Dr. Faustus grew dissatisfied with of knowledge and decided to try his luck in the occult, agreeing to sell his soul to the devil for 24 years. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty-four years, Faustus is overcome by fear and remorse. He begs for mercy, but it is too late. What do you think it took him so long to repent? Discuss in detail. Dr. Faustus had many opportunities to repent. He only considers repenting during the end of his life and claims he is held back from doing so. Faustus was a very ignorant man who desired power. Satan was his essential source of power and knowledge, which was why he was wrapped around Satan’s finger. The devil gave Faustus what he desired which is why it took him so long, for he assumed he was so far in that God would never forgive him.
Discuss each companion Everyman selects to travel with him (Fellowship, Kindred, etc.), and the importance of the order in which he chooses them, and what their abandonment means at the end. Everyman selected various companions to travel with him. The order of his choosing was very significant in the story, and their abandonment had a significant meaning as well. Firstly, the God’s messenger, Death, approaches Everyman to send a message about a journey to be taken. Fellowship, the first chosen companion, was asked to be Everyman’s companion to go through the journey with him. Fellowship and Everyman had a strong relationship with each other however, Fellowship denied his offer. He then asks Kindred and Cousins to be his companions in his journey. Kindred and Cousins represent family, and they too however deny his offer, despite wanting to do anything for Everyman.
The next companion that is approached is Goods, who represents materialistic items. Once again, after Goods is informed about the journey he rejects Everyman’s request. Good Deeds is approached next but is unable to go through the journey with Everyman. Everyman is then led to Knowledge, who also denies Everyman’s request and is then led to Confession. As he goes through his journey, he is later led to Strength, Beauty, Discretion, and Five wits. They all leave Everyman after agreeing to stay through his journey, like the others. The one thing that stuck with him throughout his journey was Good Deeds. Death is a part of life that everyone must approach, and the good deeds that people do stick with them through their life, while other things may not such as friends. It is also portraying that beauty is of no importance in life, for it goes away as one ages.
What roles do the clowns play in King Lear and Twelfth Night? For Lear the clown is The Fool and for Twelfth Night the clown is Feste. The clowns that play in King Lear and Twelfth Night serve a variety of purposes. Clowns in these pieces of literature are commoners who provide entertainment to the audience. This was done so by making the audience laugh with jokes, shifting the mood in the play, give a message in political or social matters, or even serve the purpose for the audience to relate to the clowns. The Fool in King Lear entertained the audience. He made several mistakes and makes the play humorous. Feste is a clown that enjoyed saying things as he pleased. He sang and danced to the audience that also gave the Twelfth Night humor. Feste was also good with his words and made funny puns.
