How Does Marlowe Use Figurative Language

Timed Write Rewrite Faustus’ frailty is prominently displayed throughout the passage, but is intermingled with his remorseful state of mind. Christopher Marlowe uses carefully disguised diction, figurative language, and imagery to uphold Faustus’ dismay at his hellish fate. This passage is abundant with examples supporting the use of aforementioned dramatic conventions in Faustus’ monologue, which allude to his overall state of mind. Diction, such as the continued use of “Faustus” in said character’s monologue implies a third person narrative, which allows readers to confirm suspicions of the characters inability to accept his own decisions. This difficulty is direct evidence of his state of mind, as his remorse is concurrent with the desire to escape his own unwise judgment. “Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, A hundred thousand, and at last be sav’d!” is further evidence of this, also supporting claims that …show more content…
Towards the end of the passage, the lines, “O soul, be chang’d into little water-drops, And fall into the ocean, ne’er be found!” is demonstrative of figurative language. Faustus doesn’t expect to evaporate into a plume of water droplets, but is implying that he seeks an immediate and definite escape from the eternal torture he has anticipated for twenty-four years. This blatant use of figurative language is strongly indicative of Faustus’ remorse, regret, and absolute panic. “Ah, Pythagoras’ metempsychosis…All beasts are happy, For when they die, Their souls are soon dissolv’d in elements” again relays the anguish felt throughout the passage using figurative language. In a literal sense, Faustus would like to be granted the benefits of a “beast”, as they are subject to neither heaven nor hell. However, he does not want to truly transform into another being to potentially regain his previously untainted soul (without the benefits of heaven, nor the abuse of