Discuss Faustus's character-take into account his accomplishments, hopes and dreams as well as his flaws.

The character of Dr. John Faustus in the play
Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe, is a man whose accomplishments
and intelligence are used for all the wrong purposes.

An
ambitious man, Dr. Faustus begins his story by admiring his achievements in the field of
medicine, and many other fields, for he is the epitome of the Renaissance man: The do-it
all hero.

A
greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit:
Bid Oncaymaeon
farewell, Galen come,
Seeing, Ubi desinit Philosophus, ibi incipit
Medicus:
Be a physician, Faustus; heap up gold,
And be
eternised for some wondrous
cure.

Here we see how Faustus
is completely aware of his own talent. Yet, he does not have enough. He wants more and
feels the hunger of becoming somewhat of a demigod.

When
Faustus decides to give himself to the devil for 24 years of total power, he wastes it
away by becoming fixated with magic and metaphysics.

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These metaphysics of magicians
And
necromantic books are heavenly: Lines, circles, scenes, letters, and characters:

Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires.
O, what a world of
profit and delight,
Of power, of honour, of omnipotence,
Is
promised to the studious
artisan!

Along his sad
journey, Faustus demonstrates his lack of social skills, his incompatibility with
people, and his haughtiness. He becomes quite the loner, and ends up basically with
nothing. He is the epitome of what a badly-driven ambition does for a person. It all
becomes a big waste at the very end.