Christopher Marlowe

Doctor Faustus reviews his mastery of various academic disciplines—logic, medicine, law, and divinity—only to find them insufficient. He ultimately rejects traditional scholarship in favor of the dark arts and necromancy to achieve god-like power.

Faustus summons the spirit of Helen of Troy to be his lover as his soul's damnation approaches. He expresses a desperate, ecstatic devotion, choosing earthly beauty and pagan mythology over his salvation.

In his final hour of life, Faustus desperately pleads for time to stand still to avoid his inevitable damnation. He experiences a harrowing psychological breakdown as he oscillates between begging for God's mercy and fearing Lucifer's claim on his soul.