Showing posts with label Faustus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faustus. Show all posts

Monday, January 9, 2012

Marolwe's Faustus: Waffling His Way to Hell

More posts about Marlowe's
"The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus"
"Waffling his way to Hell?" No, I'm not implying that waffles are satanic. Marlowe's Faustus is annoyingly indecisive, and I figured that "waffling" sounded better than something like "vacillating." Definition time:
  • Waffle
    • (Noun) Pancake batter baked in a waffle iron
    • (Verb) Pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    (Princeton's WordNet)
Moving on.

This is my last post about Marlowe's "Tragical History of Doctor Faustus," at least for a while. I wrapped up last week's post where Faustus asked Mephistopheles for another look at Helen of Troy. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof, anyway.

I'm not quite sure what Christopher Marlowe had in mind with Doctor John Faustus and Helen of Troy. Seen through contemporary eyes, Doctor Faustus seems to have finally gone stark, raving, mad.

On the other hand, this is Elizabethan England, when tales of gallant knights and fair damsels were part of the daily culture. Four hundred years from now, folks may wonder what some of the 20th century's more earnestly 'relevant' movies were about. I've posted about that, a little, in another blog:Time to wade back into "...Faustus."

Faustus, Helen, and Getting a Grip

"...FAUSTUS. Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless163 towers of Ilium-
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.-
[Kisses her.]
Her lips suck forth my soul: see, where it flies!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
As I've said before, English has changed a bit over the centuries. Back in Marlowe's day, "topless" didn't mean what it does in today's America:
"[ topless— i.e. not exceeded in height by any.] "
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Footnote 163)
Anyway, Faustus goes on - and on - about Helena. This sort of thing must have been much more popular in Elizabethan England, and I've posted about "... the great Faustian helicopter chase " before.

This excerpt should be enough to indicate what sort of speech Faustus delivered:
"...I will be Paris, and for love of thee,
Instead of Troy, shall Wertenberg be sack'd;
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;..."

"...Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter
When he appear'd to hapless Semele;
More lovely than the monarch of the sky
In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms;..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
After that oration, OLD MAN has a comparatively short speech:
"...OLD MAN. Accursed Faustus, miserable man,
That from thy soul exclud'st the grace of heaven,
And fly'st the throne of his tribunal-seat!

"Enter DEVILS.

"Satan begins to sift me with his pride:
As in this furnace God shall try my faith,
My faith, vile hell, shall triumph over thee.
Ambitious fiends, see how the heavens smile
At your repulse, and laugh your state to scorn!
Hence, hell! for hence I fly unto my God.
[Exeunt,-on one side, DEVILS, on the other, OLD MAN.]"
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")

Despair: A Really Bad Idea

The academic buddies of Faustus have some pretty good advice for the daft doctor:
"...SECOND SCHOLAR. Yet, Faustus, look up to heaven; remember God's
mercies are infinite...."

"...THIRD SCHOLAR. Yet, Faustus, call on God...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Here's part of what Faustus said after SECOND SCHOLAR cited God's infinite mercies:
"...FAUSTUS. But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned: the serpent
that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
There's more in that speech, about the "wonders" Faustus says he performed: Which seem to have consisted primarily of pranking the Pope and putting on a floor show for the German Emperor.

Marlowe probably wasn't a closet Catholic: but his play has more Catholic ideas in it than many Elizabethan citizens may have realized. What Faustus is displaying here is despair.

Despair or presumption are what happens when we abandon a reasoned view of hope. Time for more definitions:
"HOPE: The theological virtue by which we desire and expect from God both eternal life and the grace we need to attain it (1817).

"DESPAIR: The abandonment of hope in salvation and the forgiveness of sins (2091).

"PRESUMPTION: An act or attitude opposed to the theological virtue of hope. Presumption can take the form of trust in self without recognizing that salvation comes from God, or of an over-confidence in divine mercy (2092)."
(Glossary, Catechism of the Catholic Church)
I've put a little more about hope, despair, and presumption, under "Background," near the end of this post.

Words, Prayer, and a Decision

The scholars offer to pray for Faustus. What Faustus says next is a curious mix:
"...FAUSTUS. Ay, pray for me, pray for me; and what noise soever
ye hear,171 come not unto me, for nothing can rescue me.

"SECOND SCHOLAR. Pray thou, and we will pray that God may have
mercy upon thee...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
"...Ay, pray for me..." might seem like a plea for help: but the sentence ends with "...for nothing can rescue me...." Like I said, Faustus seems to have chosen despair. Granted, he's under a great deal of stress, and I've been over that before, too. (December 26, 2011)

After a short exchange, the actor playing Faustus gets one of those long Elizabethan-style soliloquies. It runs over 460 words, not counting stage directions. It's a remarkable piece of oratory, but I'll just give the high (low?) points.

Faustus: Firmly Indecisive to the End

What strikes me most in this soliloquy is the Faust's steadfast indecision. He bemoans his fate, then says in quick succession:
  • "I'll leap up to my God"
  • "Ah, my Christ"
  • "O, spare me, Lucifer"
'Two out of three' isn't going to cut it in this case. Later Faustus tries to bargain with God ("Impose some end to my incessant pain"), wishes he was an animal, and curses:
  • His parents
  • Himself
  • Lucifer
This does not sound like a man who seriously wants to receive mercy. Not to me, anyway. Here's an excerpt:
"...FAUSTUS. Ah, Faustus,
Now hast thou but one bare hour to live,
And then thou must be damn'd perpetually!
Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,
That time may cease, and midnight never come...

"...The devil will come, and Faustus must be damn'd.
O, I'll leap up to my God!-Who pulls me down?-
See, see, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament!
One drop would save my soul, half a drop: ah, my Christ!-
Ah, rend not my heart for naming of my Christ!
Yet will I call on him: O, spare me, Lucifer!-...

"...Ah, half the hour is past! 'twill all be past anon
O God,
If thou wilt not have mercy on my soul,
Yet for Christ's sake, whose blood hath ransom'd me,
Impose some end to my incessant pain...

"...Why wert thou not a creature wanting soul?
Or why is this immortal that thou hast?
Ah, Pythagoras' metempsychosis, were that true,
This soul should fly from me, and I be chang'd
Unto some brutish beast!174 all beasts are happy,
For, when they die,
Their souls are soon dissolv'd in elements;
But mine must live still to be plagu'd in hell.
Curs'd be the parents that engender'd me!
No, Faustus, curse thyself, curse Lucifer
That hath depriv'd thee of the joys of heaven.
[The clock strikes twelve.]
O, it strikes, it strikes! Now, body, turn to air,
Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Now Marlowe invokes some of the special effects available in Elizabethan theaters. I'm pretty sure it wasn't up to the standard we're used to in movies like "Spawn," but it's still good theater:
"...[Thunder and lightning.]
O soul, be chang'd into little water-drops,
And fall into the ocean, ne'er be found!

"Enter DEVILS.

"My God, my god, look not so fierce on me!
Adders and serpents, let me breathe a while!
Ugly hell, gape not! come not, Lucifer!
I'll burn my books!—Ah, Mephistophilis!
[Exeunt DEVILS with FAUSTUS.] 175..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Good theater isn't necessarily good theology. As far as I can tell, nobody's dragged, kicking and screaming, into Heaven. Or Hell. Refusing Heaven is a choice. A daft one, but a choice:

Mercy?

I get the impression that some folks see "mercy" as saying "that's all right," no matter what. Which reminds me of the goofier excesses of the 'self esteem' fad, and that's another topic.

The Catholic Church has quite a bit to say about mercy: and justice. Including this:
" 'God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us.'116 To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'117"
(Catechism, 1847)
"Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the 'virtue of religion.' Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. 'You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.'68 'Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.'69"
(Catechism, 1807)
CHORUS gets the last lines in "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus:
"...Faustus is gone: regard his hellish fall,
Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise,
Only to wonder at unlawful things,
Whose deepness doth entice such forward wits
To practice more than heavenly power permits...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Four centuries later, some folks had taken the notion that some things are "more than heavenly power permits," and given it a Luddite twist. And that sort of 'if God had meant man to fly, He'd have given us wings' attitude is yet another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:Background:
"When God reveals Himself and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine love by his own powers. He must hope that God will give him the capacity to love Him in return and to act in conformity with the commandments of charity. Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God's love and of incurring punishment.

"The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:

"By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice—for the Lord is faithful to his promises—and to his mercy.

"There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit)."
(Catechism, 2090-2092)
"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from:
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Monday, January 2, 2012

Faust, Fear, and - a Femme Fatale?

New post about Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" each Monday

Faust Feels Bad

Here's where I left Marlowe's Doctor John Faustus, last week:
"...FAUSTUS. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord

"To pardon my unjust presumption,
And with my blood again I will confirm
My former vow I made to Lucifer.

"MEPHIST. Do it, then, quickly,159 with unfeigned heart,
Lest greater danger do attend thy drift...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Faustus had gone through another of his emotional 'repentances,' which last maybe a few seconds. Unless the actors say their lines very, very, slowly. Each time, Faustus noticed what direction he was going and got frightened. So far, so good: I think it's reasonable to be frightened of eternal torment.

Repentance? Sounds More Like Fright

Where Faustus fouls up, consistently, is in follow-through. Each time he gets scared, he 'repents,' then changes his mind as soon as Mephistopheles and company scare him again - or dangle bait in front of the doctor.

Last week, I said that I'd post about OLD MAN being 'to blame' for Faustus feeling bad. In its own way, Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" is a very up-to-date play. Or maybe the feel-good philosophies of a few decades back weren't quite as up-to-date as some folks thought.

Moving along.

"Vile and Loathsome Filthiness" - a Loving Remark?!

I'm pretty sure that the "base and crooked age" that Faustus tells Mephistopheles to torment is OLD MAN, the fellow who gave Faustus that reality check. Maybe you remember him. He's the fellow whose lines started with "Ah, Doctor Faustus...." Oh, wait a minute. I only used a few choice phrases, like "such flagitious crimes of heinous sin." Here's a longer excerpt:
"...OLD MAN. Ah, Doctor Faustus, that I might prevail
To guide thy steps unto the way of life,
By which sweet path thou mayst attain the goal
That shall conduct thee to celestial rest!
Break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears,
Tears falling from repentant heaviness
Of thy most vile155 and loathsome filthiness,
The stench whereof corrupts the inward soul
With such flagitious crimes of heinous sin156
As no commiseration may expel,
But mercy, Faustus, of thy Saviour sweet,
Whose blood alone must wash away thy guilt...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
I can see how someone might not feel good about being told that their recent actions are "vile and loathsome filthiness, the stench of which corrupts the inward soul." On the other hand, Faustus has been engaging in self-destructive behavior. Maybe OLD MAN is being a loving neighbor for Faustus.

Sometimes Love Hurts

Maybe it sounds strange, claiming that someone could be "loving" while obviously not accepting another person's choices. The notion that "love" means going along with another person's self-destructive behavior seems to be wearing thin. Finally.

Take the "friends don't let friends drive drunk" public service announcements. Maybe I missed it, but they failed to spark a storm of protest. I'd guess that quite a few Americans don't think it's "loving" to:
  • Let your friend drive drunk
  • Let your kids eat anything they want
  • Do nothing while someone you know commits suicide
Like I said last spring, " 'love' isn't 'approval.' "

Let's see how Faustus responds to OLD MAN's efforts to save his soul:
"...FAUSTUS. Torment, sweet friend, that base and crooked age,
That durst dissuade me from thy Lucifer,
With greatest torments that our hell affords.

"MEPHIST. His faith is great; I cannot touch his soul;
But what I may afflict his body with
I will attempt, which is but little worth...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Offhand, I don't think Marlowe's Faustus is particularly grateful. Or repentant. Temporarily scared at the flash of reality he ran into, yes. Repentant, no.

Helen, Hogwash, and Heavy Irony

In a way, I can see why Doctor John Faustus might have been peeved by OLD MAN. The elderly neighbor had intruded on a 'learned' discussion. A discussion among scholars, anyway:
"...FAUSTUS. Gentlemen,
For that I know your friendship is unfeign'd,
And Faustus' custom is not to deny
The just requests of those that wish him well,
You shall behold that peerless dame of Greece,
No otherways for pomp and majesty
Than when Sir Paris cross'd the seas with her,
And brought the spoils to rich Dardania.
Be silent, then, for danger is in words.
[Music sounds, and HELEN passeth over the stage.] 153

"SECOND SCHOLAR. Too simple is my wit to tell her praise,
Whom all the world admires for majesty.

"THIRD SCHOLAR. No marvel though the angry Greeks pursu'd
With ten years' war the rape of such a queen,
Whose heavenly beauty passeth all compare.

"FIRST SCHOLAR. Since we have seen the pride of Nature's works,
And only paragon of excellence,
Let us depart; and for this glorious deed
Happy and blest be Faustus evermore!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Remember, this was Elizabethan England. The Renaissance was all the rage in Europe. Stories from Greece and Rome were as big as the Kinsey Report was a few decades back. And that's another subject.

Faustus and the scholars were discussing Helen of Troy: 'the face that launched a thousand ships' and all that. Men acting daft about a woman is nothing new: and I am not going to wander off-topic.

Still, a woman who had been dead for thousands of years walks by, and still looks good: and nobody wonders why?! Oh, well. I mentioned emotions and the frontal cortex last week.

Getting back on-track:
  • Faust and the boys were talking about women
  • OLD MAN comes in
  • Faust panics
  • OLD MAN leaves
  • Faust tells Mephistopheles to hurt OLD MAN
I suppose I should give Faust some credit, for holding on to at least one coherent idea for more than a few seconds. Still, I don't think this is what should be on the doctor's mind just now:
"...FAUSTUS. One thing, good servant,160 let me crave of thee,
To glut the longing of my heart's desire,-
That I might have unto my paramour
That heavenly Helen which I saw of late,
Whose sweet embracings may extinguish clean
Those161 thoughts that do dissuade me from my vow,
And keep mine oath I made to Lucifer.

"MEPHIST. Faustus, this,162 or what else thou shalt desire,
Shall be perform'd in twinkling of an eye.

Re-enter HELEN...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
There's nothing wrong with sex, or human sexuality. What we do with it isn't always such a good idea: but God created sex, and God doesn't make junk. I've been over this before. More to the point, the Church has something to say about sex. And it isn't 'yuck!' (Genesis 1:22, 28; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1935, 2275, 2331-2391)

Whatever Marlowe had in mind, I don't think it's reasonable to call this Helen of Troy a "femme fatale," or "a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive." (Princeton's WordNet) Not without a whole lot more explanation than I've got patience for just now.

Christopher Marlowe's Faustus has some downright odd ideas, though: and that will wait for another post.

Other posts in this series:Related posts:"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from: Background:
  • Repentance
    • "Jesus calls to conversion..."
      (Catechism, 1427)
    • Two conversion:
      • Water of Baptism
      • Tears of repentance
      (Catechism, 1429)
    • Interior repentance
      (Catechism, 1430-1433 and following)
    • Repentance is possible before death, not after
      (Catechism, 393)
      • Also see Catechism, 2283
  • Sex
    • Sex is good (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2331-2336)
    • Lust is a disorder (Catechism, 2351)
    • Sex is special (Catechism, 2348-2350)
    • Rape is bad (Catechism, 2356)
    (Not a complete index: not even close)
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Monday, December 26, 2011

Repentance, Faustus, and an Impatient Demon

New post about Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" each Monday

Comic Relief? Probably Not

I introduced Marlowe's OLD MAN last week. I might assume that, with lines like "such flagitious crimes of heinous sin," Marlowe had comic relief in mind: but all the characters talk like that, more or less, at some point.

English has changed since Elizabethan times, and so have what audiences expect. Back in Marlowe's day, it was flowery, over-the-top, long-winded speeches. More recently, it was helicopter chases, and I've been over that before.

Whatever Christopher Marlowe had in mind, OLD MAN has some pretty good advice. This comes right after Faustus said "despair and die!" - among other things - and Mephistopheles handed him a dagger:
"...OLD MAN. Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps!
I see an angel hovers o'er thy head,
And, with a vial full of precious grace,
Offers to pour the same into thy soul:
Then call for mercy, and avoid despair.

"FAUSTUS. Ah, my sweet friend, I feel
Thy words to comfort my distressed soul!
Leave me a while to ponder on my sins.

"OLD MAN. I go, sweet Faustus; but with heavy cheer,
Fearing the ruin of thy hopeless soul.
[Exit.]...
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Suicide is a bad idea, and I've been over that before:

Emotions, Stress, and Marlowe's Faustus

There's nothing wrong with emotions: they're part of being human. But emotion and reason don't play well together.1 Marlowe's Faustus is under a lot of stress in this scene: OLD MAN pointed out that his "flagitious crimes of heinous sin" have consequences; and that Faustus has limited options.
"...mercy, Faustus, of thy Saviour sweet,
Whose blood alone must wash away thy guilt...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Applying conventional wisdom from a few decades back, it's OLD MAN's fault that Faustus feels bad. That's true, as far as it goes, but I think we need reality checks now and again.

Which isn't the same as approving of 'fire and brimstone' preaching, and that's another topic.

Repentance, Despair, and an Impatient Demon

Marlowe's John Faustus is still alive, he's got free will, and time to change his mind about the deal he made. He's also got a demon in the room, which makes things a trifle awkward. Let's see how he handles the situation:
"...FAUSTUS. Accursed Faustus, where is mercy now?
I do repent; and yet I do despair:
Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast:
What shall I do to shun the snares of death?

"MEPHIST. Thou traitor, Faustus, I arrest thy soul
For disobedience to my sovereign lord:
Revolt, or I'll in piece-meal tear thy flesh.

"FAUSTUS. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord
To pardon my unjust presumption,
And with my blood again I will confirm
My former vow I made to Lucifer.

"MEPHIST. Do it, then, quickly,159 with unfeigned heart,
Lest greater danger do attend thy drift...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Faustus is, metaphorically speaking, dancing on the doorstep of Hell: just how much more danger could he be in? But, as I've said before, I don't think Mephistopheles has the best interests of John Faustus in mind.

What about repenting, though? Isn't it a little late for that? "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and all that. I've read the play before, and know how it comes out: but in principle John Faustus could still repent at this point.

Repentance, Despair, and the Catholic Church

Repentance is a good idea. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427, 1429, 1430-1433 and following) It's a sort of 'limited time offer,' though. since repentance is possible before death, not after. (Catechism, 393, 2283)

Despair, on the other hand, is a bad idea:
"In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:
"Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.333"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 844)
"The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:

"By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice—for the Lord is faithful to his promises—and to his mercy."
(Catechism, 2091)

Repentance, Despair, and John Faustus

I'll grant that Marlowe's Faustus is in an awkward situation. OLD MAN has left, leaving Faustus alone with his none-too-well-formed conscience. And Mephistopheles.

Given his track record, it's no surprise that Faustus says, "...I do repent; and yet I do despair...." Then, when Mephistopheles rather abruptly reminds him of his contractual obligation, Faustus does another 180:
"...FAUSTUS. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord
To pardon my unjust presumption,
And with my blood again I will confirm
My former vow I made to Lucifer.

"MEPHIST. Do it, then, quickly,159 with unfeigned heart,
Lest greater danger do attend thy drift...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Remember what I said, about OLD MAN being 'to blame' for making Faustus feel bad? I'll get back to that next week.

Other posts in this series:Related posts:"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from:
1 I've discussed emotions and reason before. Quite a bit, including:
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Monday, December 19, 2011

Christopher Marlowe's "...Doctor Faustus:" Despair, a Dagger, and a Helpful Demon

New post about Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" each Monday

The Soggy Case of the Drenched Horse Dealer

My last two posts about Christopher Marlowe's "...Faustus" followed Doctor John Faustus as he:
  • Pranked the Pope
  • Impressed
    • An Emperor
      • Favorably
    • A knight
      • Unfavorably
All with the help of Mephistopheles.

There's some moralizing that I could do at this point. The would-be world conqueror Faustus we saw earlier in Marlowe's play has been using the diabolical services of Mephistopheles and company - to play practical jokes. And entertain a European ruler. 'How fallen are the mighty,' and all that.

Faustus apparently can't even get a good deal from a horse trader. Or "HORSE-COURSER," as the job title was in Elizabethan England. That's what Marlowe called the fellow, anyway. The horse trader offered Faustus 40 dollars, Faustus made a counter-offer of 50, and that's when Mephistopheles stepped in:
"MEPHIST. I pray you, let him have him: he is an honest fellow,
and he has a great charge, neither wife nor child...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
I didn't know quite what to make of Mephistopheles' request. That line, taken alone, sounds like some of the 20th-century movies featuring Satan as a "gentleman of discernment and understanding." (review by theowinthrop (May 31, 2005) of "Heaven Can Wait" (1943), imdb.com)

Turns out, that's a very special horse. Faustus warns the horse trader not to ride the horse into water, and - unless I'm getting the pronouns mixed up - the horse "has a buttock as slick as an eel."

A few lines later, the horse trader comes back, dripping wet. He figured that Faustus was trying to hide some special quality of the horse from him - and rode the thing into water. Deep water. As he complained to Mephistopheles:
"...I was no sooner in the middle of the pond, but my horse
vanished away, and I sat upon a bottle of hay, never so near
drowning in my life...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
The horse trader wants to get his 40 dollars back from Faustus, Mephistopheles tells him that Faustus is asleep, and quite a few lines later Faustus is back with the aristocracy: a duke and duchess.

Out-of-Season Grapes

Faustus impresses the Duke of Vanholt and the Duchess with out-of-season grapes: and a learned discussion of climate.

A Puzzled Servant

Meanwhile, Wagner, Faustus' servant is puzzled. Faustus has turned all his worldly goods over to Wagner - which the servant takes as an indication that Faustus expects to die soon.

On the other hand, Faustus is carousing with students: which doesn't seem like what a dying man would do. In Wagner's opinion.

That's when Faustus and three scholars come in and discuss which lady from antiquity was the most beautiful. At length. Elizabethan audiences seem to have enjoyed long speeches, and I've been over that before.

"Enter an OLD MAN"

Then, Marlowe's play reads:
"...Enter an OLD MAN...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
OLD MAN's lines include phrases like "such flagitious crimes of heinous sin," which seems a trifle over-the-top. But, as I've said before, this play is about four centuries old: and both the language and culture have changed a bit since then.

The gist of what OLD MAN has to say is reasonable enough: that Faustus has done some really bad things, and has a very limited time in which set things right. He also tells Faustus that the sinner's only hope is the:
"...mercy, Faustus, of thy Saviour sweet
Whose blood alone must wash away thy guilt...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")

Histrionics and a Helpful Demon

Histrionics aside, this is consistent with what the Catholic Church teaches. My only hope of salvation comes from the crucifixion of my Lord. (Matthew 27:33-54, Mark 15:33-39, Luke 23:33-47, John 19:17-37, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Hebrews 5:9; and a pretty good summary in the Catechism, 600-617)

So, how does Faustus react to OLD MAN's dire warnings? Not well:
"...FAUSTUS. Where art thou, Faustus? wretch, what hast thou done?
Damn'd art thou, Faustus, damn'd; despair and die!
Hell calls for right, and with a roaring voice
Says, 'Faustus, come; thine hour is almost157 come;'
And Faustus now158 will come to do thee right.
[MEPHISTOPHILIS gives him a dagger.]..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Helpful fellow, that Mephistopheles: giving a despairing man a lethal weapon.

Despair, Suicide, Hope, and Prayer

Suicide is a really bad idea. It's also a topic that's rather personal with me, and I've posted about that before:
More to the point, the Church has quite a bit to say about despair, hope, and suicide. Including this selection:
"In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:
"Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.333"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 844)
"The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:

"By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice—for the Lord is faithful to his promises—and to his mercy."
(Catechism, 2091)
"Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of."
(Catechism, 2280)
Bottom line, suicide is a bad idea, and we shouldn't do it. But we also pray for people who have killed themselves:
"We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives."
(Catechism, 2283)
Does that mean that the Church is 'purposefully vague' about suicide, as well as charity? ("Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth: 'Purposefully Vague'?" (July 18, 2009))

No. I don't think so. And that's yet another topic.1

Somewhat-related posts:
"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from:
1 The Catholic Church doesn't fit neatly into contemporary America's cognitive pigeonholes. I don't see that as a bad thing:
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Monday, December 12, 2011

Marlowe's Faustus Meets the Emperor

New post about Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" each Monday

Cursing God for Fun and Profit

I left Marlowe's "...Faustus" where a petulant Pope called in friars to curse the 'ghost' who had pranked him. While they were at it, friars cursed God, too: which may have played well on an Elizabethan stage, but is about as accurate as the Chick Publications version of reality:


(Chick Publications, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

It's likely enough that Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" was partly 'a play with a message.' Even so, I'm pretty sure that Christopher Marlowe had entertainment value in mind when he wrote it.

These days, we study aspects of Elizabethan theater as history and as cultural and artistic phenomena. That's appropriate, but England's Elizabethan period was as real and practical as our own.

Playwrights like Shakespeare and Marlowe had their 'serious' side. But I think it's a good idea to remember that their plays were the "Star Wars" and "Titanic" of their day.

It's also a little hard to shake the impression that Marlowe didn't mind showing the solidly anti-Catholic establishment of his day that he could dis the Pope as well as any Englishman.

Maybe Marlowe really believed that the Pope would have friars sing "maledicat Dominus." But as I've said before, if three hundred million people really believe in a stupid idea: it's still a stupid idea. Sincerity doesn't guarantee accuracy.

Words: Lots and Lots of Words

I'll skip over most of the next part of "...Faustus." Marlowe's CHORUS takes almost 130 words to say that Faustus visited Emperor Carolus the Fifth on his way home, and that his buddies missed him. Faust's buddies, that is.

CHORUS does have some good lines, though
"...Where such as bear his absence but with grief,
I mean his friends and near'st companions...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")

Comic Relief

I think the mildly bawdy banter of ROBIN the Ostler, RALPH, and VINTNER is comic relief.

Sure, I could get very serious about Robin using a conjuring book he filched from Faustus to summon Mephistopheles. But Mephistopheles popping in, setting squibs on their backs, and being peeved when the nitwit summons him - again? There's a serious side to dabbling in the demonic: but the scene reads like something out of "The Wrong Box."

One 'serious,' if frightfully obvious, observation: Robin's actions show how easy it is for folks to see the bait, but ignore the consequences, of succumbing to temptation.

The Emperor of Germany: Insufficiently British?

Right after Robin and company do their lowbrow hijinks, we get an English eyeful of what those European rulers are like. Maybe I'm being unfair, but Marlowe's German Emperor sounds a lot like un-American national leaders in some WWII-era movies.

And, as is the wont of characters in Elizabethan dramas, The German emperor delivers rather long speeches:
"...Enter EMPEROR,131 FAUSTUS, and a KNIGHT, with ATTENDANTS...."

"...EMPEROR. Then, Doctor Faustus, mark what I shall say.
As I was sometime solitary set

Within my closet, sundry thoughts arose
About the honour of mine ancestors,
How they had won133 by prowess such exploits,
Got such riches, subdu'd so many kingdoms,
As we that do succeed,134 or they that shall
Hereafter possess our throne, shall
(I fear me) ne'er attain to that degree
Of high renown and great authority:
Amongst which kings is Alexander the Great,
Chief spectacle of the world's pre-eminence,
The bright135 shining of whose glorious acts
Lightens the world with his reflecting beams,
As when I hear but motion made of him,
It grieves my soul I never saw the man:
If, therefore, thou, by cunning of thine art,
Canst raise this man from hollow vaults below,
Where lies entomb'd this famous conqueror,
And bring with him his beauteous paramour,
Both in their right shapes, gesture, and attire
They us'd to wear during their time of life,
Thou shalt both satisfy my just desire,
And give me cause to praise thee whilst I live...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Faustus arranges for the emperor to see Paris and his paramour, or a reasonable facsimile thereof; has Mephistopheles put horns on an unimpressed knight, then remove them; and generally seems determined to make friends with the emperor. This doesn't look much like the wannabe world ruler we saw earlier in the play. Maybe Faustus has some devious scheme in mind: or maybe he's just star-struck.

No Rant: Why?

I suppose I could launch a tirade about how awful Christopher Marlowe was, and how nobody should read his plays, and that everybody who isn't pretty much like me will go to Hell.

That's not gonna happen.

First, I've heard quite enough sanctimonious chauvinism. I don't like it, and don't think it makes sense. Besides, I don't want to sound like one of the sour saints I mentioned last week.

More importantly, I'm not supposed to judge others. (Romans 2:1-11 and Matthew 7:5)

I don't have to be stupid, either, and that's another topic. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1861)

Finally, top of the list, I'm supposed to love God, and love my neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31) I put a few more links about neighbors and all that under "Background," at the end of this post.

"Love" isn't "Approval," or "Agreement"

Loving God, loving my neighbors, and seeing everybody as my neighbor, doesn't mean that I have to pretend that theological nonsense is okay. Like I said, as a practicing Catholic, I don't have to be stupid. I've posted about love and approval before. And that's - you guessed it - another topic.

Other posts in this series:
Somewhat-related posts:Background:
"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from:
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Monday, December 5, 2011

Faust and Friars - Cursing God? - For the Pope?!

New post about Marlowe's
"The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" each Monday

Marlowe's 'Faustus:' Why Bother?

Another Monday, another 'Marlowe's Faustus' post: which may seem like an odd topic for a blog called "A Catholic Citizen in America."

This blog is supposed to be about being a Catholic in America.

So why am I posting about what some Englishman wrote, long before this country existed?

For starters, I wanted to get reacquainted with Marlowe's adaptation of the Faust legend. It's one of those 'culturally significant' things.

"The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" helped bring the German story to the English-speaking world, where it became part of our culture. For example, I think some Mad scientists in the movies are a 20th-century take on Faust, and I've been over that before.

The Catholic Connection

Ever since Henry VIII decided to be a mini-pope, the English speaking world has 'known' things about the Church that are colorful, sensational, and wrong. Marlowe put a fair number of those beliefs in his "...Faustus."

It's the 'Catholic connection' that I'm mostly concerned with: particularly since I think American culture inherited quite a lot of England's store of misinformation.

Marlowe's England isn't 21st-century America, but there's a fairly straight path leading from Elizabethan England to the country I live in. I'll get back to that.

Faustus, Friars, and All That

Last week, I looked at:
  • How Marlowe got Faustus and Mephistopheles to Rome
  • Gluttonous friars in Marlowe's imagined city

Fictional Settings, Real Names

Rome was, and is, real enough. Marlowe's version isn't.

That's not a criticism. Marlowe's "...Faustus" is fiction. His Rome was essentially a fictional setting: a backdrop for his characters. Authors, playwrights, and directors routinely set their stories in real places: like Ironside's San Francisco, or New York Undercover.

I think it's a good idea to remember that their settings are fictional versions of real places: a combination of real and imagined elements.

Profligate Papists, Long-Winded Actors, and Action Movies

Marlowe gives his Elizabethan audience an earful about the extravagant lifestyle of those profligate papists. Which I take about as seriously as WWII-era depictions of Germans and Japanese in American movies. And that's almost another topic.

Long-winded actors seem to have been popular in Elizabethan theaters: like Hamlet's "To be, or not to be,--that is the question...."

About 200 words later, he says "...Be all my sins remember'd," and gets back to the business of driving Ophelia insane while racking up an impressive body count.

Tighten up the dialog, drop the soliloquies, add a few explosions, and you've got an action movie. And that's another topic.

The point is that Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" is downright wordy:
"...FAUSTUS. Well, I'm content to compass then some sport,
And by their folly make us merriment...."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")

Pranking the Pope

I'm skipping past quite a bit of that sort of thing, to where Faustus plays a practical joke on the (fictional) Pope:
"...POPE. My lord, here is a dainty dish was sent me from the Bishop of Milan.

"FAUSTUS. I thank you, sir.
[Snatches the dish.]

"POPE. How now! who's that which snatched the meat from me? will no man look?—My lord, this dish was sent me from the Cardinal of Florence....."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")

Sour Saints?

Individual Catholics may act as if 'thou shalt not smile' is part of the Decalogue, but that's not what the Church teaches. I've posted about 'sour saints' before.

Interior conversion, penance, repentance, and learning to control my desires, are all important. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1430, 1431, 1434, 2015)

So is joy and humor. (Catechism, 1676)

I think the action in this part of Marlowe's play is, essentially, funny. But I also think Moe Howard and the other Stooges are funny.

"The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and The Three Stooges

Some of Stooges' films weren't theologically sound, but I'm not likely to do a detailed critique of of them. Seriously, who would see "Bedlam in Paradise" as anything more than 16 minutes of The Three Stooges?

I see slapstick elements in Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus." But the play doesn't read like a comic romp. I get the impression that "...Faustus" is entertainment that folks could take serously.

Back to Marlowe's Rome, a peeved pontiff, and far-fetched friars.

Mephistopheles, Faustus, and Cursing Friars

Under the impression that he's dealing with ghosts, the Pope has some friars come in.

Think 'Elizabethan Ghostbusters.'
"...MEPHIST. Nay, I know not: we shall be cursed with bell, book, and candle.

"FAUSTUS. How! bell, book, and candle,—candle, book, and bell,—
Forward and backward, to curse Faustus to hell!
Anon you shall hear a hog grunt, a calf bleat, and an ass bray,
Because it is Saint Peter's holiday.

"Re-enter all the FRIARS to sing the Dirge.

"FIRST FRIAR.
Come, brethren, let's about our business with good devotion.

"They sing.

"CURSED BE HE THAT STOLE AWAY HIS HOLINESS' MEAT FROM THE TABLE! maledicat Dominus!

"CURSED BE HE THAT STRUCK HIS HOLINESS A BLOW ON THE FACE! maledicat Dominus!

"CURSED BE HE THAT TOOK FRIAR SANDELO A BLOW ON THE PATE! maledicat Dominus!

"CURSED BE HE THAT DISTURBETH OUR HOLY DIRGE! maledicat Dominus!

"CURSED BE HE THAT TOOK AWAY HIS HOLINESS' WINE! maledicat Dominus? ['?' sic] Et omnes Sancti! Amen!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
There's quite a bit going on here.

Elizabethan Theology?

Marlowe's audience knows that Doctor John Faustus is a living human being. They should realize that, anyway: yet more topics.

Mephistopheles is up to his old tricks, encouraging Faustus to think of himself as being a creature like the demon: "...we shall be cursed with bell, book, and candle...."

What's disturbing in this part of Marlowe's play is the "dirge," cursing Faustus and Mephistopheles. It's aimed partly at a person who is alive, and whose eternal destination isn't yet determined. As such, it's inappropriate: putting it mildly.

On the other hand, Marlowe's fictional Pope is under the impression that he's dealing with a "ghost." Which might, maybe, be approximately correct, in the case of Mephistopheles.

That's not the main problem, though.

Having a chorus of friars singing, "maledicat Dominus," and "et omnes Sancti" is - far-fetched, at best.

Marlowe, Latin, and Cursing God

I'm no Latin scholar, but I think "maledicat Dominus" translates as "curse the Lord." In the context of Marlowe's play, that's something Faustus might say.

But those friars, acting on the Pope's behest?

Here's what Marlowe has them say:
"...maledicat Dominus? ['?' sic] Et omnes Sancti! Amen!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
Translated:
"...curse the Lord ... And all the saints! Amen!..."
("The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus")
That's wrong. On at least two levels.
Sadly, I think a fair number of folks here think that saying "curse the Lord ... And all the saints! Amen!" is the sort of thing done by the 'Satanic' Catholic Church.1. A friend of mine insisted that the moon and sun revolve around Earth, because it says so in the Bible. That chapter's footone 3 discusses probabilities. I've discussed science, faith, and getting a grip, before. Fairly often.2

"Curse God and Die?!"

Some Americans believe every word in the Bible is literally true. Like Joshua 10:12-13.2

Sure, "curse God and die" is in the Bible. (Job 2:9) But Job said it was a bad idea. (Job 2:10) I think it is, too.

Cursing God on stage, as a line in a play, is one thing. In real life? I've got my particular judgment to think of. Death will have closed the books on my decisions, and I'll spend eternity in Heaven: or Hell. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021-1022)

What my final destination is depends on whether I've accepted or rejected "the divine grace manifested in Christ." (Catechism, 1021) All things considered, cursing the Lord is a very bad idea.

Excommunications, Exorcisms, and Getting a Grip

As for the notion that the Pope would formally send someone to Hell - for a comparatively minor offense? That probably played well in post-Henry VIII England. It sounds like what some Americans believe about the Catholic Church, too.

The fact is, excommunication is as far as the Church goes with punishment. (Catechism, 1463)

Since Marlowe's make-believe Pope thought he was dealing with a "ghost," that "curse the Lord" "dirge" could be seen as an exorcism. Problem is, that's not how exorcisms work.

Not even close. (Catechism, 1237; 1673; Glossary, E; Also see Catechism, 517; 550) I've been over this before.3

We're Not English: Now

Here's where I get back to the idea that Marlowe's England isn't 21st-century America, and why I'm posting about "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" anyway.

America and England have a long history:
  • The United States of America started as a set of English colonies
  • The default language here is English
  • American culture was heavily influenced by English culture
    • No surprise, since the colonists were English
    • We're less 'English' now
      • But our roots show
America isn't the WASP nest it was several generations back, and that's another topic. The cultural baggage brought over by English colonists, and others, includes a fairly well-defined attitude toward 'those Catholics:'


(From Thomas Nast Portfolio, Ohio State University, used without permission.)

New Century, Old Assumptions

Granted, we're living in the 2000s. Thomas Nast spent most of his life in the 1800s. Jonathan Edwards wrote his famous "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in 1741.

Quite a bit has changed since "Sinners ... Angry God" helped set the spiritual tone over here. But I think American culture retains residue from beliefs and assumptions of earlier centuries.

Tolerance, Beliefs, and Fulton Sheen

On the whole, America has treated Catholics rather well. It's illegal to kill us. Which didn't keep Father James Coyle alive, back in the 'good old days,' and that's almost another topic. Topics.

Despite a cultural and legal history of comparative tolerance, I think there are rich veins of anti-Catholicism running under much of America's cultural landscape.

Thanks to this country's Protestant roots, and fallout from post-Reformation European politics, I think Fulton Sheen's observation is still true:
"There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church - which is, of course, quite a different thing."
(Bishop Fulton Sheen, Foreword to Radio Replies Vol. 1, (1938) page ix, via Wikiquote)

Fire, Brimstone, and Getting a Grip

It's been quite a while since I last heard about a 'fire and brimstone' preacher. I think that's a hopeful sign. Emotionally rousing as something like 'Brimstone Bill and his First Hallelujah Revival Touring Show' might be: I don't think scaring people silly is a good idea.

'Scaring' isn't the problem. It's 'scaring people silly' that I don't think is prudent. Fear, by itself, can be a good thing:
"The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
(Proverbs 9:10)
When an emotion like fear gets too strong, though, folks have trouble thinking straight:
Then there's the sort of malignant virtue that makes it hard to emulate the tax collector in Luke 18:10-14.

I try to have a calm, reasoned acknowledgement of my sins - without:
  • Trying to
    • Divert attention to 'that sinner over there'
    • Convince myself that sin
      • Isn't real
      • Doesn't matter
      • Can't be wrong, since it feels so right
    • Whatever
  • Panicking
That's no great virtue on my part. What the Church teaches about judging others - but not being stupid - is fairly clear:
"1 Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. 2 For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. ... There is no partiality with God. " (Romans 2:1-11)
"You hypocrite, 3 remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
(Matthew 7:5)
"although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1861)

The Faust Legend: 'Based on Real Events'

Stories about Faust first hit the press in 1587. Christopher Marlowe finished his "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" a little over ten years later, and the story's been resurfacing at intervals ever since.

That was about 150 years after Gutenberg (re)invented movable type: which poured oil on the troubled fires of European politics. Movable type made from clay had been invented in 1041, in China.4 But someone had invented bureaucracy in China long before that, which is another topic.5

And I'm not going to get distracted by comparing the Internet and the Gutenberg press.

Where was I? German legend. Faust. Right.

Like I said, the first printed retelling of Faust's story was a Faust chapbook, produced in 1587. It's been retold quite a few times since then, including:
  • Dr. Faust at Boxberg Castle
    (Germany, Bernhard Baader)
  • Dr. Faust's Hell-Master
    (Germany, Joh. Aug. Ernst Köhler)
  • Dr. Faust in Erfurt
    (Germany, J. G. Th. Grässe)
  • Dr. Faust and Melanchton in Wittenberg
    (Germany, J. G. Th. Grässe)
  • Dr. Faust in Anhalt
    (Germany, Ludwig Bechstein)
  • A Scholar Assigns Himself to the Devil
    (Denmark)
  • Selected musical works based on the Faust legend
    (from "Faust Legends," D. L. Ashliman, University of Pittsburgh)
John Faustus and all the other Fausts trace back, more or less, to a real person: Johann Georg Faust.6 Looks like stories 'based on real events' didn't start with television shockers.

Other posts in this series:
Somewhat-related posts:
Background:
"...Faustus" excerpts in these posts taken from:
1 As I've said before, folks can have odd ideas about what's real:
2 My faith doesn't require me to ignore facts and stop thinking, as I said at the start of this link list of posts about the Catholic Church and studying God's creation:
I take the Bible very seriously. But it's not a computer repair manual, or a science textbook:
3 I have nothing against movies as entertainment. But "The Exorcist" and "Scream Blacula Scream" aren't particularly good ways to study exorcism:
4 There's a pretty good introduction to Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, book printing, and movable type at:
5 Bureaucracies are okay: the Catholic Church uses a 'bureaucratic' system to stay organized.

Bureaucracies are quite efficient at dealing with tasks. Provided that:
  • The tasks don't
    • Change
    • Require innovative thought
  • The bureaucracy's environment doesn't change
Like I said, I think bureaucracies are okay. Provided that they're used by an authority that can change the rules, whether the bureaucrats like it or not.

My understanding is that China and civilizations growing around the east end of the Mediterranean Sea weren't all that far apart, technologically, until about 2,000 years back. Then China developed a bureaucracy. There's an interesting discussion about bureaucracies and China online:
6 Johann Georg Faust / Johannus Faustus was a real Renaissance man. Literally:
The article has enough cited references to be plausible.
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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.