traditional morality From this perspective Faustus's choices are a violation of ethical norms His damnation serves as a moral lesson about the dangers of surrendering to the devil It leaves virtuous principles Mephistophilis says I am a servant to great Lucifer And may not follow thee without his leave Pride or Hubris and the Pursuit of Knowledge The most important characteristic in Faustus's character is hubris or excessive pride His unquenchable thirst for knowledge and power leads him to make a deal with the devil The argument here is that Faustus's damnation is a consequence of his unquenchable desire and violation of divine laws In this interpretation his story serves as a warning tale against the dangers of uncontrolled ambition The Good Angel tries to save him but he never responds The Good Angel says Faustus repent yet God will pity thee Moral Corruption Faustus's moral corruption worsens as the play progresses Initially seeking knowledge he gradually surrenders to selfish pursuits such as playing pranks on the Pope and summoning Helen of Troy His famous line Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships And burnt the topless towers of Ilium It shows his shift from scholarly ambitions to earthly pleasures This moral decay supports the argument that he deserved damnation Lack of True Repentance True repentance requires sincere remorse and a desire to change Faustus expresses regret but never truly repents In his final soliloquy he laments O I'll leap up to my God Who pulls me down Faustus does not genuinely seek forgiveness Instead he remains unmoved in his upcoming doom He is unable to turn to God His superficial remorse lacks the depth necessary for redemption It justifies his damnation The Role of Justice The concept of divine justice is central to Faustus's fate According to the moral framework of the play sin must be punished Faustus's crimes are severe His pact with the devil his rejection of God and his misuse of knowledge all demand retribution The Chorus concludes the play with a moral lesson Faustus is gone regard his hellish fall Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise Only to wonder at unlawful things Epilogue This supports the idea that Faustus's damnation serves as a warning tale about the consequences of ambition and violation of divine order In termination the justification of Faustus's damnation varies from person to person It depends on the lens of one's interpretation of the play It is viewed as a cautionary tale against moral violations Each perspective contributes to the richness and complexity of Marlowe's work