Why has this Theme Remained Popular Since 1587?

The literary piece: Doctor Johannes Faustus tells the tale of the promiscuous character, Doctor Faustus, who sold his soul to the devil.The book is written in an autobiographical style, and covers the life story of Doctor Faustus, and how he became a fallen man, who was involved in sorcery and other forms of magic. It is debatable that this story is an accurate story, but regardless it still covers in a sense the important aspects of a person’s life. The concept of “selling the soul,” to the devil, is a key theme in the story and is discussed throughout the story. This theme has lived on throughout history and is encountered in other pieces of literature including in some modern films and music. The question is: why has this theme of “selling the soul,” remained popular since 1587?

Doctor Faustus’s life story is an interesting one, to say the least. At the beginning of his life, his Christian parents sent him away to live under the roof of a relative, to hopefully give him a better life. From the beginning it was clear that Faustus was deviant at heart, this led him to eventually deal with magic and the concept of sorcery. Sorcery and magic was the path that led Faustus to make a blood pact with Satan. This pact stated that Faustus would die when the pact ran out. The curious thing about Faustus was that he even attempted to return back to Christianity but instead, he renewed the pact. At the end of his miserable life, Faustus became further distraught and fearful, even to the point of wanting out; regardless he still died with the pact over his head.

The moral of this story is a simple one to understand. This story is a warning to people to not go down the wrong path as Faustus did. Interestingly enough this theme was not supported throughout the majority of the story, even to the point that some of Faustus’s wrong actions were not questioned. Faustus as a character goes through little character development and remains with the same ill character in the end. 

Selling the soul to the devil is an interesting concept that has remained somewhat popular since the 16th century. This concept can be encountered in various forms including movies, music, etc. Because this theme has lived on during the test of time, why has it remained popular since the 16th century? There are a variety of reasons why this theme has remained popular even today, but the main reason is that people most likely are curious about this theme. Selling your soul sounds frightening, dangerous, and even thrilling, and as humans, we are easily curious and are attracted to things that may or may not be necessarily healthy for ourselves. It has remained popular because of this curiosity and interest.