Summary: Scene 1
These metaphysics of magicians,
And necromantic books are heavenly!
(See Important Quotations Explained)
In a long soliloquy, Faustus reflects on the most rewarding
type of scholarship. He first considers logic, quoting the Greek
philosopher Aristotle, but notes that disputing well seems to be
the only goal of logic, and, since Faustus’s debating skills are
already good, logic is not scholarly enough for him. He considers
medicine, quoting the Greek physician Galen, and decides that medicine,
with its possibility of achieving miraculous cures, is the most
fruitful pursuit—yet he notes that he has achieved great renown
as a doctor already and that this fame has not brought him satisfaction.
He considers law, quoting the Byzantine emperor Justinian,
but dismisses law as too petty, dealing with trivial matters rather
than larger ones. Divinity, the study of religion and theology,
seems to offer wider vistas, but he quotes from St. Jerome’s Bible
that all men sin and finds the Bible’s assertion that “[t]he reward
of sin is death” an unacceptable doctrine. He then dismisses religion
and fixes his mind on magic, which, when properly pursued, he believes
will make him “a mighty god” (1.62).
Wagner, Faustus’s servant, enters as his master finishes
speaking. Faustus asks Wagner to bring Valdes and Cornelius, Faustus’s friends,
to help him learn the art of magic. While they are on their way,
a good angel and an evil angel visit Faustus. The good angel urges
him to set aside his book of magic and read the Scriptures instead;
the evil angel encourages him to go forward in his pursuit of the
black arts. After they vanish, it is clear that Faustus is going
to heed the evil spirit, since he exults at the great powers that
the magical arts will bring him. Faustus imagines sending spirits
to the end of the world to fetch him jewels and delicacies, having
them teach him secret knowledge, and using magic to make himself
king of all Germany.
Valdes and Cornelius appear, and Faustus greets them,
declaring that he has set aside all other forms of learning in favor
of magic. They agree to teach Faustus the principles of the dark
arts and describe the wondrous powers that will be his if he remains
committed during his quest to learn magic. Cornelius tells him that
“[t]he miracles that magic will perform / Will make thee vow to
study nothing else” (1.136–137).
Valdes lists a number of texts that Faustus should read, and the
two friends promise to help him become better at magic than even
they are. Faustus invites them to dine with him, and they exit.
Analysis: Scene 1
The scene now shifts to Faustus’s study, and Faustus’s
opening speech about the various fields of scholarship reflects
the academic setting of the scene. In proceeding through the various
intellectual disciplines and citing authorities for each, he is
following the dictates of medieval scholarship, which held that
learning was based on the authority of the wise rather
than on experimentation and new ideas. This soliloquy, then, marks
Faustus’s rejection of this medieval model, as he sets aside each
of the old authorities and resolves to strike out on his own in
his quest to become powerful through magic.
As is true throughout the play, however, Marlowe uses
Faustus’s own words to expose Faustus’s blind spots. In his initial
speech, for example, Faustus establishes a hierarchy of disciplines
by showing which are nobler than others. He does not want merely
to protect men’s bodies through medicine, nor does he want to protect
their property through law. He wants higher things, and so he proceeds on
to religion. There, he quotes selectively from the New Testament, picking
out only those passages that make Christianity appear in a negative
light. He reads that “[t]he reward of sin is death,” and that “[i]f
we say we that we have no sin, / We deceive ourselves, and there is
no truth in us” (1.40–43).
The second of these lines comes from the first book of John, but
Faustus neglects to read the very next line, which states, “If we
confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Thus, through selective quoting, Faustus makes it seem as though
religion promises only death and not forgiveness, and so he easily
rejects religion with a fatalistic “What will be, shall be! Divinity,
adieu!” (1.48). Meanwhile,
he uses religious language—as he does throughout the play—to describe
the dark world of necromancy that he enters. “These metaphysics
of magicians / And necromantic books are heavenly” (1.49–50),
he declares without a trace of irony. Having gone upward from medicine
and law to theology, he envisions magic and necromancy as the crowning
discipline, even though by most standards it would be the least
noble.
Faustus is not a villain, though; he is a tragic hero,
a protagonist whose character flaws lead to his downfall. Marlowe
imbues him with tragic grandeur in these early scenes. The logic
he uses to reject religion may be flawed, but there is something
impressive in the breadth of his ambition, even if he pursues it
through diabolical means. In Faustus’s long speech after the two
angels have whispered in his ears, his rhetoric outlines the modern
quest for control over nature (albeit through magic rather than
through science) in glowing, inspiring language. He offers a long
list of impressive goals, including the acquisition of knowledge,
wealth, and political power, that he believes he will achieve once
he has mastered the dark arts. While the reader or playgoer is not
expected to approve of his quest, his ambitions are impressive,
to say the least. Later, the actual uses to which he puts his magical
powers are disappointing and tawdry. For now, however, Faustus’s
dreams inspire wonder.
