Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe - The Madness of Dr. Faustus Christopher Marlowe's tragedy of Dr. Faustus envelops a realm of theological questions around one man's quest for knowledge. Believing that university education is inadequate for his purposes, Faustus makes the ultimate sacrifice possible to quench his thirst for otherworldly wisdom. Yet even as he gains extraordinary powers and a wide reputation as a skilled man, his quest is incomplete. In reality he learns very little. The nature of knowledge involves both the ability to remember facts, dates, events, etc., and the ability to assimilate this new information and assign it the appropriate value. When Faust surrenders his soul to Lucifer to gain the service of Mephastophilis, he actually gains no knowledge of himself. It could be argued that Mephastophilis provides books and takes Faustus to distant lands, which in a sense enriches the doctor's facilities. Yet through their companionship, Faust comes to rely entirely on Mephastophilis to impress or mock the esteemed men he meets....