omen and knowledge of the black arts, or magic. Interesting to note, is that the first thing Faustus asks of Mephistophilis is knowledge, the very same knowledge on which he turned his back by delving into conjuring. Faustus does not have long before he realizes that magic will bring him no closer to the understanding he desires than did the lengthy pursuit of knowledge (Ellis-Fermor 64). For the remainder of the play, Faustus begins a cycle of repentance, followed by renewed blasphemy, which will continue for the rest of the twenty-four years. A key concept in understanding the spiritual tragedy with which Faustus has plagued himself is the concept of poena damni, or the punishment of loss, a concept first advanced by Thomas Aquinas, (Cole 191-193) who stated Mans extreme unhappiness will consist in the fact that his intellect is completely shut off from the divine light, and that his affections are stubbornly turned against Gods goodness. And this is the chief suffering of the damnedthe punishment of loss (Vollert 188).Put more mildly by St. Augustine, Every disordered spirit shall be a punishment to itself (Cole 190). The driving idea behind this concept states that the majority of Faustus pain leapt from the fact that he had cut himself off from Gods light forever, put simply by Mephistophilis Thinkst thou that I who saw the face of God/ And tasted the eternal joys of heaven/ Am not tormented with ten thousand hells (Ribner 12).Faustus has traded his immortal soul for a chance to play God, but in the end, realizes that Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man! (Ribner 24). He is confronted with the ultimate feeling of loss, loss of an eternity of happiness and bliss, and loss the ultimate goal he sought in achieving magic. He is no more a King than any common servant, for he is but a servant to Lucifer, and will be for all eternity. Faustus mission has failed.Despite the ample text in this play, it is highly likel...
