Introduction:
According to medieval theology, the Seven Deadly Sins are the seven original sins that bring spiritual death. Doctor Faustus written by Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) is a very famous tragedy.in this tragedy, he talks about the seven deadly sins in human life. To make a happy and enjoyable life one must be avoided them.
More Notes: Doctor Faustus
The seven deadly sins in Doctor Faustus:
The seven deadly sins are pride, covetousness, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth, and lechery.
Pride:
pride refers to a sense of self-respect and of being respected by other people. It is the mother of all sins. It means overconfidence in one’s own abilities. Nature is under God’s rule and God is permanent. Dr. Faustus is unhappy because he is mortal. Arrogant Dr. Faustus thinks that God will not give him what he deserves so he follows Lucifer’sorder in hopes of getting more.
Covetousness:
It means the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. Faustus requests Mephistopheles to bring money, property, and sensual delights every day for him. To Faustus, temporal satisfaction on earth is better than God’s promised happiness in heaven.
Envy:
It refers to the desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation. Faustus envies the emperor, the pope, and Lucifer for power. He is jealous of God because God’s power and dignity are beyond his power. He asks Mephistopheles for a power that surpasses the power and strength of all.
Anger:
Anger comes when love is overcome by fury or excitement. Faustus becomes furious at Benvolio’s mockery of him. Being Furious he puts a pair of horns on the man’s head because of his demonic power. At last, when Faustus cannot face the truth the Old Man tells him that only god can forgive Faustus if he asks God for it. hearing the old man’s advice Faustus becomes angry and orders Mephistopheles to call demons to torture the Old Man.
Gluttony:
Gluttony means the desire to consume more than that which one requires. At the end of his twenty-fourth year when Faustus’s death is close, he is ‘swilling and enjoying with his students in a feast with food and wine. A quote can be cited:
’ In a feast with ‘food and wine enough for an army’.
Lust:
Lust: It indicates an excessive hunger for the pleasures of the body. In the Tragedy of Doctor Faustus, we see that in the last moments of his life when the old man asks Faustus to pray to God for what he has done. Instead, he orders Mephistopheles to bring Helen to fulfill his lust so that he can feel peace within himself by kissing Helen.
Sloth:
Laziness is last among the seven deadly sins. it means avoiding physical or spiritual work. The idle person, like Faustus, dislikes doing what God wants. He wants everything without any effort. In Doctor Faustus, Faustus signs the contract with Lucifer so that he can get everything of knowledge, possessions, and experiences without any effort on his part.
Conclusion:
Finally, we may conclude that we all should lead our lives in a simple and correct way by saving ourselves from the seven deadly sins.
