Introduction
The relationship between science and the occult remains a common topic in many literary and popular culture works. Many readers consider The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe as one of the original stories about the contradictions between good and evil, right and wrong. This play introduces the idea of the Faustian deal and shows the contradictions people may face in their attempts to achieve as much as possible. In popular culture, similar debates gain a new meaning, but most parallels cannot be ignored. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith by George Lucas is one of the best examples of how a person is challenged by the dark side and makes a wrong decision. Evaluating the works by Marlowe and Lucas helps define the essence of the short-time perspectives inherent to Faustian deals and address the science-occult questionable background as an excuse for inevitable and usually negative outcomes.
Doctor Faust in Popular Culture
In the chosen stories, many characters are tempted by the Devil or the Dark Side, but the main characters, Faust in Marlowe and Anakin Skywalker in Lucas, are the most dramatic examples. Both of them experience some boredom due to the inability to gain more power and deal with their hubris and pride. Faust wants to strengthen his position and discover new abilities, believing that “A sound magician is a demigod:/ Here tire, my brains, to gain deity” (Marlowe 7). Anakin thinks his deal with the devil could bring him a good chance to save his wife because “love won’t save you…only my new powers can do that” (Lucas). In both cases, the men are too arrogant to admit that their weaknesses are not disadvantages but natural consequences to be accepted.
The idea that science and the occult are intertwined may be used to explain the characters’ behaviors and decisions. Faust continues questioning the appropriateness of science and tries to find more answers in the occult sphere. He wonders, “Is, to dispute well, logic’s chiefest end?/ Affords this art no greater miracle?” (Marlowe 5). His transition from a scientist to a mad magician who voluntarily invites Mephistopheles to his life to take his body and soul becomes a core of the myth. On the contrary, Anakin does not reject the power of science but tries to go deep to discover its supernatural aspects. He takes a “quest for greater power” and wisdom to “create… life” (Lucas). These intentions make them neglect all ethical and moral issues and focus on their personal needs only.
The results of their actions are dramatic as both of them face a tragic end: Faust loses his life, and Anakin loses his love and humanity. Both become the authors of their hells and have to live there, obeying higher powers. Marlowe’s and Lucas’s stories are educative because they show how inevitable the outcomes of poor decisions can be. There are certain conditions, people, and opportunities, and it is wrong to resist nature. The characters do not think about consequences, just short-time perspectives they might enjoy. Such shortsightedness makes them dependent on other, more dangerous factors, which proves the trickiness of the Faustian deal.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is not enough to say that the story of Doctor Faust is successfully retold in popular culture. Star Wars: Episode III is a great example of how a good and skilled man chooses the wrong side because of being challenged by several deadly sins. Faust and Anakin could not resist their pride, greed for power, and wrath. Marlowe and Lucas created their characters who had many things in common, and their ends prove that nothing but human life matters. Faustian deals may not be evident in modern society, but this idea tempts many individuals, promoting false judgments, unreasonable anger, and disillusionment.
Works Cited
Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. 20th Century Fox, 2005.
Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Edited by Alexander Dyce, The Pennsylvania State University, 1998. A PSU Electronic Classics Series.