Темата за договора с дявола в „Доктор Фауст“ от Кристофър Марлоу и „Чудният маг“ от Педро Калдерон де ла Барка

This article is a comparative analysis of “The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe and “The Wonderful Magician” by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. The aim is to demonstrate how the main theme of the pact with the devil has served the two authors to construct the protagonists’ characters. The artists’ different ideological points of view, which their heroes reveal, are highlighted as well. The study shows that Calderon’s work affirms the idea of free will and the possibility of redemption, while Marlowe’s play leads to the conclusion that the fall results in inevitable damnation. Faustus, with its tragic boldness and doom, is a more complex and moving figure than the one of Cyprian, subject to an obvious moralizing intention. Both characters reflect the eternal clash in the human soul between the constraints of morality and desire.