Doctor Faustus Cunning and Cleverness Quotes Page 1

Ever heard of Icarus? He's the figure from Greek mythology who tried to fly too close to the sun and fell to Earth and died when its rays melted the wax holding his hand-crafted wings together (to make a long story short). The implication is that the gods are jealous when Icarus (and Faustus) tries to do things beyond the normal abilities of humankind. And, boy, do they get punished for it.

Well we already know that Faustus can dispute well; the Chorus told us he's an awesome debater (Chorus.17). All the same, Faustus could be making a mistake by assuming that the study of logic is only useful for learning how to win debates. Isn't knowledge for its own sake a worthwhile goal? We'd say so.

Here Faustus is talking about public health measures against the plague that he has apparently put into place. These are probably recommendations like isolating the sick and poisoning the rodent population. By referring to such recommendations as "monuments," Faustus emphasizes their public nature and his view of himself as an important public figure, whose wits have an impact.