Essay About Christpher Marlowes Play And Pertinant Similarity

A Comparative Study of the Work of the Devil
Essay title: A Comparative Study of the Work of the Devil
It is true that the study of the devil or evil in general as a
part of the world has intrigued
man for centuries. This is mostly because it is something people dont have
concrete proof of
and is also considered taboo in our society. Yet, studies and/or story
telling on the devil and his
evil forces seems to have been apart of all societies since the beginning
time. Such as,
Christpher Marlowes play, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustas, written in
the 16th century
and the modern day film, The Devils Advocate, starring Al Pacino and Keanu
Reeves.
The devil in Marlowes play doesnt
come to Dr. Faustas as himself ,
instead he sends
one of his disciples named Mephistophilis. When Mephistophilis first comes to
Dr. Faustas he
comes as himself, a demon like creature that is not quite appealing to the
eye and seems to
frighten or sicken Dr.Faustas. Dr. Faustas immediately
asks Mephistophilis to
come back as
something more pleasant, such as a fransiscan friar. The devil immediately
does so. I assume he
does this to please Dr. Faustas and to show him that with the type of power
he possesses he
can appear to be or even change into whom ever he wants. This being
something that the
doctor can also achieve by giving up his soul. He also offers Dr. Faustas
many things such as,
knowledge (something the Doctor cant get enough of) and tells the Doctor
that he can basically
have everything he desires in exchange for his soul.
Something very similar to this instance also occurs in The Devils
Advocate. In the
beginning of the film Keanu Reeves is approached by a man( also a messenger
of the devils) in
a bar offering him a job opportunity in Manhattan and to persuade him to come
he offers him a
very large sum of money. When Keanu arrives he is surrounded by all the
materialistic things he
could desire in addition to the power and acknowledgment he so strongly
desires. This is all
once again there to tempt him towards evil and persuade him to sell his soul.
Another pertinant similarity between the 16th century play and the modern
day film is
the chance that both characters were given to give it all up, leave the devil
and regain their souls,
yet the outcome is far different.
In Marlowes play, Dr. Faustas is approached by an old man who tries to
convince
Faustas to leave the devil and regain his soul. Faustas declines this plea
and continues on the
path he already was on, despite the fact that he was beginning to doubt the
actual rewards of his