Marlowe’s compassion on Doctor Faustus is seen when Faustus realized that his life came to an end and after all this he was never happy. Marlowe’s sympathy is seen when Faustus friend finds his body torn limb to limb and decides to give him a fare sendoff by organizing a party.
Faustus way of life that is, greed and desire for magic lend to his downfall. The fact that he sold his soul to the devil/Lucifer for wealth and money despite the fact that he was well educated and could have earned it makes him a victim of his own consequences. A reader can not identify with him as this was out of greed.
Having been born from the medieval period, when poverty was rampant, Faustus who had acquired doctorate in education, desired for something greater than that to be equated to saints and kings and this lead to his signing a deal with the devil.
The play gives us a flow of Faustus life from birth where there was a lot of poverty and eventually starts on his wicked nature. Faustus apprehends his mistakes of believing that power as well as knowledge would bring him contentment. He never got happiness as he was concerned more on people’s point of view.
This is because they viewed and believed him to be a kind of a hero. Faustus finally regrets for his action after his twenty four years where he is filled with terror but this happened very late.
Faustus story is an eye opener to the reader as it shows one the consequences of ones action, this is elaborated by the tragic end of Faustus life due to his desire for money, wealth and yearning for something beyond nature.
Don Giovanni’s damnation came through a statue which at first gave him an opportunity to repent but he refused. Upon his refusal, the statue sank to the earth and dragged Don Giovanni down to the earth he is surrounded by the hellfire and the chorus of the demons as he is carried away.
In comparison to Faustus damnation, Don Giovanni faces a grimmer one as per the story, by the time of sinking to the earth he was surrounded by sounds of demons as well as hellfire. Faustus damnation came with no struggle as Lucifer took him away without anyone’s notice and only his clothes were seen on stage.
Also, Giovanni was given an opportunity to repent by the devil although he refused. This is because, he had not come to a point of realizing his mistakes while Faustus had no chance to atone his wrong actions despite the fact that he had reached a point of comprehending his wicked ways. Faustus death is silent and no one realized it and only his body was recovered torn limb to limb and his soul gone while Don Giovanni was taken with the recognition of his servant.
The divergence in Faustus and Don’s damnation is seen through people’s reaction after they were taken away by the devil. Faustus life is celebrated by his friends while Don’s life is a kind of a relief to his friends since some were already planning for revenge against him as he had treated them with arrogance and in abusive ways.
In conclusion, the story of the two characters is a lesson to the evildoers as at the end of their evil actions, they always face death. It therefore advocates all to watch their actions as they determine their ending.