Doctor Faustus The Magician Essays - Works Based On The Faust Legend

Doctor Faustus The Magician Tales of Faustian-like episodes are not limited to the past couple of centuries. Accounts of men signing deals with the devil have been recounted since before the Reformation. Most of the time, the party accused of associating with the devil was forgiven by God and not sentenced to fulfill his contract. It was believed by some, that to conjure up a demon that could be controlled through Jesus was an act of faith- and as such could be used for noble purposes. The first Christian era account of a man courting the help of Satan occurred during the 4th century. According to legend, Senator Proterius of Caesarea needed Satan's help to gain his master's daughter's hand in marriage. Fortunately for him, his soul was saved by the prayers of St. Basil. Another account of a deal with the devil occurred in1200's. Theophilus worked in the Episcopal Church. When the bishop of the church died, the new bishop fired Theophilus. In order to get revenge, Theophilus entered a pact with the devil, with the help of a Jewish sorcerer, and renounced his allegiance to Jesus, Mary, and the church. He later repented- Jesus forgave him and Mary retrieved Theophilus's IOU from the devil. He died in peace 3 days later. The Faust legend of the sixteenth century took place during an era of exploding scientific knowledge; polarization of good and evil; the fragmentation of Christian unity; the dying of the medieval world, and geometrically escalating uncertainty. During the early part of the 16th century, Johann Sabellicus, also known as George Faust, was a noted magician throughout the German lands. The earliest record we have of him can be traced to a letter written by Johannes Trithemius of Sponheim in 1507, in which he was accused of molesting several boys while teaching at Kreuznach. He was described as a blasphemous, con man who should be whipped. Records from 1509 indicate Faust may have next gone to the University of Heidelber. After studying the magical arts in Cracow, he surfaced in Erfurt in 1513. In 1516 he stayed in the Maulbronn monastery with Abbot Johannes Entenful, possibly by promising the gold he would produce in an alchemist's lab. A few years later, Faust was a popular lecturer on Homer, using such tricks as a magic lantern or a camera obscura. In 1520 the Franciscan friar Dr. Klinge tried to convince Faust of his sinful ways. Faust rejected the monk's offer to repent and admitted to signing a pact with the devil in blood. The monk assured Faust that he wold go to hell for refusing his help. In 1527 Faust moved to Wittenberg, but was expelled for his bad reputation. In 1528 he was kicked out of Ingolstadt and in 1532 he was refused safe conduct in Nuremburg. Although many references were made to his extraordinary gifts, his rejection and alienation increased, as he was labeled a Satanist, blasphemer and heretic by Catholics and Lutherans. A couple of positive notes about Faust- Leonhart ThurnmeiBer von Thurn called him a "true philosopher who had the ability to effect genuine transformations and to transport people across great distances and times." The Waldeck Chronicle reported that Dr. Faust had correctly predicted that the forces of the Bishop of Munster on the night of June 25, 1535. Interesting note- Martin Luther is quoted as saying that he was not afraid of the sorcerer Faust "with God as" his"protector". & Although he did have a bad reputation, it is reported that many of the great minds of his day sought his acquaintance. In 1539 Faust was referred to, by the City Physician of Worms, as an arrogant swindler; but the very next year Phillipp von Hutten wrote that Faust had been correct in his predictions concerning Philipp's expeditions. Faust died in 1540 (or 41) probably in Wurthenberg or Regensburg, contrary to legend's account of his terrible end near Wittenberg. Bibliography The Ecole Initiative: Pacts with the Devil: Faust and Precursors. June 24, 200. 6:34 p.m. http://www.usao.edu/~facshaferi/FAUST.HTML

A Leader is Nothing Without His Followers Essays

A Leader is Nothing Without His Followers Essays A Leader is Nothing Without His Followers Essay A Leader is Nothing Without His Followers Essay In the June of 1941, Adolf Hitler commenced the killing of many Jews within Germany. Some would not sympathize with him and will say he is a heartless man. However, due to the fact that many Jews have been big business owners back then and have had many advantages over the rest of society. A marxist, whose theory states that â€Å"the workers(the poor, the proletariat) could overthrow the owners(the rich, the bourgeoisie)†(social class/marxist criticism), would feel a little bit more sympathetic towards Hitler for his action. Some marxist, can view Hitler’s action as a way of overthrowing the bourgeoisie. A similar situation, where the rich takes advantage of the poor, can be seen within Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman. A marxist will view Willy Loman, the protagonist of the play, as a victim of commercial success, which is unfair, distractive, and destructive. WIthin modern society, Donald Trump is regarded as a very successful business man, but for him to become successful he has cheated many companies and banks, just so that he can become successful. As seen in Miller’s play, Biff Loman and Willy Loman are used like objects by their bosses at some point in their lives. When Biff tries to go and borrow some money from his former boss, Bill Oliver, to start a business, Bill â€Å"didn’t remember who [Biff] was or anything†(Miller 81). As seen here Bill has used Biff in the past and now he does not even regard Biff as anything. Furthermore, Willy, whom works for Howard, has also been treated like an object by his boss. Willy’s â€Å"job is a job without pay†(Miller 74). Howard is not even willing to pay Willy, who has â€Å"put thirty-four years into [Howard’s firm]†(Miller 61). Howard’s action shows one that Willy is clearly being used as a stepping stone so that Howard and his firm can become successful. One must not take advantage of the poor and ignore them afterwards, as Willy describes, â€Å"you can’t eat