Dr. Faustus

            
             In the novels Doctor Faustus and Picture of Dorian Gray the authors develop the main characters into showing their downfall in life caused by their self-centered corruption. Both the author's personalities and views of life are expressed through their novels. In the beginning Faustus is a seemingly innocent man, who, in the end becomes corrupted by his experiences with the devil. On the surface, Dorian Gray is an example of a typical ideal aristocrat during the time which Oscar Wilde lived in. Throughout the novel, Dorian goes through stages in his life that leads to his self-absorbed and corrupted character. His curiosity of life strives him to explore these stages. This is true of both of the characters in the novels. They believe they are living in an age of continual crisis and are searching for ways to put meaning back to their lives. In the novels, Portrait of Dorian Gray and Doctor Faustus, the authors, Oscar Wilde and Christopher Marlowe, related the values during their times through their characters by showing that through their curiosity in life they were driven to their downfall by becoming self-absorbed and corrupted characters.
             In the novel Portrait of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde emphasizes on the value of innocent beauty and uses Gray as an example of how this beauty can have the power to cause a person to become self-centered. "Beauty is a form of Genius-is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation."(1 However, both Dorian and Marlowe's Faustus lack true beauty. Dorian Gray "sold himself to the devil for a pretty face". They"re both empty on the inside, with no religion at all, which leads to Nietzsche and his philosophy that "God is dead". In the novel, Basil acts as God, Lord Henry as Nietzsche, and Dorian as the 19th century. During the Renaissance, people used to be really faithful to God like Dorian and Basil used to be friends. Then, along came Lord Henry who influences us with his corrupted thoughts.