [262] my soul must suffer for my sin,<br />
Impose some end to my incessant pain;<br />
Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years,<br />
A hundred thousand, and at last [263] be sav'd!<br />
No end is limited to damned souls.<br />
Why wert thou not a creature wanting soul?<br />
Or why is this immortal that thou hast?<br />
O, Pythagoras' metempsychosis, were that true,<br />
This soul should fly from me, and I be chang'd<br />
Into some brutish beast! all beasts are happy,<br />
For, when they die,<br />
Their souls are soon dissolv'd in elements;<br />
But mine must live still to be plagu'd in hell.<br />
Curs'd be the parents that engender'd me!<br />
No, Faustus, curse thyself, curse Lucifer<br />
That hath depriv'd thee of the joys of heaven.<br />
[The clock strikes twelve.]<br />
It strikes, it strikes! Now, body, turn to air,<br />
Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell!<br />
O soul, be chang'd into small water-drops,<br />
And fall into the ocean, ne'er be found!
Thunder. Enter DEVILS.
O, mercy, heaven! look not so fierce on me!<br />
Adders and serpents, let me breathe a while!<br />
Ugly hell, gape not! come not, Lucifer!<br />
I'll burn my books!--O Mephistophilis!<br />
[Exeunt DEVILS with FAUSTUS.]
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
This passage is the climactic final soliloquy of Doctor Faustus, moments before his damnation. It is one of the most powerful and despairing speeches in Renaissance drama, encapsulating the play’s central themes: the consequences of unchecked ambition, the irrevocability of sin, the terror of eternal damnation, and the futile struggle against divine justice.
Context of the Play
Doctor Faustus (c. 1592) is a Elizabethan tragedy based on the German legend of Faustus, a scholar who sells his soul to the devil (Mephistophilis) in exchange for 24 years of unlimited knowledge, power, and sensual pleasure. The play explores Renaissance humanism, the limits of human intellect, and the conflict between medieval theology and emerging scientific thought.
By this point in the play:
- Faustus has wasted his supernatural gifts on trivial pursuits (pranks, conjuring Helen of Troy, etc.).
- He has rejected multiple chances to repent, clinging to his pride and despair.
- The 24-year pact is expiring, and he faces imminent damnation.
This soliloquy is his final, frantic attempt to escape his fate, revealing his psychological torment as he oscillates between defiance, desperation, and despair.
Themes in the Excerpt
The Inevitability of Time and Divine Justice
- Faustus begs for time to stop ("Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven")—a futile plea against the unrelenting march of fate.
- The clock striking (half-hour, then midnight) acts as a death knell, reinforcing that his doom is inescapable.
- His cry, "The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike," underscores the cosmic indifference to his suffering.
The Horror of Eternal Damnation
- Faustus’s terror is not just of death, but of endless torment ("No end is limited to damned souls").
- He envies animals ("all beasts are happy") because their souls dissolve at death, while his is immortal in agony.
- His plea—"Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, / A hundred thousand, and at last be sav’d!"—reveals his desperate bargaining, knowing full well that hell is eternal.
The Failure of Human Will and Intellect
- Faustus, once a proud scholar, now begs for mercy like a broken man.
- His intellectual arrogance (invoking Pythagoras’ metempsychosis, the idea of soul transmigration) is now useless—he would rather be a beast than face hell.
- His final, pathetic attempt to burn his books ("I’ll burn my books!") is too late—knowledge cannot save him.
The Absence of Divine Mercy
- Faustus calls on Christ ("O my Christ!"), but sees only a "threatening arm"—suggesting God’s wrath, not forgiveness.
- His cry, "Rend not my heart for naming of my Christ," implies that even uttering Christ’s name is painful—his soul is already claimed by Lucifer.
- The blood of Christ (a symbol of redemption) vanishes, leaving him abandoned.
Self-Loathing and Blame
- Faustus curses his parents, then himself, then Lucifer—his rage has no target because his damnation is self-inflicted.
- His line, "No, Faustus, curse thyself," is a moment of brutal self-awareness—he knows he is solely responsible.
Literary Devices & Stylistic Features
Apostrophe (Direct Address to Absent Forces)
- Faustus speaks to time ("Stand still, you ever-moving spheres"), Nature ("Fair Nature’s eye, rise"), the stars ("You stars that reign’d at my nativity"), and Lucifer/Heaven—highlighting his isolation and desperation.
- His plea to the clock personifies time as his enemy.
Imagery of Cosmic Chaos
- Nature rebels against him: He asks the sun to rise eternally (to stop time), then begs mountains to crush him, then earth to swallow him—but nothing obeys.
- The stars (which once influenced his fate) now mock him by continuing their course.
- The thunder and devils’ entrance create a hellish atmosphere, reinforcing his inevitable doom.
Classical & Biblical Allusions
- "O lente, lente currite, noctis equi!" ("O slowly, slowly run, horses of the night!") – A Latin invocation to the chariot of night (from Ovid), begging for time to slow.
- Pythagoras’ metempsychosis – The idea of soul transmigration (reincarnation), which Faustus wishes were true so he could escape hell.
- Christ’s blood – A symbol of salvation, but it disappears, showing that redemption is now impossible.
Repetition & Frantic Rhythm
- "O" – The soliloquy is punctuated by cries of despair ("O Faustus", "O lente", "O, no", "O mercy").
- Short, choppy lines ("It strikes, it strikes!") mimic panicked breathing.
- Contrasts between hope and despair (e.g., "One drop of blood will save me" vs. "'tis gone").
Dramatic Irony
- The audience knows Faustus’s fate is sealed, making his pleas for mercy tragically futile.
- His final attempt to burn his books is too late—the devils take him anyway.
Symbolism
- The clock = inevitable judgment.
- Christ’s blood = fleeting hope of salvation.
- The devils’ entrance = the arrival of eternal damnation.
Significance of the Passage
The Tragedy of Human Overreach
- Faustus represents the Renaissance man who defies God in pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
- His fall is a warning against hubris—intellect without morality leads to ruin.
Theological Debate: Predestination vs. Free Will
- The play engages with Calvinist ideas—is Faustus predestined to damnation, or does he choose it?
- His refusal to repent suggests free will, but his despair implies divine abandonment.
Psychological Realism
- Marlowe depicts Faustus’s mental collapse with raw intensity—his terror, regret, and madness feel viscerally real.
- The soliloquy is a masterclass in dramatic monologue, influencing later writers like Shakespeare (Macbeth’s "Tomorrow" speech).
Marlowe’s Subversive Tone
- While the play condemns Faustus’s sin, Marlowe also sympathizes with his struggle.
- The beauty of the poetry makes Faustus tragically heroic, not just a villain.
Line-by-Line Breakdown of Key Moments
"Now hast thou but one bare hour to live, / And then thou must be damn'd perpetually!"
- Immediate urgency—Faustus is counting down his final moments.
- "Perpetually" emphasizes eternal suffering.
"Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven, / That time may cease..."
- A defiant, almost blasphemous command—he tries to halt the universe to escape fate.
- Echoes Prometheus (who defied the gods) and Lucifer’s rebellion.
"O lente, lente currite, noctis equi!"
- Latin invocation—shows his classical learning, now useless.
- The horses of night symbolize time’s relentless passage.
"See, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament! / One drop of blood will save me: O my Christ!"
- A moment of hope—he sees salvation, but it vanishes.
- "Rend not my heart for naming of my Christ" suggests even mentioning God is painful—his soul is already lost.
"Mountains and hills, come, come, and fall on me..."
- Biblical allusion (cf. Revelation 6:16, where sinners beg mountains to hide them from God’s wrath).
- Nature rejects him—even the earth won’t shelter him.
"Curs'd be the parents that engender'd me! / No, Faustus, curse thyself..."
- Self-loathing peaks—he blames himself, realizing no one else is at fault.
"It strikes, it strikes! Now, body, turn to air..."
- The clock’s strike is his death knell.
- He begs for annihilation ("turn to air", "small water-drops"), but damnation is inescapable.
"Ugly hell, gape not! come not, Lucifer!"
- Personifies hell as a monstrous mouth—a medieval image of damnation.
- His final words ("I’ll burn my books!") are too late—the devils drag him away.
Conclusion: Why This Passage is So Powerful
This soliloquy is one of the most harrowing depictions of damnation in literature because:
- It blends grandeur with despair—Faustus’s poetic eloquence makes his fall tragic, not just moralistic.
- It explores the limits of human will—Faustus tries everything (bargaining, repentance, self-destruction), but nothing works.
- It leaves the audience unsettled—is Faustus a victim of fate, or did he choose his doom?
- Its theatricality (thunder, devils, striking clock) makes it viscerally terrifying.
Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus remains a timeless cautionary tale about ambition, sin, and the cost of defying divine order. This final speech haunts the reader, forcing us to confront our own mortality and the consequences of our choices.
Final Thought: Faustus’s last words—"I’ll burn my books!"—are too little, too late. The play suggests that true repentance must come before the final hour, and that some sins cannot be undone. His tragedy is that he realizes the value of his soul only when it is lost forever.