"Look again at Faustus" opening soliloquy, from "Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin" to "Here tire, my brains to get a deity", paying special attention to what he says and how he says it. What aspects of Faustus, revealed here, are important to our understanding of him later in the play?" .
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From the opening soliloquy, the reader is given a great insight into how Faustus' mind works, how he uses logic and his intellect to draw up conclusions, and it is possible for one to forecast future events and occurrences involving Faustus on the basis of this initial passage. .
The opening two lines of his soliloquy indicate that he is often quick at making decisions. (However, later on, usually under the influence of other characters or sources, he rethinks whether his decision was the correct one to make). .
An example of his rush to decision is seen in the opening where Faustus initially states that he is about to "begin to sound the depth of that thou wilt profess". I believe that using the word 'wilt' may suggest that he has finalised his decision, and he is certain that he is going to take this path. However, this is not the case. Later on in the text, he may make a statement as if it has been finalised, yet go on to reconsider his actions. .
In the soliloquy, he initially claims that he will follow this path, then goes on to consider if it was the right choice, trying to seek guidance from great philosophers. This can be seen later in the play - for example in Act I Scene III, he states to Mephostophilis that he is willing to sell his soul, without any hint of hesitation, though two scenes later he is seen back in his study wrestling with the problem, unsure which path to take before being influenced by the Evil Angel. .
In lines 3-7 I believe that Faustus is demonstrating that he has succeeded in understanding all that one needs to know in the field of knowledge and philosophy. In this section he demonstrates his great knowledge to the audience by referring to respected philosophers and showing how he fully understands and appreciates them, for example stating that he (may/will) "live and die in Aristotle's works".
