“Dr. Faustus”, definitely, falls but the reason behind his downfall is matter of discussion. There is no truth in that Dr. Faustus’s fate was responsible for his sufferings as he freely chose the black magic in order to fulfill his worldly ambitions. He had choice on different stages of his life to give up the black magic but he remained failed to repent on his actions. It was an option for Dr. Faustus to choose either black magic or any other knowledge of the world but he preferred magic on any other knowledge of the world. It is because, by doing so, he could increase all his powers. Dr. Faustus, although was a scholar and master of different subjects yet he wanted more and more knowledge. Not only knowledge, but also his ambition to become powerful and dominate the world is the reason behind his choice of magic. In fact, it was necessary, according to him, to gain power so as to accomplish his ambitious goals. No doubt, gaining knowledge is a good thing but anything beyond the boundaries is harmful. Dr. Faustus should not cross the boundaries, quantified by the God. For instance, eating and drinking is needful for everyone, but excess eating, called gluttony, is harmful. Dr. Faustus wanted to gain knowledge but he went deep down to get it and ultimately found destruction in it. His ambition for lust of knowledge is also responsible for his fall.
Dr. Faustus also had lust for power. He wanted that the world should have been dutiful to him. He wanted to become greatest and powerful personality of the world. His ambition to grab everything is also responsible for his fall. He was tempted by the evils, who were ready to fulfill every wish of Dr. Faustus. He found pleasure in enjoying his powers; he was not bound to eat only seasonal fruits; he could do anything with anybody; he can show his powers to people; he can enjoy the company of Hellen with his supremacy. Thus, if he was enjoying so many powers, then it was difficult for him to leave them and to repent. He used to enjoy luxuries. He could convince the people in every manner. Life was going on, according to the plans of Dr. Faustus. On his order, every ambition was being fulfilled. Hence, obviously, his ambitions and worldly desires are the reasons for his hellish downfall.
In addition, another ambition of Dr. Faustus is worth mentioning. He was a lusty bachelor. He wanted beautiful girl of the world for him. For the purpose of meeting and mating with the beautiful girl of the history, he went back in time, where he met Helen of Troy. His lust for sex and beauty is his prominent ambition, which also compelled him to leave the evil ways. He could repent, if and only if his lust for beauty could be overwhelmed. In this backdrop, lust for beauty and sex is also the ambition as well as a solid reason, which ruined the eternal life of Dr. Faustus.
As far as the matter of stubborn attitude of Dr. Faustus is concerned, he had option to repent on his bad deeds but he rejected the thought of repentance. Good angel had suggested him to leave black magic and to repent on his mistakes but Dr. Faustus rejected his advice. Moreover, the old man had also advised Dr. Faustus to stop crossing the boundaries of God but Dr. Faustus was determined to meet with his downfall. He did not regret; instead, he remained loyal to evil and ultimately found himself in the hell. He was well aware with his future, when he was going to sign the contract; he was warned that he would remain forever in hell if he accepted this agreement. Thus, Dr. Faustus knowingly took such actions, which were against his welfare.Obviously, he deliberately, chose the path of destruction.
There is no denial in the fact that Dr. Faustus was slave of his ambitions. The luxuries of life were beloved to him. He did not want to leave them. Although, he thought about repentance but his ambitions did not allow him to do the same. Advice of the people including good angel had not effect on the mind of Dr. Faustus. At the end, when the contract was going to be finished, he wanted to repent but at that time, it was useless.Like Milton, Christopher Marlow has also justified the ways of God to men. If Dr. Faustus repeated within a limited time, he could save himself from domination. He crossed the limits, specified by the God, and eventually met his annihilation.He enjoyed the temporary life and destroyed the fruits of eternal life because of his desires.
To sum up the whole discussion, Dr. Faustus had ambitions, which were responsible for his downfall. Lust for knowledge, lust for love, lust for beauty and lust for luxuries are main ambitions of Dr. Faustus. It was necessary for him to meet his downfall in order to justify the rule of repentance and forgiveness. He was stubborn and full of proud. He did not repent. He did not left his evil deeds. He did not love his life. He did not love God. If he had love and attraction for something, it was his ambition to become greater in every sense. Apparently, he was enjoying life in shape of luxuries but in reality, he was destroying himself. He sold himself in terms of his wishes. In short, the statement is totally true and I agree that “Dr. Faustus” is a compelling drama of a man whose mounting ambitions inevitably brings about his hellish fall as he stubbornly rejects repeated advice that his actions must lead to domination.
