Essay Example on Who is this old man and what role does he Play

Who is this old man and what role does he play The old man is a figure that represents good His role is to give Faustus another chance to repent and to turn back toward God 2 How close is Faustus possible salvation Faustus has the option of salvation any time he wants Christian faith promises salvation to anyone who asks and is willing to repent This is a choice Faustus could have made right up to the end Also the old man states in Scene XIII 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 This shows that Faustus only needed to say the word and he could have found salvation 3 Does Faustus repent in this passage For a brief moment Faustus does repent but then is reminded by Mephistophilis that it is too late Faustus says Accursed Faustus where is mercy now I do repent and yet I do despair 4 How are the limits of Mephastophilis powers suggested Mephastophilis says from when he first meets Faustus that he cannot do anything without Lucifer s permission The limitations of Mephastophilis power can be seen when he cannot control the old man Faustus asked that the old man be tormented for causing Faustus to waver in his commitment to Lucifer Mephastophilis comments to Faustus that the old man's faith is too great I cannot touch his soul 5 What does Faustus want from Helen What does Helen represent Helen represents ultimate beauty and the most desirable woman in the world He wants to have her all to himself Helen remains young and beautiful forever 6 

Why are Faustus reflections on the ancient Greek world important Faustus reflections on the ancient Greek world are important because they represent power and beauty He mentions Greek literature such as Homer's Iliad and Greek heroes such as Achilles Also by possessing Helen as his wife he is in possession of the woman whose face launched a thousand ships THE PLAY AS A WHOLE 7 Is Mephistophilis Faustus s friend or his enemy Provide support for your answer as well as citing incidents from the story Mephistophilis seems to be more of a friend than enemy In the beginning his only purpose is to collect souls and Faustus just happens to be the next in line But then later he has moments where he seems to warn Faustus against selling his soul He expressed his own regret of devoting himself to Lucifer When Faustus is saying that he believe that hell is mere old wives tales Mephistophilis responds But Faustus I am an instance to prove the contrary For I am damned and am now in hell 8 Why doesn't Faustus repent 

This can be seen in Scene III when Mephistophilis states Why this is hell in being deprived of everlasting bliss CRITICAL THINKING The word Renaissance means rebirth or reawakening This was a time when people would reinvent themselves and push the limits of what is acceptable The accepted practice in the Middle Ages was to accept what was the norm and not question or strive for something else It was believed that God handed down certain things in people lives and it was just to be accepted This play has Faustus striving to become better than what he had already become He was not content with being a doctor of theology and wanted more There was a focus on emerging science literature and new discovery This type of idea of wanting to better oneself and not accept life as it is was a very Renaissance attitude Also challenging God was not popular in the Middle Ages but challenging everyone and everything was what the Renaissance was all about