Doctor Faustus: Act V

According to Dante's Inferno, the gate to Hell is inscribed with a line that is translated as "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Although Jesus once descended into Hell to transport several righteous souls from Limbo into Heaven, unrepentant sinners damned to eternal torture have no hope of escape. To despair is to deny God, which is emphasized by this line from the King James Bible: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope."

The first use of the word is as a verb, while the second is as a noun. This can be traced to the Latin noun "tormentum" ("instrument for hurling stones or for torture; a rack"), which comes from the verb "torquere" ("to twist, distort"). These lines reveal Faustus' nature: faced with the threat of being torn to pieces for considering breaking his contract with Lucifer, Faustus directs the blame and torment to the old man who tried to persuade him to call to God for mercy.

The Latin prefix "ex" means "out" and the verb "spirare" means "to breathe." Although similar to "exhale" ("halare" also means "to breathe"), it is often associated with the last breath, which means that one would "pass from physical life" (see the synonymous "perish"). With the expiration of the 24-year contract, Faustus must expire. Mephistophilis gives him a dagger to kill himself (suicide would be another sin), but Faustus tries to avoid fulfilling his part of the bargain.

In the 1604 Quarto, after Faustus is dragged down to hell by devils, the Chorus appears one last time and the play ends. The 1616 Quarto adds this scene with the scholars in order to emphasize the dreadful (which also means "very unpleasant") way in which Faustus died.

This line from the enlarged 1616 Quarto is a continuation of the "dreadful" thought. "Fearful" ("experiencing or showing fear" or "causing fear or dread or terror") is synonymous with "dreadful." Both adjectives describe the scholars and Faustus. The shrieking Faustus is fearful and causing fear in the scholars; having spent a dreadful night listening to the shrieks, the scholars now dread what they might find.

The adverb can also mean "widely separated especially in space." That could apply to this line from the King James Bible: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." But despite asking for a wife, Faustus does not have one because marriage is a holy state that Mephistophilis cannot deliver. Thus, these lines from the 1616 Quarto refer to Faustus' single body being torn asunder.

This additional scene from the 1616 Quarto makes Faustus' downfall and death seem sadder. The laments of fellow scholars emphasize the greatness that Faustus had and could've developed. They also emphasize the goodness of the scholars: despite undergoing similar education and experiences as Faustus, they do not choose his path; and despite knowing that Faustus had chosen to deal with the devil, they try to save him.

This line from the enlarged 1616 Quarto is ambiguous about the type of burial that Faustus will receive. The adjective "due" can mean "that which is deserved or owed" or "suitable to or expected in the circumstances." Having sinned beyond redemption, Faustus does not deserve a Christian burial. But the scholars attend the University of Wittenberg, which advocate the works of Martin Luther. Thus, any ceremony they arrange would likely include religious ideals.