Not only is he intelligent, he also demonstrates a broad base of learning, another quality admired and upheld by humanists.
Renaissance humanism, would have as part of its renegotiation in conceptions of morality and knowledge, explicitly influenced the terms that I wish to classify. The foundation of a late medieval liberal arts pedagogy known as the ˜quadrivium,' of which established new networks of knowledge, comprised four areas of study that were deemed most beneficial as part of a renaissance education. There is direct reference to the quadrivium in the beginning of the play, as it appears that Faustus has achieved the acquisition of the trivium, which is the tree branch attainment of knowledge. He gains 'logic' from Aristotle's Analytics, "and live and die in Aristotle's works, Sweet Analytics, is thou hast ravish'd me! " (I.i.6), bio-physics from Galen, "Bid economy farewell, and Galen come, Seeing, (I.i.27) law from Justinian's Institutes, "Physic, farewell! Where is Justinian? " (I.i.27), but has nonetheless become unsatisfied with the results of research, "This study fits a mercenary drudge, Who aims at nothing but external trash, " (I.i.35). Resultant to which, he turns to Jerome's Vulgate, a fourth century translation of the Bible, "When all is done, divinity is best, Jerome's Bible, Faustus, view it well " (I.i.38), in order to complete the four areas of study that constitute the quadrivium. .
The relevance of Doctor Faustus' subsequent actions marks a discernible retraction against the conventional intellectual pursuits of the renaissance scholar. In turning to necromancy, he directly inverts but concurrently instigates the contextual viewpoints of the rites to knowledge. Although necromancy was quite conclusively rejected, there harbored a dark temptation towards its declarations of a prophetic knowledge unattainable in traditional education. As such, many of the educated who knew of the practices of necromancy and the art of conjuring, as James A.