Scene 15 - The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus | Classic Literature
Enter the Old Man .72
Old Man
Accursed Faustus, miserable man,
That from thy soul exclud’st the grace of Heaven, And fly’st the throne of his tribunala court or place of judgement seat!
Enter Devils .
Satan begins to sifttest or put through a severe trial me with his pride:
As in this furnace God shall try my faith,
My faith, vile hell, shall triumph over thee.
Ambitious fiends, see how the heavens smile
At your repulsea defeat or rejection , and laugh your state to scorn!
Hence, hell! for hence I fly unto my God.
Exeunt—on one side, Devils , on the other, Old Man .
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Previously Scene 14: Faustus shows Helen to the admiring scholars, then hears the Old Man urge him to repent and seek mercy. Mephistopheles threatens him, and Faustus renews his vow to Lucifer in blood and asks for the Old Man to be tormented. He then asks for Helen as his lover to drive away his doubts and greets her with a kiss.
Who's who so far C Chorus He reports Faustus's return home, his friends' admiration for his learning and his reception at the Emperor's palace. John Faustus Despite the Old Man's appeal to repent, he renews his vow to Lucifer in blood, asks for the Old Man's torment and seeks Helen's embraces to silence his doubts. Wagner Having received all his master's goods, he suspects Faustus expects to die soon but cannot reconcile that thought with the lavish feast Faustus is enjoying. Good Angel The angel insists that repentance is still possible and promises that devils cannot hurt Faustus if he repents. Evil Angel The angel denies that Faustus will repent and threatens that devils will tear him apart if he does. V Valdes Faustus's German friend who promises that spirits will serve them and offers to teach him the basics of magic. C Cornelius Faustus's friend who presents magic as a source of fame and treasure and recommends learning its words before its ceremonies. FS First Scholar He requests a sight of Helen and blesses Faustus after witnessing her passage across the stage. SS Second Scholar He declares his own powers of expression too poor to praise Helen's majesty. Mephistopheles He gives Faustus a dagger, threatens him into renewing his vow and admits that the Old Man's faith protects his soul from his power. Clown An unemployed man who jokes about Wagner's offer, runs in fear from devils and agrees to serve Wagner after asking to learn magic. B Baliol One of the two devils Wagner summons to frighten the Clown and then orders away. B Belcher One of the two devils who appear at Wagner's call and send the Clown running and crying. DD The dancing devils Devils brought by Mephistopheles who give Faustus crowns and rich clothes, dance and leave. DD The devil dressed as a woman A devil who enters dressed as a woman with fireworks when Mephistopheles promises to fetch Faustus a wife. Lucifer The ruler of hell rebukes Faustus for calling on Christ, presents the Seven Deadly Sins as entertainment and gives him a book promising transformations. B Belzebub Lucifer's companion-prince in hell appears beside him and Mephistopheles when Faustus calls on Christ. P Pride One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride rejects having parents and refuses to speak further without perfume and rich furnishings. C Covetousness One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Covetousness wants the house and everyone in it turned into gold to lock in a chest. W Wrath One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath describes roaming with rapiers and wounding himself when nobody else is available to fight. E Envy One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Envy resents others' learning, food and comfort and wishes everyone else would die in a famine. G Gluttony One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Gluttony describes a family made of food and drink and asks Faustus for supper. S Sloth One of the Seven Deadly Sins, Sloth resents being moved from a sunny bank and asks Gluttony and Lechery to carry him back. L Lechery The last of the Seven Deadly Sins to answer Faustus, Lechery introduces herself through a sexual joke about food. Pope The host of the banquet loses food and drink to the invisible Faustus, orders a dirge against a supposed ghost and is struck on the ear. CL Cardinal of Lorrain The Pope's guest suggests that the unseen intruder is a ghost from purgatory seeking a pardon. FF First Friar A friar who reports that nobody can be seen after Faustus speaks and later calls his brethren to their devotional work. F The friars The Pope's attendants sing curses against the banquet's unseen disruptor before Faustus and Mephistopheles beat them and throw fireworks among them. Robin the Ostler He summons Mephistopheles while trying to keep a stolen goblet and welcomes the devil's sentence of transformation into an ape as a chance for fun and food. Ralph He returns the stolen goblet after the devil appears and is told by Mephistopheles that he is to become a dog. V Vintner A wine seller who searches Robin and Ralph for a missing goblet and receives it back after Mephistopheles appears. Emperor The ruler asks to see Alexander and his paramour, accepts their spirit likenesses as real bodies and promises Faustus a reward after asking him to release the Knight. Knight A gentleman who mocks Faustus's claims and is made to wear horns until Faustus orders Mephistopheles to remove them at the Emperor's request. EA The Emperor's attendants Attendants accompany the Emperor, and one leaves to summon the Knight at his command. SA The spirits as Alexander and his paramour Spirits brought by Mephistopheles resemble Alexander and his lover so closely that the Emperor believes he sees their actual bodies. H Horse-Courser A buyer whose horse vanishes in water returns for his money but flees promising another payment after apparently pulling off Faustus's leg. DV Duke of Vanholt Faustus's noble host marvels at the grapes brought in January and invites him to receive a reward for pleasing the Duchess. D Duchess The Duke's pregnant wife asks Faustus for ripe grapes in winter and promises lasting gratitude after tasting them. TS Third Scholar A scholar who treats Helen's beauty as an explanation for the Greeks' long war to recover her. Helen The silent figure shown to the scholars returns at Faustus's request, and he kisses her and declares that he finds Heaven in her lips. Old Man He urges Faustus to repent, interrupts his movement towards death and describes an angel offering grace before leaving in fear for Faustus's soul. D The devils new Devils enter as the Old Man faces a trial of faith and leave on the opposite side of the stage from him. Words to know
tribunal a court or place of judgement
sift test or put through a severe trial
repulse a defeat or rejection
Scene 15 in brief The Old Man opens alone, addressing the absent Faustus as someone who turns away from heavenly grace and judgement. Devils then enter, turning his speech about spiritual danger into a confrontation on stage. He describes the encounter as a furnace in which God will test his faith. Rather than bargaining with the fiends, he declares that faith will defeat them and imagines Heaven mocking their repulse. The final direction sends him and the devils off on opposite sides, giving physical form to his declared separation from hell.
Key quotes As in this furnace God shall try my faith, My faith, vile hell, shall triumph over thee. Why it matters The furnace turns the devils' confrontation into a test that can prove faith. Repeating 'my faith' makes the Old Man's confidence answer the threat directly.Choice, temptation and repentance Hell and damnation
That from thy soul exclud’st the grace of Heaven, Why it matters The Old Man attributes Faustus's separation from grace to Faustus's own exclusion of it. His accusation presents damnation through an act of refusal.Choice, temptation and repentance Hell and damnation
Themes in this chapter Choice, temptation and repentance Hell and damnation
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