Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. Faustus gives to thee his soul. Ah, there it stay’d. Why should’st thou not? Is not thy soul thine own? (scene 5, lines 71-72) Faustus says this while he is signing the document that seals his fate. What do you think that Marlowe is trying to say about fate and free will in these lines and throughout the play? Your answer should be at least 250 words.

Answer 1

Fate and free will is a crucial theme dealt by Christopher Marlowe, particularly in chapter five, where Faustus expresses these lines: Ah, there it stay’d. Why should’st thou not? Is not thy soul thine own?, In this chapter he decides willingly to sell his soul to Lucifer, but when he is willing to make the bargain, and he stabs his arm in an attempt to write the deed in blood, the blood congeals, so that it was impossible for Faustus to write his name, in other words he couldn’t sign the agreement with Lucifer. At that point of the story he wondered whether that was fate, if his own blood was protecting him, and saving him, preventing his soul to be sold to Lucifer. However, he finalized the pact with Lucifer and discovered on his arm the inscription “O, man fly”. That could be interpreted as a warning from God to Dr, Faustus to be free to live his fate instead of selling his soul to Lucifer. Thus, Fausto started wondering if he should repent and trust God. However, Fausto was lured by Lucifer and his evil angels; in spite of the fact of the different sign he saw that could have been a clear message to follow God , he willingly sold his soul to the devil.  

All things considered, Fausto could have follow his fate, be free, not signing the pact when his blood congealed. However, he felt free to decide which path to follow by signing it and selling his soul.  So, Marlowe is remarking that we all have a fate, but that fate does not condemn us, our own decision do, because we have free will to make our own decisions and make mistakes, even though if those mistakes are fatal.