Faustus Greatest Sin Is His Misuse Of The Supernatural...

To what extent do you think that Faustus’ greatest sin is his misuse of the supernatural powers given to him by Mephistopheles? Primarily, it could be argued that in actual fact Faustus’ greatest sin is his misuse of the supernatural powers, a recurring theme throughout the play. One scene which particularly captures Faustus’ blatant misuse is Act 3 Scene 2. In this scene, which Faustus plays practical jokes on the fictitious Pope Adrian, there is an obvious shift from his original aim of bettering the world and learning all the secrets of the Universe to solely wanting to satisfy his immediate pleasure. This kind of sin comes with a price, which is clearly marked out by Mephistophiles when he states, Act II Scene I: â€Å"Hell hath no limits... and every creature shall be purified, all places shall be hell that is not heaven.† Basically, Mephistophilis explains that hell is simply absence from the presence of God, the trap that Faustus is surely walking into. Faustus is in a state of complete skepticism. As a result, we see how rapidly Faustus has degenerated into a state of absolute sel f-servience, he tries to make himself believe that death does not exists. This is absolute nonsense since Faustus originally made the deal to escape death. Even though his aim was to conquer death, he also maintains that death does not exist. Marlowe is using this situation as a paradox to show that Faustus logical or reasoning powers are rapidly dwindling into insignificance as a result of