"What doctrine call you this? Che serà, serà?
What will be, shall be? Divinity, adieu!"
At the beginning of the play, Faustus rejects the study of theology by scoffing at the notion of predestination – the Protestant idea that all people are destined for Heaven or Hell regardless of how their lives are spent on earth. For Faustus, he interprets this to mean that no matter how he behaves, he is destined for damnation. When he repeats the popular French aphorism "What will be, shall be," he mocks the concept of predestination and chooses what he perceives as his own path.
"O, what a world of profit and delight,
Of power, of honor and omnipotence,
Is promised to the studious artisan!"
Faustus believes that knowledge is crucial to his ascent. It is important to note that what Faustus desires most, however, is not knowledge but instead the power that derives from it. Moreover, Faustus is not simply interested in power; here, he imagines that deeper study will lead to "omnipotence," or the state of being all-powerful, even divine. In other words, Faustus imagines that he can attain the same powerful state as God, emphasizing his pride.
"Faustus, these books, thy wit, and our experience
Shall make all nations to canonize us.
As Indian moors obey their Spanish lords,
So shall the spirits of every element
Be always serviceable to us three."
In this quotation, Valdes uses a contradictory metaphor that is suggestive of his underlying perception of power. At first, he compares himself and Faustus to saints, believing that they will be "canonized" among people. He immediately follows this metaphor, however, with a simile that suggests they will be conquering invaders rather than saints. This mixed metaphor showcases Valdes's skewed understanding of what it means to hold power and wield it responsibly.
"Now, Faustus, must thou needs be damned?
Canst thou not be saved?
What boots it, then, to think on God or heaven?
Away with such vain fancies, and despair.
Despair in God and trust in Beelzebub."
In this quotation, Faustus definitively rejects God and chooses to align himself with Satan (Beelzebub) instead. However, he does so after one last glance toward the possibility of eternal salvation. He asks himself if there is any chance of being saved, suggesting that he still has hope of redemption even as he turns his attention toward his deal with the Devil.
"Come, Mephistopheles, let us dispute again
And reason of divine astrology.
Speak; are there many spheres above the moon?
Are all celestial bodies but one globe,
As is the substance of this centric earth?"
At this point in the play, Faustus has fully embraced his rejection of God and the hope of eternal salvation. Here, he showcases his pursuit of knowledge as he inquires about the existence of a universe beyond earth. This quotation suggests that, for Faustus, the pursuit of knowledge has replaced the role of God and religious inquiry in his life.
"I am Covetousness, begotten of an old churl in a leather bag; and, might I now obtain my wish, this house, you, and all should turn to gold, that I might lock you safe into my chest. O my sweet gold!"
In this quotation, the personified figure of Covetousness speaks about the nature of desiring financial abundance. While one could assume that Covetousness is preoccupied with wealth, this quotation helps emphasize the extent of that obsession: Covetousness sees the potential for wealth in everything, even going so far as to suggest that humans themselves can be "obtained" and turned to "gold."
"But new exploits do hale him out again,
And, mounted then upon a dragon's back,
That with his wings did part the subtle air,
He now is gone to prove cosmography,
That measures coasts and kingdoms of the earth."
As the Chorus narrates Faustus's ascent, they compare him to a flying creature who surveys the earth. In the Christian Bible, this task of surveying creation is attributed to God. Thus, in this quotation, the Chorus implies that Faustus – in his endless pursuit of knowledge and power – has assumed the role of God on earth. This quotation also foreshadows Faustus's eventual fall, as it subtly alludes to the ancient Greek myth of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and burned to death.
"Know you not, traitors, I was limited
For four-and-twenty years to breathe on earth?"
Here, Faustus recalls the time he had on earth – twenty-four years. However, it is important to note that he describes this time as "limited," suggesting that he has started to realize the true cost of his pact with Satan and how it cut his life short.
"Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss:
Her lips sucks forth my soul, see where it flies!
Come Helen, come, give me my soul again.
Here will I dwell, for heaven be in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena!"
This is one of the most famous quotations from Doctor Faustus, and perhaps from all of early modern English drama. Here, Faustus encounters Helen of Troy, the beautiful woman whose abduction by the Prince of Troy inspired the Trojan War. When he asks this conjured figure to make him "immortal," Faustus foolishly searches for a form of eternal grace in a mere apparition – albeit one that he enjoys bringing into existence. This encounter showcases his desperation as he nears the end of his life and realizes his mistake in bargaining with the Devil.
"I think my master means to die shortly.
He has made his will and given me his wealth:
His house, his goods, and store of golden plate,
Besides two thousand ducats ready coined.
I wonder what he means."
At the end of the play, Wagner explains that Faustus has left all of his wealth and earthly possessions to him, his servant. This remark would have registered as strange to early modern audiences, as estates were usually left to members of a person's immediate family. That Faustus leaves his possessions to Wagner suggests the sense of chaos and disorder that pervades the end of the play, while also underscoring how isolated Faustus has ultimately become.
