Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Blood
Blood plays multiple symbolic roles in the play. When
Faustus signs away his soul, he signs in blood, symbolizing the
permanent and supernatural nature of this pact. His blood congeals
on the page, however, symbolizing, perhaps, his own body’s revolt
against what he intends to do. Meanwhile, Christ’s blood, which
Faustus says he sees running across the sky during his terrible
last night, symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus, according to Christian
belief, made on the cross; this sacrifice opened the way for humankind
to repent its sins and be saved. Faustus, of course, in his proud
folly, fails to take this path to salvation.
Faustus’s Rejection of the Ancient Authorities
In scene 1, Faustus goes through
a list of the major fields of human knowledge—logic, medicine, law,
and theology—and cites for each an ancient authority (Aristotle,
Galen, Justinian, and Jerome’s Bible, respectively). He then rejects
all of these figures in favor of magic. This rejection symbolizes
Faustus’s break with the medieval world, which prized authority
above all else, in favor of a more modern spirit of free inquiry,
in which experimentation and innovation trump the assertions of
Greek philosophers and the Bible.
The Good Angel and the Evil Angel
The angels appear at Faustus’s shoulder early on in the
play—the good angel urging him to repent and serve God, the evil
angel urging him to follow his lust for power and serve Lucifer.
The two symbolize his divided will, part of which wants to do good
and part of which is sunk in sin.
