Comparing Dr. Faustus And Dorian Gray

Aja Naomi King once said, “There are people who do what they believe is right, but as they say, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'” In The Tempest by Shakespeare, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, intentions blind each of the main characters into carrying out malicious actions. Dr. Faustus and Dorian Gray are both overcome by their intentions and cannot redeem themselves no matter how hard they try. However, Prospero manages to suppress the urge to harm his enemies. The progression of these characters shows how when an individual becomes too wrapped up in their selfish or malicious desires, they eventually become overpowered to the point of no return unless they come to terms with
Faustus attempts to redeem his soul at a time when he has succumbed to the influence of evil; however, Faustus’ original intentions of power and magic??? set him apart. In his pursuit of power, Faustus shows how he wants unlimited amounts: “O, what a world of profit and delight, of power, of honor and omnipotence, is promised to the studious artisan! All things that move between the quiet poles shall be at command. Emperors and kings are but obeyed in their several provinces, but his dominion that exceeds in this stretcheth as far as doth the mind of man. A sound magician is a demigod” (Marlowe 5). Faustus’ ultimate desires of supreme power, greater than emperors, and comparable to a demigod shows the selfish origins of his actions that eventually blind him. Nothing could stand in the way of Faustus’ journey even though, like Dorian, he had many chances to redeem himself through the influence of others. Both the good angel and the Old Man attempted to steer Faustus away from the devil’s influence. While they ultimately could not overpower Lucifer and Mephistopholis, they lead him to plead for mercy in the last moments of his death: “All beasts are happy, for when they die, their souls are soon dissolv’d in elements; But mine must live, still to be plagu’d in hell. Curst be the parents that engend’red me! No, Faustus: curse thyself…” (56). In his final moments, unlike Dorian, Faustus accepts some parts of responsibility for his actions, commanding himself to be cursed, not his parents. Additionally, Faustus did not come to terms with his own mortality, seen by the moment when he was franticly trying to avoid death even though he was aware it was coming for twenty-four years. While Dorian feels guilt, he does not outwardly say that he is the problem; however, they both realized the extent of their egotistical pleasures far too