Lucifer insists on having the document written in blood.

To him, this blood represents

Faustus's person. If he has the blood, he has Faustus. So it's a symbol to Lucifer, too.
Without the blood, there's nothing physical to represent Faustus's soul.

Faustus has considered the congealed blood as an ominous sign:

What might the staying of my blood portend?
Is it unwilling I should write this bill?
Why streams it not that I may write afresh?
Faustus gives to thee his soul.
Ah, there it stay`d. Why should`st thou not?
Is not thy soul thine own? Then write again.
Faustus gives to thee his soul.
Is it a scary moment designed to warn Faustus at the last moment before it's
too late? Who knows what to think of it - but it's a significant moment in the
play: it marks the last chance Faustus has to go back on the deal.
In the contract scene, the bond is presented in legal terms. Lucifer demands the
security of having the contract written in blood. There is an old superstition that a
contract signed in blood is eternally binding. As soon as Faustus signs with his own
blood, he commits himself to eternal damnation. He later realizes that only the blood of
Christ could release him from such a bond.
During this scene, two omens appear to indicate to Faustus that he is in dire danger of
damnation. The first is the fact that his own blood congeals, the second is the
inscription "Homo, fuge!"[fly O man ] which appears on his arm. The inscription warns
Faustus to flee. He ignores both of these warnings and continues blindly on his way to
damnation by insisting on signing the pact

. Blood, then, with its associations of wounding and death, becomes the sign of Faustus' damnation. At the
same time, in the mouth of the Old Man, it can also represent his potential salvation, as can be seen from
this sequence of quotations from Scene 12:
Break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears.
Scene 12, 38
But mercy, Faustus, of thy saviour sweet,
Whose blood must wash away thy guilt.
Scene 12, 44-45
I see an angel hovers o'er thy head,
And with a vial full of precious grace

Offers to pour the same into thy soul.

Scene 12, 53-55
The Old Man, whose last attempt to save Faustus this is, laments Faustus' fate not only with his tears but
also with his blood, signalling the goodness and purity of his own heart.

BloodSymbol Analysis
Mephastophilis is very clear that Lucifer will only make a deal with Faustus if
he signs a formal deed of gift signed with his own blood. Faustus' blood thus
symbolizes some true essence of himself, which Lucifer desires as a sign of
his commitment. When Faustus tries to sign the agreement, the blood
congeals, and Faustus interprets this as a sign that his own body is reluctant
to make the bargain with Lucifer. As Faustus' death draws near and he
considers repenting, he says that a single drop of Christ's blood would save
him. Christ's blood also serves as a symbolic guarantee of a bargain, though
a holy one in contrast to that between Lucifer and Faustus. Christ's blood is
shed through his crucifixion, the sacrifice by which Jesus redeemed
mankind's sins. While the imagery of blood is thus an important symbol
throughout the play, there is also a tension between blood as a physical part
of Faustus' body, of which he is aware (he fears devils tearing his flesh and
causing him pain), and blood as a symbol of someone's inner essence or
soul, which Faustus entirely neglects.
he

Meaning

of

Blood

By Deborah Yeoh-Wang
In Dr. Faustus, blood represents the soul, which Marlow indicates through Faustus blood oath to Lucifer.
Through the transfer of his blood, Faustus signs away part of his soul; however, as long as his blood
continues to flow through his veins, he still retains part of his soul. Because the actions of his blood
suggest evil has not touched part of Faustus soul, Faustus can redeem himself; however, after his second
blood oath, Lucifer physically prevents him from making another blood sacrifice, which finalizes his
damnation. Through Dr. Faustus, we see that his blood, which represents a linkage to his soul and its
goodness, provides the gateway to redemption; without blood sacrifice, forgiveness from God is
impossible.
The initial blood oath Faustus takes reveals blood has a direct bond to his soul. Faustus swears his
allegiance and his soul to Lucifer through blood sacrifice. To begin the oath, Mephostophilis says, Then
Faustus, stab thine arm courageously,/ And bind thy soul, (5.49-50). Here we see blood sacrifice to

Lucifer binds the soul; thus, blood represents ones soul. Faustus later reaffirms this idea, after he cuts
his arm. As he stabs himself, Faustus says, I cut mine arm, and with my proper blood,/ Assure my soul
to be great Lucifers (5.53-54). Because Faustus assures his soul to Lucifer with his proper blood, he
demonstrates that blood represents the soul.
Later, Faustus demonstrates that man is born with a good soul. Before he signs the blood oath, Faustus
declares, To [Belzebub] Ill build an altar and a church,/ And offer luke-warm blood of new-born babes
(5.12-14). Because blood represents the soul, Faustus declares he is willing to offer the souls of newborn babes to Belzebub, or Lucifer. Luke-warm suggests the babies recently died; thus, Faustus is willing
to murder innocent newborns in the name of Lucifer whom he treats like God. Babies are the epitome
of innocent having no real experiences; therefore, their blood is pure. Because the blood represents the
soul, their souls must be pure and good.
Faustus then reveals that his soul is good too, suggesting that the soul is naturally good when untouched
by evil. Faustus blood itself reaffirms that his soul is good. Mid-way writing the oath, Faustus
acknowledges, My blood congeals, and I can write no more (5.62). The coagulation of the blood
prevents Faustus from continuing his oath, as if to signal to him to stop signing it. As the blood
represents the soul, we see his soul is good: it acts righteously. Because the blood acts independently of
Faustus himself, it suggests there is a disconnection between his being and the good within him. At the
same time, we see that there is still good within Faustus, as his blood knows to coagulate.
Mephostophilis reaffirms this idea soon after. To force the blood to unclot, he declares, Ill fetch thee fire
to dissolve it straight (II.I.63). Faustus replies, So, now the blood begins to clear again (5.63).
Because blood reflects good, Mephostophilis use of fire to dissolve Faustus blood suggests that the fire
is consuming his being dissolving the good within him. The use of fire also hints that the initial blood
coagulation was not a result of divine intervention but of Faustus soul. God would stop the oath from
ever reaching completion and would not be susceptible to the power of the fire. On the other hand,
because Faustus soul already starts succumbing to evil, it is vulnerable to the fire. As evil is consuming
Faustus good soul, Marlowe suggests that the fire here represents hell and evil. As hell and evil are what
destroy good, the dissolving of the blood emphasizes that Faustus soul is righteous.
Faustus further emphasizes this idea through when he questions the symbolic meaning of his bloods
coagulation, which demonstrates that as long as blood flows through his body, there is still good within
him. Faustus wonders, What might the staying of my blood portend?/ Is it unwilling I should write this
bill?/ Why streams it not, that I may write afresh? While Faustus blood appears to act independently of
what his mind wants, Faustus hints he is aware that he should not be making this oath. He takes the
staying of his blood as an omen that perhaps it is unwilling he should write the bill, for it literally will
not allow him to continue to write afresh. The questions Faustus brings up suggest that he still remains
unsure about his oath and has not completely fallen into the hands of Lucifer. Though he continues
through with his oath, Faustus proves again there is the small part of himself that seems to remain
untouched by Lucifers influence when he repents. When speaking to the old man, Faustus cries, I do
repent, and yet I do despair;/ Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast (12.54-55). Clearly,

Faustus repents yet still struggles within to fight hell. Hell and grace battle for conquest. We see
hell has not completely taken over Faustus.
If he were to follow through with his repentance with a blood oath to God, Faustus would have redeemed
himself demonstrating redemption is only possible with blood sacrifice. After Faustus performs various
magic tricks with his new, evil powers, the old man advises him, [To] conduct thee to celestial rest./
Break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears,/ Tears falling from repentant heaviness,/ Of thy most
vile and loathsome filthiness (12.30-32). Here we see the only way to obtain redemption and celestial
rest is through a sincere blood sacrifice: dropping blood mingled with tears from repentant heaviness.
Redemption is still possible for Faustus, for he still retains part of his soul in the form of blood. Later, the
old man reiterates his message by saying, But mercy, Faustus, of thy savior sweet,/ Whose blood alone
must wash away thy guilt (12.36-37). Again we see redemption is only possible through blood sacrifice,
as blood alone can wash away sin. The old man hints that Faustus may still redeem himself as he calls
him Faustus of thy savior sweet thy savior, a reference to Jesus Christ. This intimation forces us to
recall Christs sacrifice, through which he allows for man to redeem himself for his sins because he died in
our

place.

As

Faustus

is

of

thy

sweet

savior,

he

can

still

wash

away

his

guilt.

Faustus allows the fear of pain to force him into making a blood oath Lucifer, which demonstrates he has
the possibility of redemption, as he is capable of making blood sacrifice, but chooses to shirk it. After
Faustus repents, Mephostophilis threatens, Revolt, or Ill piecemeal tear thy flesh (12.59). The threat of
piecemeal tearing of flesh scares Faustus from repenting. In response, Faustus cries, Entreat thy lord,/
To pardon my unjust presumption; /And with my blood again I will confirm,/ The former vow I made to
Lucifer (12.61-63). Here, ironically, Faustus begs for pardon from Lucifer. Normally one asks God for
pardon; thus, Faustus acts as if Lucifer is God. Faustus uses another blood offering to confirm his vow to
Lucifer, which demonstrates he has the ability to drop blood and wash away his guilt. He chooses
instead to confirm the former vow made to Lucifer; thus, his damnation is due to his own choice and
the fear he succumbs to.
This second blood oath signifies Faustus irrevocable damnation, as Lucifer physically prevents him from
performing any additional blood sacrifice to God necessary for redemption. Faustus says, I would
weep, but the devil draws in my tears. gush forth blood instead of tears yea, life and soul (13.29-31).
Faustus clearly understands that blood is his only method of repentance, as he wishes to gush forth
blood instead of tears. Gushing suggests that Faustus wishes to perform yet another blood sacrifice;
however, he previously admits that he fears pain: the idea of Mephostophilis tearing his flesh stops him
from following through with his repentance. It seems that Faustus by choice avoids redemption again;
however, he later declares, I would lift up my hands, but see, they hold them (5.31-32) after seeing
Christs blood in the sky. Because the devil holds his hands back, Faustus physically cannot perform
another blood oath. Also, the old man states that blood mingled with tears is necessary for redemption.
Because the devil draws in his tears, Faustus cannot sincerely obtain celestial rest; therefore, Lucifer
physically prevents Faustus from redeeming himself.
We further see that if Lucifer were not physically preventing Faustus from lifting his hands or from
weeping, Faustus would be able to obtain redemption. After his second oath to Lucifer, Faustus affirms,

See, see where Christs blood streams in the firmament!/ One drop would save my soul, half a drop
(13.72-73). This vision is reminiscent of Christs sacrifice, which the old man alludes to in his speech to
tempt Faustus to repent. This vision suggests that Faustus can redeem himself. Faustus clearly
understands the implications of this vision, as he states, one drop of Christs blood would save his soul.
He further emphasizes this idea when he says, [Christs] blood hath ransomed me (5.92). Because the
blood streams in the firmaments, it appears that this vision is a sign from Heaven telling Faustus to
repent; however, Lucifer will not allow Faustus to obtain celestial rest. As mentioned earlier, Faustus
declares, I would lift up my hands, but see, they hold them (5.31-32). The vision of Christs blood is
unobtainable, as evil holds his hands.
In Dr. Faustus, it appears that Faustus has the ability to redeem himself until he makes his second oath
to Lucifer. Though it appears that Lucifer is at fault for the damnation of Faustus soul, Faustus chooses to
make this second oath out of fear of physical pain; thus, he brings about his eternal damnation upon
himself. Any excuse he makes before this second oath to avoid redemption is not valid, as redemption is
always possible. Had Lucifer not prevented him from repenting after the second oath, Faustus may have
able to save his soul and redeem himself even in the last moments of his life.