The Devil On Your Shoulder Allie Moustris College

Christopher Marlowe’s play entitled, Doctor Faustus, tells the story of a curious and ambitious man who has grown tired of focusing on all of the traditional areas of study, and wishes to learn something less known by others. Faustus is intrigued by magic, and after convincing his friends to teach him the black arts, he is able to summon a devil, known as Mephastophilis. In exchange for 24 years of servitude from this devil, Faustus is told he must sell his soul to Lucifer and face death as soon as the years have been served. Throughout the play, Faustus struggles with being overcome by his overwhelming desire to obtain knowledge of dark magic and hold power that he did not have before, while also feeling remorse and the need to repent as the Good Angel and the Bad Angel both guide him in different directions, even though the evil within him eventually wins out. As humans we are constantly torn between what is right and wrong, and overcome by both good and evil, which makes Faustus a more human-like and relatable character who grapples with choosing the right path that can eventually dictate one’s future once turning back is too late. Although the Good Angel and the Evil Angel are both physical characters within the play, they...