The play ends with Faustus giving a final speech or monologue (in Scene 13). The time is one hour before midnight, at which time the devils will appear and carry Faustus off into hell. Faustus regrets his actions. He realizes that the deal he had signed is not worth it. But he also thinks it is too late. He does not believe that God will or can help him. At one point, he even tries to call on Christ. "Yet will I call on him – O spare me, Lucifer!" (line 71). Faustus should have said God or Jesus Christ, not Lucifer. But Faustus believes only in God's vengeance, not His Mercy.
Faustus then wishes he had been born an animal without a soul – Christians during the Renaissance did not believe that animals have souls – or had not been born at all:
All beasts are happy, for when they die, Their souls are soon dissolved into elements; But mine must live still to be plagued in hell. Cursed be the parents that engendered me:
No, Faustus, curse thy selfe, curse Lucifer,
That hath deprived thee of the joys of heaven.
(lines 98-103)
At the end, Faustus blames himself. He knows that he had a choice, and he knows that he made the wrong decision. The deal with the devil just was not worth it.
As mentioned earlier, the story of Faustus has long been a popular one that has existed in many versions. As also mentioned previously, the themes of the story have also occurred in various literary forms, such as the American story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1937) by Stephen Vincent Benet and the American stage musical Damn Yankees (1955). Both the short story and the stage show also became popular as motion pictures. Benet's story was adapted as a movie in 1941, and Damn Yankees became a movie in 1958.
The story of Faustus began in Germany during the Middle Ages, and the Germans have continued to be fascinated by the story. During the early 19th century the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poetic drama simply entitled Faust (Part 1 was published in 1808, Part 2 in 1832). A little more than a hundred years later, Thomas Mann combined the story with elements of Nazism in his novel Dr. Faustus (1947). Several versions of the Faust story also appear in German cinema.
A film version of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus appeared in 1968 and starred Richard Burton as Faustus. Burton's real-life wife, Elizabeth Taylor, appeared as Helen of Troy.
The idea of the unpardonable sin occurs in an American short story from the 19th century: "Ethan Brand" (1851) by Nathaniel Hawthorne. One other variation on the Faust tale is the short story "The Monkey's Paw" (1902) by W. W. Jacobs. In this story a family learns that having one's wishes or desires come true can be the worst thing imaginable. I believe there is also a Chinese proverb that echoes this idea: "Beware lest your dreams come true."