Many critics have not fully understood how the seven deadly sins work in Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus. One of the most important parts of the play is how Faustus’ pride leads him to ruin. But some people miss the deep irony that Faustus ends up being controlled by the very sins he shows off.
In the past, scholars focused more on where the seven deadly sins appear in religious or historical plays, instead of looking at how they work inside Doctor Faustus itself. For example, some critics compare the sins scene to old Catholic morality plays, which were popular when Marlowe was writing. These plays used characters like the deadly sins to teach moral lessons, especially to young people.
Doctor Faustus, however, includes ideas from both Catholic and Protestant beliefs. It’s hard to say the play supports only one religion. It mixes both views, showing that Faustus is caught between different religious ideas. Because of this, calling the play “eclectic and heretical” (meaning mixed and going against church rules) helps explain its attitude toward sin.
Also, even though scholars often use the term “deadly sins,” the correct church term is “cardinal sins.” Deadly sins are serious and can lead to eternal punishment, which is exactly what happens to Faustus.
The seven deadly sins are actually basic bad habits or “vices.” In Britain, there used to be a tradition of listing eight sins, and different sources arranged them in different ways. Some lists began with pride; others didn’t. But most writers agreed that pride was the most serious sin.
Most religious and popular writers agree that pride is the worst sin because it means putting yourself above God. Morton W. Bloomfield, in his book The Seven Deadly Sins, explains that pride includes thinking too highly of yourself, rejecting authority, and trying to take God’s place. Gregory the Great said there are four ways people show pride:
- By thinking they are better than others.
- By showing off.
- By looking down on others.
- By wanting to be seen as special.
Gregory believed that pride is the mother of all other sins. Every other sin comes from pride. Thomas Aquinas, another famous thinker, agreed but focused more on vainglory (empty pride) as especially dangerous.
In short:
- Pride: Trying to be better than you are or even like God.
- Envy, greed, anger, gluttony, lust, sloth: All are ways humans turn from God and misuse their desires.
In Doctor Faustus, these sins show up clearly. Faustus’ deep desire for knowledge and power is based on pride. He wants everything for himself, and this is a sign that the seven deadly sins are at work in him. His end is tragic because he never changes or repents.
How the Sins Appear in the Play
The Chorus (the narrator) tells us that Faustus’ fall began with pride. His desire to be great made him try to “mount above his reach” (Act 1, line 20). That means he wanted more than what was meant for a human. His desire to “dispute theology” shows he wanted to replace God’s truth with his own thinking (lines 18–19).
Later, Faustus’ wish to be more than human becomes clear when he says he’s “glutted” (full) with knowledge and now wants more fun and magic. He chooses magic over religion and becomes greedy and lazy about doing good. By turning away from God, he becomes full of sin.
Also Read: How Doctor Faustus is a Morality Play in Literature?
Even in Act 1, Faustus shows pride by rejecting every subject:
- Logic is too easy.
- Medicine is good, but he can’t raise the dead.
- Law is boring.
- Theology says “all men must sin and die,” so he throws it away.
Faustus wants more power and knowledge, not to serve others or God. He says, “How am I glutted with conceit of this!” (Act 1, line 79), showing he’s full of himself. His self-love and ambition lead him to reject God, and he happily signs away his soul.
How Faustus Gets Caught by Sin
Faustus is deeply involved with the seven deadly sins, not just in a symbolic way, but in how he actually behaves. Other characters, like the Good and Bad Angels, try to influence him.
- The Good Angel gives him wise advice (like reading the Bible),
- But the Bad Angel tempts him with promises of power and greatness.
Faustus listens to the Bad Angel because he’s already filled with pride and greed.
Then, Valdes, one of Faustus’ friends, tempts him even more:
- He excites Faustus by praising his intelligence and books.
- He tells Faustus he can command spirits and be admired by the whole world.
- This flattery appeals directly to Faustus’ pride and envy (wanting to be greater than others).
- Valdes also uses lustful images and poetic words to tempt him further.
In short: Valdes uses all the deadly sins to trap Faustus and pull him deeper into sin.
The First Sins Appear Early in the Play
- In the first scene, we already see Faustus planning to give himself over to sin.
- The Bad Angel calls black magic “sweet,” but Faustus doesn’t realize that it will actually lead to hell.
- His friend Cornelius even says this magic will make Faustus so sinful and lazy (sloth) that he won’t be able to do anything good or return to God.
Wagner’s Comic Scene Mirrors Faustus’ Fall
- In the next scene, Wagner, Faustus’ servant, mocks his master by using smart-sounding but silly language.
- He says things like: “I am by nature phlegmatic, slow to wrath, and prone to lechery—to love, I would say.”
This joke mixes lust and anger in a funny way. - Scholars believe that this comic scene helps show how Faustus has fallen into sin through pride, just like the devils and magicians in the play.
Faustus’ Use of Magic and More Sin
- When Faustus starts doing real magic, he calls on Mephistopheles and offers his soul to the devil in exchange for 24 years of pleasure and power.
- He dreams of becoming “emperor of the world” and controlling nature and armies.
These dreams show his pride, envy, and greed.
He says:
“I’ll be great emperor of the world… I’ll join the hills that bind the Afric shore… and make that country term to Spain…”
(Act II, lines 104–109)
Robin and Wagner: Comic Reflections of Faustus
- The play also compares Robin (a clown) and Wagner to Faustus.
- Robin also gives away his soul, not fully understanding what it means.
- Both Robin and Faustus are tricked into demonic contracts.
- Faustus is fooled because of his pride and lack of self-knowledge.
- Robin is fooled because he’s ignorant and foolish.
The comparison shows how Faustus, though educated, is just as blind to the danger as a clown like Robin.
Faustus’ Final Bargain with the Devil
- Later, Faustus signs his soul away to Lucifer and clearly turns away from God.
- Mephistopheles offers him food, wealth, and pleasure — tempting him through:
- Gluttony
- Greed
- Lust
- Pride
Faustus doesn’t understand that by following his desires, he is completely falling into all seven deadly sins. The devils use symbols and promises (like a crown or gold) to lure him in. Mephistopheles even says:
“More than thou hast wit to ask” — meaning, I’ll give you more than you even know to ask for.
In Doctor Faustus, the seven deadly sins are presented on stage, appealing to the audience’s imagination. Marlowe uses this scene to physically display sin, showing Faustus as someone controlled by his desires. The audience realizes that Faustus enjoys his own sins, and the sins themselves reflect his inner weaknesses.
Faustus shows pride when he brags about his power. He chooses gluttony by preferring food over spiritual growth. Lust appears when Mephistophilis uses sensual desire to control him. Faustus even remembers times he wanted to die because his physical pleasures couldn’t satisfy him. Although Beelzebub helps him name the sins, Faustus can’t recognize his own faults and continues to indulge in them. The audience watches him act out the seven deadly sins, highlighting how he chooses damnation.
As Lucifer and others introduce the sins, Faustus asks for help from Christ but is quickly distracted by the sins’ display. This moment shows how weak and easily tempted he is.
When Faustus enjoys the show, he is promised pleasure like that of Paradise, but this is ironic. Faustus is the opposite of Adam—he turns away from God and receives Hell disguised as Paradise. He enjoys the show, unaware it mirrors his own downfall.
Critics argue that this scene, though lively, feels shallow. Some say it breaks the tension of the play, while others see its ironic message as valuable: it reflects Faustus’s misunderstanding of his own situation.
Marlowe likely drew on theological teachings for his presentation of the sins, using traditional categories like pride, envy, gluttony, and lust to shape Faustus’s descent.
Different versions of Doctor Faustus present Sloth’s speech slightly differently, but both show Sloth as lazy and useless, highlighting his links to Gluttony and Lechery. In general, the sins are shown as connected to each other, often blending together.
There’s also a small variation in how Gluttony talks about his family in the different versions, but both reflect the play’s humor and use of wordplay.
The focus of this scene is Faustus himself. Instead of identifying his own faults, he stays distant and detached from the sins. Even when the sins talk to him, he fails to recognize his own corruption. Faustus’s pride and hunger for power blind him to his own downfall. He lacks true self-knowledge.
After the sins finish their speeches, Lucifer distracts Faustus by giving him more promises. Instead of warning him about the consequences of evil, Lucifer tempts him further, feeding Faustus’s desire.
In the next part of the play, Faustus’s conjuring skills are mocked in comic scenes. His magical powers, once grand, are now shown as silly and weak. His earlier displays of power turn into parlor tricks for amusement.
As the play continues, Faustus’s situation worsens. He meets the seven deadly sins again. Mephistophilis encourages him to enjoy life’s pleasures while his soul continues to decay. Faustus, despite his deepening corruption, continues to chase pleasure:
“Whilst I am here on earth, let me be cloyed / With all things that delight the heart of man.”
Even as he plans to visit Rome, he stays focused on worldly pleasures, ignoring the spiritual danger he faces.
The Pope Scene:
The action begins in the Pope’s palace, where Faustus and Mephistophilis use invisibility to disrupt a banquet. Faustus steals food and plays tricks on the Pope and his cardinals. This scene serves two purposes:
- Blasphemy and parody of religion – By mocking sacred rituals and humiliating the Pope, Marlowe critiques the corruption and materialism of the Church. For example, when Faustus disrupts the Pope’s blessing of the feast, it reveals how superficial and secular church leaders have become.
- Physical comedy and slapstick – The scene also entertains through low comedy, using simple tricks and pranks like hitting people and stealing food, blending serious critique with humor.
Blasphemy becomes more obvious when Faustus and Mephistophilis beat friars and curse the Pope. For example, Faustus calls the Pope “damned” and taunts religious figures using both words and actions. Slapstick elements, like the chaos caused by invisible pranks, mix with serious religious insult to create a darkly comic atmosphere.
Comic Interludes – Robin and Dick:
After the Pope scene, the play includes comic scenes with Robin and Dick, ordinary characters who misuse Faustus’s magic for small gains, such as stealing wine. Their antics parody Faustus himself – just as he misuses great magical power, they misuse smaller bits of knowledge. The comedy in these scenes is cruder, relying on slapstick and visual jokes like being searched by the Vintner while hiding stolen goods.
Mephistophilis’s appearance in this low comic scene signals how deeply Faustus’s magic – once grand – has degraded.
At the Emperor’s Court:
Faustus next travels to the court of Emperor Charles V, where his magic is used purely for entertainment. He creates illusions of Alexander the Great and his lover, pleasing the Emperor and court. However, these displays are empty shows, emphasizing how Faustus wastes his powers. He had once sought knowledge and power over the universe, but now uses his abilities to amuse others.
Here, the Emperor’s satisfaction contrasts with Faustus’s wasted potential – he could have achieved greatness but instead seeks applause.
Benvolio’s Humiliation:
In another scene, Faustus uses magic to take revenge on Benvolio, who mocks him. After Benvolio insults Faustus, devils are summoned to humiliate him. Faustus disfigures Benvolio and punishes him and his friends through magical torment. This shows how Faustus has sunk into cruelty, using his powers for childish revenge instead of meaningful purposes.
The slapstick humor in this scene (such as Benvolio hiding and being tormented) is mixed with darker themes of pride and corruption, underlining Faustus’s moral decay.
The Horse-Courser Episode:
As Faustus’s end approaches, his use of magic grows even more petty. He sells a fake horse to a horse-courser for money – a clear sign of greed (avarice). When the horse-courser tries to use the horse, it vanishes, revealing the trick. Faustus even pretends to lose his leg as part of the joke. This scene parodies his earlier feats, highlighting how far he has fallen from his original ambitions.
At this point, Faustus uses his power only for shallow profit and simple tricks, mirroring the themes of the seven deadly sins – particularly greed and pride.
Faustus’s Final Decline – Greed, Lust, and Despair:
As Faustus returns to Wittenberg, his situation worsens. He now uses his powers only for petty gain, like conjuring hay to feed horses – a symbol of his gluttony and greed. His powers, once aimed at grand knowledge, are wasted on satisfying basic desires. Selling a fake horse for a few dollars illustrates how far he has fallen: from the pursuit of cosmic secrets to becoming a trickster concerned with small profits.
In contrast to earlier grand displays (like conjuring Alexander), Faustus now performs cheap tricks, offering grapes for the Duke’s wife and entertaining lower-level characters. His magic, once powerful and feared, now merely provides party favors.
Faustus himself becomes a parody of his former self, no longer the ambitious scholar but a fragmented figure ruined by his sins, especially gluttony and lust.
The Symbolism of Helen:
Faustus’s lust is emphasized when Helen of Troy is conjured, symbolizing beauty and temptation. The famous line, “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?” shows Faustus’s longing for Helen not as genuine love, but as another sinful distraction. By choosing Helen, Faustus is giving in fully to lechery. Helen becomes a false comfort that draws Faustus deeper into damnation.
At this point, Faustus is compared to the seven deadly sins themselves. Just as he once watched them parade before him, he now embodies their influence: pride, greed, envy, lust, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.
Faustus’s Desperation for Salvation:
Even as his damnation nears, Faustus briefly considers salvation. The Old Man character, representing spiritual wisdom and grace, encourages Faustus to repent. He offers Faustus a chance to save his soul, calling attention to “a vial full of precious grace.”
However, Faustus’s response is tragic: he rejects this chance, letting Mephistophilis lead him back to sin, represented by his return to Helen. Instead of turning to God, Faustus returns to lust as a form of false escape.
Final Despair:
As Faustus’s final hour approaches, he feels overwhelming guilt and fear. He tries to pray and asks God for mercy, but believes it is too late. His physical body suffers alongside his soul – he looks weak and frail, reflecting his spiritual collapse.
Mephistophilis and the Bad Angel remind Faustus of the horrors awaiting him in hell, emphasizing his eternal punishment. Their visions of “perpetual torture-house” and “brimstone fire” make clear what is coming.
At last, as midnight nears, Faustus cries out to God, begging for forgiveness:
“My God, my God, look not so fierce on me!”
However, Faustus’s final plea is too late. His rejection of repentance earlier seals his fate.
Conclusion – Marlowe’s Irony and Tragedy:
Throughout the play, magic serves as both a literal tool and a metaphor for Faustus’s self-destruction. Each display of power becomes an ironic symbol of his wasted potential. Rather than using magic to pursue knowledge or enlightenment, Faustus succumbs to greed, lust, and pride.
In the end, Faustus embodies the seven deadly sins he once watched passively. Marlowe’s play shows that Faustus’s tragedy is not caused by demonic powers alone, but by his own choices—his continual preference for temporary pleasures over eternal salvation.
His story closes as a cautionary tale of human weakness, where ambition, unchecked by wisdom and moral guidance, leads only to despair and destruction.
