Doctor Faustus

Faustus tells Mephistophilis that when he gazes at the beauty of the night sky, he wants to repent. Mephistophilis insists that Earth was made for man, who is more glorious than the sky. Faustus wavers; the Good and Evil Angels reappear. The Good Angel begs Faustus to repent, assuring him that God will pity him; the Evil Angel insists that God will do no such thing. Faustus hems and haws; the Good Angel realizes that Faustus can never repent. The angels depart.

Faustus realizes that he is too far gone ever to return to God. Already he has conjured Homer and other ancients to entertain him; he’ll stay the course. He orders Mephistophilis to discourse with him on the heavens; the demon dutifully explains the planets’ positions and orbits. When Faustus realizes that Wagner can describe these facts as well, he hankers for deeper knowledge.

He asks whether the planets have civilizations; Mephistophilis replies that they do. He asks why there aren’t more conjunctions and eclipses; the demon says this is due to the unequal motions of heavenly bodies. He adds that there are nine heavens, or spheres, including the planets, the sky, and God’s heaven.