Devils and Demons
Of course, in a play about someone who makes a pact with Lucifer, there are bound to be a number of images of devils, demons, and other representatives of evil. Doctor Faustus is famous for its portrayal of devils on stage, perhaps matched only by John Milton's depiction of Hell in his epic poem, Paradise Lost, nearly a century later.
Sins
In one of the play's central allegories, the Seven Deadly Sins are paraded across the stage as personified entities. For an early modern audience, these figures would have likely been immediately recognizable, as the allegorical representation of sin was a common trope of the Medieval period. These sins go on to describe their origins and tendencies, explaining how they take hold of a person's soul and ultimately damn them to Hell.
Blood
There is a significant amount of blood-related imagery throughout Doctor Faustus, including Faustus's own signing of his contract with Lucifer in blood. Later, Faustus claims to have seen the blood of Christ spread across the sky on his final night. This blood imagery emphasizes the play's focus on death, damnation, and sacrifice.
Dominion
Throughout the play, there are frequent imaginative descriptions of people – usually Faustus – holding so much power that they are looking down at the rest of the world. At one point, Faustus imagines that he has wings he can use to survey the earth, just as God does with creation in the Old Testament. This imagery is significant because it emphasizes Faustus's folly in thinking that he could ever attain the same power or status as the divine.
