PROJECT WORK

PAPER – V
MA ENGLISH SEMESTER IV

DOCTOR FAUSTUS AS A MORALITY PLAY

SUBMITTED BY
MARY JESSICA PATRICK
1013-18-009-005

A dissertation submitted to the Department of English, University

College for Women, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
award degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FOR WOMEN, KOTI
OSMANIA UNIVERSITY
HYDERABAD

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 DECLARATION

This is to certify that the project entitled ‘Doctor Faustus as Morality

play’ is submitted by me in partial fulfilment of the requirement of
Master’s Degree in English for the academic year 2019-2020.

The information it comprises of is true and original as per my research

and observation.

DATE:

PLACE:

Signature of the Student

Mary Jessica Patrick.

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 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FOR WOMEN (A)
KOTI, HYDERABAD – 500195
TELANGANA, INDIA

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mary Jessica Patrick, student of University

College for Women, Koti, has completed the project on ‘Doctor
Faustus as a Morality play’ for the academic year 2019-2020.

The information submitted in this project is true and original to the

best of my knowledge.

INTERNAL EXAMINER HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

EXTERNAL EXAMINER

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4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to record my gratitude to those who helped me in completing

this project work.

My thanks are due to Prof. Dr. Roja Rani, Principal, University

College for Women, Koti, for her support. I profusely thank Prof. C.
Venkata Subba Rao, Head, Department of English, University College
for Women, Koti, for providing the opportunity to pursue the project
work and for also giving timely suggestions throughout my project
work.

I heartily thank Prof. Dr. Anil Krishna, Department of English, for his
valuable suggestions, guidance, patience and concern throughout my
study.

This dissertation would not have seen the light of the day without their
support, concern and patience.

I am also thankful to the staff of my college library for permitting me

to consult the required materials related to my work.

I thank all the staff members of the Department of English, University

College for Women, Koti, for their kind cooperation.

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 ABSTRACT

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" represents a play written by the author
Christopher Marlowe, where a man sells his soul to Satan for power and
knowledge. The play begins with the hero of the play at his peak of achievement
and finishes with his collapse into misery, death and damnation. Faustus in the
end seems to repent and regret for his actions, yet it is perhaps too late or merely
irrelevant, since Mephistopheles gathers his soul, so it is obvious that Faustus
goes with him to hell. The current research addresses the play of "Doctor Faustus"
as a morality play after explaining the meaning of "morality play", and then its
relation with the play.

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7
CONTENTS

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE:

Christopher Marlowe, dramatist and poet, was born in Canterbury, England,

February 6, 1564, the same year as William Shakespeare. Generally considered
the founder of English drama and the father of dramatic blank verse, he prepared
the way for Shakespeare and other Elizabethan poets and dramatists.

Details of his early life are limited: he was raised in a middle-class family as the
son of a shoemaker. Just prior to his fifteenth birthday, he secured a coveted
opening at the prestigious King's School in Canterbury where he attended on
scholarship. Here he received a rigorous education, receiving highly-rated training
in religion, music, Latin, Greek, classic literature, writing, and history.

He continued his education at Corpus Christi College (then Benet College) in

Cambridge where he received his B.A. in 1584 and his M.A. in 1587. According
to school records, his normally consistent attendance was often interrupted by
frequent absences during his last years of school, jeopardizing his master's degree.
This, in addition to his refusal to take holy orders into the Anglican Church as his
scholarship required, resulted in the university officials' refusal to award his
degree. However, Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council intervened in his favour, and
the degree was finally granted.

Due to the Queen's special intervention on his behalf, it is believed that

Marlowe was affiliated with her secret service, an intelligence and diplomatic
operation and the most successful espionage network of the day. He assisted in
uncovering plots against the queen by the Catholics who wanted her off the
throne, the most famous being the Babington Plot.

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 Marlowe moved to London following his schooling, where, again, little is
known about his life. It is known that here he began his career as a playwright and
actor for the Lord Admiral's Company, and may have continued as a spy in the
service of the queen. He also became associated with a colourful and intellectual
social circle that called themselves The School of the Night or Free-Thinkers. Sir
Walter Raleigh and the young earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, led this
group of “advanced-thinking” noblemen, scientists, travellers, philosophers, and
poets. They met secretly to discuss forbidden topics and thus were considered
atheists by many.

In 1593, following torture by the Queen's Privy Council, a one-time friend

and fellow playwright, Thomas Kyd, accused Marlowe of heresy and atheism, a
most serious crime. But before he could be brought before the council, the twenty-
nine-year-old poet and playwright was stabbed to death at an inn in Deptford in an
argument over the bill. There is reason to believe, however, that Marlowe may
have been deliberately provoked and murdered in order to prevent his arrest,
which could have led to the implication of important men such as Raleigh.

Marlowe's untimely death brought an end to his short but brilliant career. His
writings include seven plays, the four most important being Tamburlaine the
Great (Parts 1 and 2) (1586-87), The Jew of Malta (1589), Edward II (1592) and
Doctor Faustus (1592-93). Other works include translations of the Latin poets
Ovid and Lucan, and the mythological poem Hero and Leander (1593), which was
completed by George Chapman. His education shaped him into an innovative
genius who first conceived and created blank verse drama. This is why Alfred
Lord Tennyson wrote: “If Shakespeare is the dazzling sun of this mighty period,
Marlowe is certainly the morning star”.

Marlowe's dramas consist of heroic themes that usually focus on characters who
are destroyed by their own ambitions and passions. Tamburlaine the Great caused
the greatest excitement among his contemporaries. Its gallant theme, splendid
blank verse, and the colour and scale of its pageantry led to its constant revival,
with the great English actor Edward Alleyn of the Lord Admiral's Company

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taking the role of Tamburlaine. Alleyn also played the lead roles in The Jew of
Malta and Doctor Faustus.

The Jew of Malta may be considered the first successful tragi-comedy, and
provided inspiration for Shakespeare's Shylock. Most authorities detect influences
of Marlowe's writings in other works of Shakespeare, specifically Titus
Andronicus and Henry VI.

Edward II is considered probably the earliest successful historical drama. It

contains superior verse and the compelling portrayal of a flawed and weak ruler.
This play paved the way for the histories of Shakespeare, such as Richard II,
Henry IV, and Henry V.

Of all of Marlowe's works that made him one of the most prominent
Elizabethan dramatists, Doctor Faustus has remained the most famous. The story
of Faust is a prevalent and an important one in literature, having been told and
retold throughout the centuries. Marlowe's Faust powerfully exemplifies the
intellectual aspirations of the Renaissance, but he recognizes and is haunted by
their vanity and sinfulness. In his thirst for knowledge and power, he discards
orthodox methods and turns to magic and less reputable means to satiate his
desires, eventually selling his soul to the devil. The outcome is ruin, tragedy, and
damnation (The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, fifth edition, Vol. 1, p.
1829)

Marlowe's writings are important, not only because of the skill with which he
wrote, but also for his artistic and imaginative genius. He returned high poetry to
its rightful place on the stage and left us characters as fiery and passionate as their
creator, preparing the way for other great dramatists to follow.

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 CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

MORALITY PLAY:

A Morality play is a type of dramatic allegory, performed in a theatre, in

which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who
try to prompt him to choose a godly life over one of evil. The protagonist him or
herself is also, quite often, a personification of the entire human species. The
stories usually follow a path where the protagonist is tempted to sin by the
antagonists and only through God does the protagonist find peace, salvation, or
hope. The plays were most popular in Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. Having grown out of the religiously based mystery plays and miracle
plays of the Middle Ages, they represented a shift towards a more secular base for
European theatre.

Morality plays survived the disenchantment of the church and the wrath of
the Reformation, maintaining their popularity to near the end of the sixteenth
century, when the public's interest turned in other directions. They are a
representation of humankind's fascination with art and creativity and the desire to
use those gifts to bring about positive ends.

Morality plays of the medieval period revolved around the dramatization of

allegories mainly based on the Christian life and the journey to seek salvation.
Any drama of this kind would have a clash between virtues and vices. All of these
characteristics were personified and the audience could actually see the virtues or
vices trying to get better of each other. This was a revolutionary improvement in

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the medieval drama and audience were liked the fresh ideas presented through
these dramas. The most prevalent character seen is the personification of ―vice or
the ―devil, which made the audience, fall into a state of wonder. The use of these
personifications continued even in the Elizabethan drama as one can see in
Christopher Marlowe ‘s Doctor Faustus.

The finest examples of the morality plays are The Castle of Perseverance,
Everyman and Mankind. They exhibit every element expected of a morality play.
Plays like these were considered as links between the medieval drama and the
Elizabethan drama.

HISTORY OF MORALITY PLAY:

The morality play has its roots in the miracle and mystery play of the
eleventh century. Miracle plays were dramas that revolved around the lives of
Saints or the Virgin Mary. Mystery plays revolved around stories from the Bible
and were also known as Pageants or as Corpus Christi plays. Mystery plays were
performed across Europe during the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Miracle
plays were performed even earlier, often as a church service (until the thirteenth
century, when they were separated from church services and could instead be seen
performed at public festivals). However, most miracle plays were lost, the zeal of
the Morality plays rose from this tradition, and represent a transition between such
religion-based plays to secular, professional theatre.

The earliest surviving example in English is the long Castle of Perseverance

(c. 1420), and the best-known is Everyman (c.1510) By the dawn of the fifteenth
century, morality plays were common throughout medieval Europe as didactic
plays intended to teach good morals to their audience. Morality plays were
originally quite serious in tone and style, due to their roots in religious drama. As
time wore on and the plays became more secularized, they began to incorporate
elements from popular farce. This process was encouraged by the representation
of the Devil and his servant, the Vice, as mischievous trouble-makers. The Devil
and the Vice soon became figures of amusement rather than moral edification. In

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addition, the Church noticed that the actors would often improvise humorous
segments and scenes to increase the play's hilarity to the crowd. By roughly 1500,
the Church no longer officially sanctioned the mystery, miracle, or morality plays.

By the sixteenth century, these plays started to deal with secular topics, as
medieval theatre which started to make the changes that would eventually develop
it into Renaissance theatre. As time moved, morality plays more frequently dealt
with secular topics, including forms of knowledge (in Nature and The Nature of
the Four Elements) questions of good government (Magnificence by John Skelton
and Respublica by Nicholas Udall), education (Wit and Science by John Redford,
and the two other "wit" plays that followed, (The Marriage of Wit and Science and
Wit and Wisdom), and sectarian controversies, chiefly in the plays of John Bale.

Morality plays survived, however, even though the Reformation in the

sixteenth century, and only gradually died out as tastes changed towards the
beginning of the seventeenth century. Throughout his career, which continued
until the early seventeenth century, Shakespeare made references to morality
characters and tropes, confirming that the form was still alive for his audiences, at
least in memory, if not in practice.

MORALITY PLAY IN ENGLISH DRAMA:

English drama developed out of early non liturgical vernacular religious

dramas, which had themselves probably developed out of the liturgical drama of
the medieval church. Though secularized, these early dramatic forms—the
mystery, miracle, and morality plays—still focused on the religious and moral
themes that dominated the Christian imagination during the Middle Ages. The
mystery plays dramatized sacred history, representing events from Creation to
Judgment Day. Miracle plays presented the lives and miracles of the saints, or
episodes of divine intervention in human affairs, often through the agency of the
Virgin Mary.

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 Unlike the perspective of the mystery and miracle plays, that of the morality
play was individual rather than collective. The morality play (usually called
simply a “morality”) presented religious and ethical concerns from the point of
view of the individual Christian, whose main concern was to affect the salvation
of his soul.

The mystery and miracle plays developed first, around 1100 AD. Late in the
fourteenth century, morality plays on such subjects as the seven deadly sins
became popular in France, England and the Netherlands. In the first decades of the
fifteenth century, secular allegorical plays concerning the conflict between good
and evil in the individual soul began to be performed in France by law clerks and
students, and this type of play soon became popular all over Europe, including
England.

A morality play is essentially an allegory in dramatic form. It shares the key

features of allegorical prose and verse narratives: it is intended to be understood
on two or more levels, its main purpose is didactic, and the characters are
personified abstractions with aptronyms (“label names”). The non-dramatic
didactic and allegorical precursors to the morality play are to be found in medieval
sermon literature, homilies, exempla, fables, parables, and other works of moral or
spiritual edification, as well as in the popular romances of medieval Europe.

Another dramatic form that has much in common with the morality play is the
interlude, particularly that subset of interludes called “moral interludes.” There is
no clear dividing line between the moral interlude and the morality play, and in
fact many works are classified under both headings: “The Pride of Life (c. 1300),
“The Castell of Perseverance” (c. 1400), “Wisdom” (c. 1460), “Mankind” (c.
1465), “Hyckescorner” (1512), “Lusty Juventus” (1550), and “Like Will to Like”
(1568). Moral interludes were usually about 1000 lines long and written in rough
verse—often mere doggerel. Interludes generally, including moral interludes,
were often written to be performed as entertainments at court, in the houses of
nobility, at University colleges, and at the Inns of Court.

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 Typically, the morality play is a psychomachia, an externalized dramatization
of a psychological and spiritual conflict: the battle between the forces of good and
evil in the human soul. This interior struggle involves the Christian’s attempt to
achieve salvation, despite the obstacles and temptations that he encounters as he
travels through life, toward death.

Originally, because of their roots in religious drama and their didactic purpose,
moralities were serious in tone and style, but the increasing secularization of the
plays led to the incorporation of elements derived from popular farce, a process
encouraged by the presentation of the Devil and his servant the Vice as boisterous
mischief-makers. These characters soon became figures of amusement rather than
of moral edification. Even more disturbing for the Church was the way that actors
would improvise humorous and often ribald scenes to increase the crowd’s
hilarity. By about 1500 the Church no longer officially approved of the mystery
and miracle plays or the morality plays, and in England they were suppressed after
the Reformation in the sixteenth century, though they continued to be performed
well into the seventeenth century in the Catholic countries of Europe.

In England the moralities dramatized the progress of the Christian’s life from
innocence to sin, and from sin to repentance and salvation. Among the most
widely known of the fifteenth-century moralities are “The Castell of
Perseverance,” which features a battle between Virtues and Vices; “Mankind,”
which incorporates topical farce; and perhaps the most famous of all the English
morality plays, “Everyman” (c. 1495), which concerns the Christian’s experience
of mortality and Judgment.

The main characters in “Everyman” are God, a Messenger, Death, Everyman,

Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, Goods, Knowledge, Beauty, Strength, and Good
Deeds. Everyman is immersed in worldly pleasures when Death summons
unexpectedly him. He soon finds that none of his supposedly loyal companions
(Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin) will go with him. His treasured Goods also desert
him, and at the grave the qualities of the flesh (Beauty, Strength) also fade away.
Only Good Deeds stays with him to help him get into Paradise, which is

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accomplished with the help and guidance of Knowledge, by means of Confession
and Priesthood.

In other moralities, various manifestations of the forces of Evil (the Seven

Deadly Sins, the World, the Flesh, the Devil, Vice) are arrayed against the
Christian, who turns for help to the forces of Good (God, His angels, Virtue). The
quality of writing in the moralities is uneven, and in many cases the author is
unknown. Characterization is also crude and naïve, and there is little attempt to
portray psychological depth.

But over time, the moralities began to show signs of increasingly sophisticated
analysis of character. This increasing subtlety and depth of characterization point
directly to the development of mainstream Elizabethan and Jacobean drama.
Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton’s play “Gorboduc,” the first of the
Elizabethan tragedies, is a kind of political morality play on the proper
government of a kingdom. And at least one of drama’s most memorable
characters, Shakespeare’s Falstaff, is a direct descendant of the medieval Vice.
Falstaff functions as a Vice not only in his character, but also in the way he tempts
Prince Hal in “Henry IV” (Parts I and II) to neglect his duties as heir apparent to
the English throne in order to pursue a life of drunkenness, wantonness, and
crime. When Hal becomes king, he must repudiate Falstaff altogether, just as the
Christian must repudiate Vice in the medieval morality play.

By the sixteenth century, morality plays were addressing not only religious
themes, but also social and political analysis and satire. For example,
“Magnificence: (1516) satirizes extravagance, and “Satyre of the Three Estaitis”
(1540) is a political morality play.

From about the mid-sixteenth century, under increasing pressure from

religious authorities, the popularity of the moralities began to wane, but they
continued to be a major influence on mainstream drama. Besides Sackville and
Norton’s “Gorboduc,” Nathaniel Wood’s “The Conflict of Conscience” (1568)
and Christopher Marlowe’s “The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus” (1588) also
owe much to the morality play, and even as late as 1625, Ben Jonson’s “The
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Staple of News” showed the influence of the moralities, especially in Lady
Pecunia, an allegorical character representing Riches. The allegorical use of
aptronyms for characters in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century comedies, and
also in novels and short stories all through he nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
suggests the ongoing significance of the tradition established by the morality play.

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 CHAPTER – II

DRAMA IN THE 16TH CENTURY

DEFINITION OF DRAMA:

The word ‘drama’ is derived from the Greek word ‘dran’ which means to
do, to perform. This meaning indicates that it has a particular relation with action.
A glance at its history clearly shows that since its inception, action has been an
integral part of it.

Drama is neither the name of statements in dialogue nor just a collection of

characters as well as events nor is it just neither entertainment nor philosophy. It is
meant for purification of hearts and for salvation. Its elements, on the one hand
include character, plot, and dialogue and colour while on the other hand stillness,
sound, light.

Drama is an imitation of life in which dialogues and acting are in full

consonance with real life where acting and performance occupy the first place and
dance and dialogues occupy the second place. Drama is a branch of offline art.
According to some scholar's drama is a literary miracle which is written for the
stage; dialogues and speeches are in the form of poem; sentiments and feelings are
expressed by body and tongue.

The Encyclopaedia Americana bears the definition as follows:

“The Greek term drama meaning action applies to a form of literature intended to
be interpreted to an audience by actors who impersonated the characters, recite the
speeches and dialogues and perform the action of the story.”

Martin Esslin in his Anatomy of Drama has defined as follows:

1. Drama can be seen as a manifestation of the play.
2. Drama is something one goes to see, which is organized as something to be
seen.
3. It is an enacted fiction an art form based on mimetic action.

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4. In arts, drama is the most elegant expression of thought nearest to the truth
(reality).
5. It is the most concrete form in which art can recreate human situation or human
relationship.

ORIGIN OF DRAMA:

It is commonly believed that the art of drama is a western form of

literature and it has been originated from the Greeks. But in reality, the
Encyclopaedia Americana has rejected this theory. As it traces its origin in Egypt
as far back as 3200 B.C it reads,

“Until comparatively recent times it has been supposed that western

drama originated from among the Greeks in and around Athens some time during
the 6th century, by some modern researches who indicated that some knowledge
of the drama may have come from Egypt where it is known as Egyptian drama
which was the famous Abydos or Osiris passion play. Osiris being the name of the
god whose history is celebrated.

Scholars are divided on the origin of drama. Some trace the origin to
Greece but others insist that drama in its definitive form or pattern evolved from
Egypt which is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization in the world. The
latter group argues that it was borrowed by western merchants who developed and
documented it, and who now trace the origin to Greece. However, the account of
tracing the origin of drama to Greece is more credible. The evolution is clearer
and well-documented. Many scholars trace the origin of drama to wordless actions
like ritual dances and mimes performed by dancers, masked players or priests
during traditional festivals or ceremonies.

In the traditional society or in the primordial times, sometimes, the seasons

did not come as expected. When this happened, men felt that they had offended
the gods, so they devised means of appeasing these gods. That act of appeasing
the gods is what we refer to as ritual. This ritual, as expected, involved a
ceremony in which the priest played an important role at a selected location,
mostly shrines. The priest would normally wear a special dress for the occasion.

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The role, the dress (costume), and the utterance or incantations are regarded as
dramatic elements. Drama could have therefore emerged from this. So, if it is
presented for entertainment and there is an element of impersonation, imitation of
an action, and re-enactment of an action, it is drama. Another account traces the
origin to man’s desire for entertainment. Here, during festivals or other
ceremonies, they recreate the feats of some legendary or mythical heroes to
entertain the people.

Apparently, Greek drama evolved from religious festivals (ritual) that were
celebrated to ensure the fertility of the land and the well-being of its people. These
festivals were connected with the worship of the god Dionysius, a native god who
like the vegetation dies and was reborn each year. The festival involved singing
and dancing by a chorus of fifty men. The choral song, known as Dithyramb, was
sung in honour of the god. The men danced around the altar of Dionysius in a
circular dancing place called orchestra. Sometimes a story about the god was
invented by the leader of the chorus. Sometimes he dresses like a character from
mythology. At this stage, individual actors were not involved in the performances.
The dramatist, Thespis, is believed to have been the first person to introduce the
individual actor and the element of impersonation in the 6 century B.C. During a
particular performance, he stood out from the chorus and instead of singing is the
honour of the god, he sang as the god. He performed between the dances of the
chorus and he conversed at times with the leader of the chorus. Thus, drama was
literally born. Thespis, therefore appeared as the first actor, and when he broke
away from the chorus, he added the dramatic potential of impersonation. It is
impersonation, because, instead of describing the god, Dionysius, or his actions,
he pretended to be the god. Thus, the performance changed from poetry
performance to drama. Aeschylus added the second actor and this gave drama a
new thrust forward because the additional actor enabled the dramatist to show in
action a dramatic conflict rather than talk about it. Sophocles’ addition of the third
actor further enlarged the scope of the dramatist and provided him with the means
of complicating his plot and devising more complex structural arrangement of his
action. It is important to note here that speech is not of essence in drama because
it could be presented without words or without the accompaniment of
music/dance.
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 The important feature of drama is communication. It induces a personal
communication and an immediate experience between the actor and the audience.
This, makes drama a concrete art and the message is immediate and direct. It is
concrete because we can see the actors performing and presenting a life-like story
which affects a person positively or negatively and we re-act immediately.
Accordingly, drama exists in both oral and literary traditions. Inarguably,
imitation is present in human from the very beginning of his creation. It is in his
nature to imitate the lisping of a child, the movements as well as the intonation of
others. Aristotle says that because of this faculty human is superior to other living
beings and by the same institution gets his first education. When talking about the
dramatic action and movement, it should not be forgotten that imitation is the
most important thing in drama, for which Aristotle used the word Action that is ‘to
do again’ especially when Action is being discussed in context with drama,
otherwise the word movement could be used to denote physical activity or motion.

THE RENAISSANCE:

English Renaissance, marks a period of revival and of interest in the past,

and in the long-forgotten art and literary forms, as evident in the works of the
English writers of this time. Renaissance of the English, sees its shape, form and
colour in the dramatic and non-dramatic works, great masterpieces of art and
literature in all their forms, with a mimesis of cultural transmission from the
classical to the early modern world. The writers of this age, including Christopher
Marlowe and William Shakespeare were greatly inspired by Greek and Roman
mythologies, medieval and classical learning. Marlowe especially keeps referring
immensely to these sources of learning in his plays. In his plays, Marlowe uses
classical and medieval allusions with great ease and frequency. It attempts to
decipher the rationale behind Marlowe’s preoccupation with the classical art and
conception of Marlowe as apt and fitting Renaissance dramatist of Britain through
close examination of classical and medieval references used in his plays.

Renaissance features the famous movement of Humanism and hence human

beings in all his manifestations and what man made, becomes the core subject of a

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writer surviving in the Renaissance. As an unsurpassed Humanist, Marlowe lived
the true essence of his age and Doctor Faustus can be read as a document having
the flavour of his age and the crisp of classical allusions and preoccupation with
medieval references and mythological insinuations. It points out that the strong
influence of the new way of learning that has marked the Renaissance gave
Englishmen the ideal of the “cultivated Renaissance man” with a harmonious
balance of all the faculties fully developed. It asserts that Doctor Faustus is
Marlowe’s greatest play, in spite of its uneven execution, and it embodies the
typical tensions of the Renaissance very successfully because “it is cast in largely
medieval mould”.

Medieval and morality plays’ tradition is very prominent in the play.

Faustus’ course of action is impious and self-defeating according to Marlowe and
he judges it in the morality form to present a moral. The subject is “central
morality subject, the struggle between the forces of good and evil for the soul of
man in this case, of the Renaissance man”. It also highlights the interplay of
classical and Renaissance elements by Marlowe which has not only made the play
honest to the age but also increased its beauty as a piece of drama, for example,
the reference to Punic Wars between the Greeks and the Romans from Greek
mythology not only beautifies the drama but also adds a tinge of antiquity to it
which was what the Renaissance was known for. Modern scholars object to it
saying that the Renaissance drama was alien to the Renaissance man.

The playwrights achieved in writing English a vernacular that is ‘strange,

exotic, excessive, extravagant, and affected’. Marlowe enacts “bold experiments
in vernacular styles”. There is a certain correctness to this view, but in Marlowe’s
case, the Greek and Roman history and allusions come naturally. Greek mythical
poets and philosophers permeate the play. Marlowe fully avails the opportunity of
bringing to light the ancient city of Rome, thematically, stylistically and also
geographically. Marlowe does not write a difficult version of English. Instead, he
introduces an ancient and exotic life to the English world making use of classical

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diction and dialogues. In addition, the play is an epic in its characteristics that
makes it more an embodiment of the classical Greek literary tradition.

What was Renaissance to England? And how it reshaped the

previously being written poetry, prose and drama? These are questions that are of
interest when tracing the age’s influence upon the works that it produces. A
known fact is that Renaissance flourished during the Medieval or Middle Ages of
Europe. English literature in particular saw the re-emergence of miracle, mystery
and morality plays. The elements of medieval plays that were staged in streets are
prevalent in Doctor Faustus as well, i.e. the fall of a man due to misusing
knowledge bestowed upon him and his devastating hubris. In Marlowe’s hands, a
typical morality play undergoes a transformation. The common man is not as
common but a doctor extremely well versed in magic and mythology and nothing
else is of value to him. Mc Alindon states that the use of mythology by Marlowe is
with a “difference”, that is, his mythology “invites moral and theological
criticism”. He is both powerful and powerless at the same time. However,
Marlowe has done justice to the morality tradition by echoing the tradition in
Doctor Faustus.

The age in which Marlowe conceived his play was the age which saw the full
flowering of the Renaissance in England. This ‘complex, many-sided movement’
had begun in Italy two hundred years earlier; it had grown in strength and had
spread; and early in the sixteenth century it had reached even the remote British
Isles. Wherever its influence penetrated, great things were achieved in the arts,
and especially in the arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, and poetry. In
English literature, its representatives include Spenser, Bacon, Shakespeare,
Donne, Jonson, and Milton. They also include Marlowe himself. A number of
distinguishable trends contributed to this ‘many-sided but yet united movement’
as a whole.

First, there was the new learning. The humanists were reviving and
extending classical studies and so making available to their fellows a wider range
of knowledge and ideas; and printing, invented in the fifteenth century helped
greatly in the dissemination of the fresh materials. Under the influence of this new
25
learning, there evolved the ideal of the cultivated Renaissance man in whom all
the faculties were harmoniously developed, an ideal believed by Englishmen to
have been realized by, for example, Sir Philip Sidney.

Second, there was the Reformation. This challenged the view that only as
a member of the corporate body, the church, where the individual could find
salvation. The Protestants, in separating themselves from the Roman Catholic
Church, tended to emphasize the individual’s responsibility for finding salvation
by reading and interpreting Scripture for himself. In England, the Anglican
Church was attempting to take the middle way between Roman Catholic
institutionalism and Protestant individualism.

Third, there was the discovery of new lands and new routes. Columbus
discovered America; Vasco da Gama doubled the Cape of Good Hope and sailed
to India; Magellan penetrated into the Pacific Ocean; and the first
circumnavigations of the earth, including that of Sir Francis Drake, occurred.
Such voyages had important economic and other practical consequences.

In addition, they gave men the sense that in the physical world as in the
world of ideas the boundaries of the known were being very rapidly enlarged.
Finally, exploration was proceeding beyond the earth itself. In place of the old
view that the entire universe centred on a stationary earth, there was being
elaborated the new view that the earth was only one among many planets
travelling around the sun. Copernicus put forward this view in 1543, and Galileo,
born in the same year as Marlowe and Shakespeare, brought the theory to the
practical test of the telescope. It must not be thought that these discoveries had
much effect even upon educated Elizabethans. Marlowe, for example, still thought
of the universe, in the old Ptolemaic way, as centred on a stationary earth.
Nevertheless, the new science was developing; and Bacon was to be one of its
early philosophers.

As a whole, the general movement we call the Renaissance can be seen in

a number of different ways. It can be seen as a revolt against the stable and
ordered but restrictive world of the later Middle Ages. More positively, it can be
26
seen as what Walter Pater, two of whose formulations on the subject have already
been quoted, calls ‘a general excitement and enlightening of the human mind’.
This excitement found expression in a freely-ranging curiosity which tended to
enlighten men both about themselves and about the world and the universe around
them. It found expression also in the new individualism in conduct, philosophy,
religion, and art, which is so prominent a feature of the age. Perhaps these three,
were an impulse towards emancipation, a spirit of inquiry, and an assertion of
individualism—are the leading characteristics of the movement.

In Doctor Faustus, Marlowe placed a representative of it upon the English

stage. We have already seen that they allowed Faustus to call himself ‘the
insatiable speculator’ and that minute traces of the same Renaissance intellectual
curiosity are visible even in the hero of the German Faust-Book. But such slight
manifestations might easily have passed unnoticed if Marlowe’s achievement had
not alerted us to look for something of the kind in his predecessors.

In the main, the author of the German Faust-Book and his English translator
both aim at edifying their readers. Like other homilists, they are not above
exploiting the sensational and the farcical possibilities of the tale they tell. But
they have little sympathy with the aspirations which lead Faustus to conclude his
compact, and they use his decline and fall simply to point a serious moral warning
to their readers. Marlowe, however, takes a much more complex attitude towards
his material. His Faustus has the restless curiosity, the riotous imagination, and
the audacious desires of a man responding fully and delightedly to the new trends
in his age and the possibilities they seem to open up. Marlowe evidently feels a
fervent sympathy with him. But his sympathy is far from unqualified. He makes it
clear that Faustus is arrogant and headstrong and that the catastrophe is one that
he wilfully brings about. The Marlowe who shows us this is no longer the simple
rebel who wrote Tamburlaine the Great. Admittedly, rebellious impulses remain
strong in him; but they are now opposed by the orthodox conviction that a sin of
presumption or pride such as Faustus commits can only lead to destruction.
Embodying the tension between these forces, Doctor Faustus, despite the
unevenness of its execution, is indubitably Marlowe’s greatest play; and this

27
Renaissance play embodies the tension to be more successfully because it is cast
in a largely mediaeval mould.

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 CHAPTER – III
DOCTOR FAUSTUS

ORIGIN OF THE FAUSTUS LEGEND:

During the first millennium of the Christian era, a number of stories developed
concerning men who were supposed to have acquired supernatural gifts or powers
by making agreements with the Devil. One of the earliest and most widespread of
these legends told of a bishop’s seneschal named Theophilus who, in the reign of
the Emperor Justinian, was wrongfully dismissed from his office. In his
resentment, he sealed a contract renouncing Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary and
acknowledging Satan as his lord. His restoration to his office followed
immediately. But Theophilus soon became terrified at what he had done. For forty
nights he fasted and prayed to the Virgin; at last she appeared and listened to his
plea. Reassured of the divine mercy, he made a public confession of his sin and
proclaimed the miracle of his preservation. The contract was burned, and
Theophilus shortly afterwards died in a state of grace, becoming known as
Theophilus the Penitent. His story is representative of many, for interest in the
theme persisted throughout the Middle Ages. In the sixteenth century, a new
leading character emerged, who was to become more famous than Theophilus or

29
any other of his predecessors. The age was that of the wandering scholars, the
disseminators of the New Learning, men who were masters and practitioners of
many arts and who were often popularly suspected of sorcery. Belief in magic and
witchcraft seems to have infected the very air of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries. Conditions were such that one of these strolling scholars, a German,
became the nucleus around which there crystallized a whole body of legend and
folk-lore related to the notion of a compact with the Evil One. The historical
George or John Faustus seems to have been an itinerant scholar and fortune-teller.
Documents alluding to his activities bear dates from 1507 to the later 1530’s.
Another dated 1545 mentions that he had died not long before. These documents
do not compose a very attractive portrait. One of them tells us that as a
schoolmaster Faustus had been guilty of the grossest immorality and that he had
had to take flight from punishment; two of them refer to his arrogance and
boastfulness. A work published by a Protestant theologian in 1548 was the first to
ascribe to him a definite association with the supernatural powers of evil and a
death at the hands of the Devil. A fuller description of this terrible death followed
in 1562. During the subsequent quarter-century, the legend underwent further
elaboration. In 1572, a translation of a work which had been published two years
earlier on the Continent made Faustus’ name known to English readers. Then, in
1587, there appeared the first full and consecutive narrative of the legendary life
and death of this new leading character in the old tale of the compact with Satan.
This, the work of an anonymous Protestant, was published in Frankfurt-on-Main
as the Histria von D.Iohañ Fausten and may be conveniently referred to as the
German Faust-Book. A translation of its title-page will give a very fair idea of its
scope and tendency: ‘History of Dr. John Faust, the celebrated conjuror and
master of black magic: How he sold himself to the Devil with effect from an
appointed time: What in the meanwhile were the strange adventures he witnessed,
himself initiated, and conducted, until at least he received his well-deserved
reward. Mostly collected and printed from his own writings which he left behind
him, as a terrifying instance and horrible example, and as a friendly warning to all
arrogant, insolent-minded, and godless men.’ The motto is taken from James iv, 7:
‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’
The German Faust-Book aims above all at edification. It shows the awful
consequences of a sinner’s deliberate commitment of himself to evil with a view
30
to gratifying his pride, ambition, and lust. At the same time, the historical Faustus
had been a wandering scholar, and even his moralistic biographer was affected by
the characteristic influences of his time. So, the German Faust-Book allows its
hero some slight touches of the Renaissance intellectual curiosity. The century
was also that of the Reformation. So, it was easy enough for the legend to acquire
a markedly anti-papal bias.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS

The play opens with Doctor Faustus, a famous German scholar, who is
sitting in his study wondering about his extensive knowledge that he has of the
four major subjects of the time- philosophy, religion, law, and medicines. Faustus
grows frustrated with the traditional form of knowledge and plumps that he wants
to study to practice magic. Two of his friends Valdes and Cornelius guided him in
the black magic. Faustus begins his new career as a magician by summoning up
Mephistopheles, a secretary to Lucifer (the master of devils). Faustus presented
his desire to practice magic in front of Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles warns him
of the horrors of hell but Faustus tells him to return back to his master with an
offer of Faustus’s soul for an interchange of Mephistopheles’s services for
twenty-four years. In the meantime, Faustus’s servant Wagner picks up some
magic tricks from Faustus and apply it on Robin to press him into his service.
Mephistopheles comes back to Faustus and tells him of Lucifer’s approval of his
offer. Faustus seems to be confused and experience some misgivings and marvels
whether he should repent and save his soul; however, he decided to carry on as he
signs the deal with his blood. Just as he does so, words as “Homo Fuge” (Latin
words for “O man, fly”) appear tattooed on his hand. Faustus, once more, has a
second thought but Mephistopheles changes his mind by imparting rich gifts on
him. Faustus receives a book from Mephistopheles to learn different spells.
Faustus, later, asks Mephistopheles about nature and the world that
Mephistopheles answers; however, he refused to answer Faustus when Faustus
asks him about the creator of the universe. This refusal stimulus another stint of
doubt in Faustus’s mind, but to distract him Mephistopheles and Lucifer carry in
the characterization of seven deadly sins to dance in front of Faustus that has
impressed him a lot.

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Faustus, equipped with new powers and with the company of Mephistopheles,
begins to travel across the world to gather more and more knowledge. At first,
they make themselves invisible, then they go to the pope’s courtroom. At Pope’s
court, Bruno, the king of Germany, was about to deliver a punishment. Faustus,
being having special association with Germany, plays a trick and release Bruno
from Pope’s imprisonment. Afterwards he interrupts Pope’s meal by stealing food
from him and boxing his ears. After this mischievous incident, he goes to Europe.
His fame was spreading across the world like a fire in the forest. Eventfully, He
gets an invitation from the Emperor of Germany, Charles Ⅴ, to the court and asks
him to make him see his ancestors particularly Alexander the Great. Faustus tells
him that it is impossible for him to show him the actual of his ancestors, however,
he will manage to show him the shadows of them to him; moreover, he must not
touch them as they are merely the shadows. Charles, after watching his ancestor,
seems inspired and impressed with Faustus’s conjuring abilities. A knight, who is
watching all these, taunts at Faustus’ conjuring abilities, eventfully, making
Faustus angry. Faustus punishes him by making his head horn’s leaf.
Consequently, the manic knight pledges to avenge Faustus. In the meantime,
Robin, Wagner’s servant, along with his friend Rafe, learns some spells and
summons Mephistopheles by chance. Mephistopheles gets very angry at this
misadventure and looms both of them to turn them to animal and perhaps he does
so to chastise for their silliness.

Faustus continues with his travel where he comes across a horse-courser on the
way and plays a trick on him. Faustus sells him a horse at cost of $40 and warns
him not to ride it in the water. The horse-courser ignores his advice and rides the
horse into the water and the horse turns to heap straw. Horse-courser gets angry
and comes to Faustus to take his money back which he refuses to pay back. The
horse-courser takes away his leg with him. Faustus, being immortal for twenty-
four years, regenerates his leg. Meanwhile, he gets an invitation from Duke of
Vanhout, where he impressed the Duke with his feasts. The horse-courser, Robin,
Robe, Dick along with few other people, who fall a victim of Faustus’s tricks,
shows up in the court of Duke of Vanhout to protest against Faustus. Faustus
spells on them and made them a source of amusement for the Duke and Duchess.
The twenty-four years of his deal of the exchange of the soul for the services of
32
Mephistopheles come to end. Faustus starts to fear his dreadful death.
Mephistopheles calls upon Helen, the most beautiful lady in Greek mythology, to
diverge Faustus’s thoughts and uses her existence to excite the scholars. An old
man appears, as a symbol of faith, and asks Faustus to repent, however, Faustus
pushes him away. Faustus calls for Helen time and again to diverge his attention.
The time is growing shorter and comes to an end. Now, Faustus reveals his pact to
the scholars who become fearful and pray for him. The final night of the
expiration his pact with Lucifer, Faustus kills his fears and beg for mercy. As
soon as the clock strikes 12, the devils come and take his soul away. The scholars,
in the morning, come to Faustus’s study and find his limbs and agrees to have a
grand funeral for him.

CHARACTERIZATION:

MAJOR CHARACTERS:

1. Faustus, John (Doctor):

The main character of the story, Faustus is a professor of divinity at

Wittenberg, as well as a renowned physician and scholar. Not satisfied with the
limitations of human knowledge and power, he begins to practice necromancy. He
eventually makes a deal with Lucifer (commonly referred to as the "Faustian
bargain"), whereby he exchanges his soul for twenty-four years of the devil’s
service to him. In the next twenty-four years, Faustus obtains all kinds of
knowledge and power through his devil-servant, Mephistopheles. They travel all
over the world, playing practical jokes on peasants and even the Pope, displaying
magical powers to the emperor and the nobility; Faustus wishes and whims are
played out in his various adventures. At times Faustus experiences doubt and
despair over having sold his soul to the devil. He comes close to repenting at
several crucial points in the story, but never follows through. Even to the end,
Faustus refuses to fully repent, and he is eventually taken by the devils to hell.
The character of Faustus comes from a well-known legend of a German physician
who reported sold his soul to the devil in exchange for magical powers. In
Marlowe’s rendition, he is portrayed as a tragic hero in that his unbridled

33
ambitions lead him to an unfortunate end. But at a deeper level, the tragedy is
twofold. First, there is a clear devolvement of his character, from a confident,
ambitious scholar, to a self-satisfied, low-level practical joker. Although he makes
a name for himself as an expert magician, Faustus never accomplishes the lofty
goals he initially sets for himself. Second, there are times when Faustus despairs
over his decision and comes close to repenting, only to back away at the last
moment. On the other hand, Faustus can be seen as a hero in that he rejects God’s
authority and determines his own course of life. Faustus is the paragon of the
Renaissance Man—turning away from the religious strictures of the Medieval
Age (God-centeredness) in favour of the enlightened age of reason and human
achievement (man-centeredness).
2. Wagner:

Faustus’ servant and eventual heir of his fortunes, Wagner is a pale reflection
of Faustus; he displays a nature similar to his master, even trying to obtain his
own servant through the practice of magic. Wagner’s background is not known,
but it is clear from his language and demeanour that he is a young servant who
looks up to Faustus. Wagner tries to imitate Faustus in many ways, in the way he
talks and even in his taking up of magic. Wagner is Faustus’ image-bearing
descendant. That he inherits Faustus’ fortunes suggests he might even be of
physical descendant. At several points, Wagner acts as a narrator, filling in gaps in
the story.

3. Good Angel:

An agent of God who appears in pair with the Evil Angel, the Good Angel
tries to make Faustus think about God and of heavenly things. The Good Angel
represents the good side in the good/evil dichotomy. In a literary sense, the Good
Angel reflects the good side of Faustus’ conscience, for Marlowe tries to show
that Faustus, like every human being, has two natures, both good and bad. What
the Good Angel says mirrors what Faustus’ good nature is thinking. Thus, the
interchanges between the Good Angel and the Evil Angel reveal Faustus’ inner
struggles with himself. The Good Angel’s main message to Faustus is that it is
never too late to turn to God.

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 4. Evil Angel:
An agent of Lucifer who appears in pair with the Good Angel, the Evil Angel tries
to keep Faustus focused on power, wealth, and worldly pleasures. In direct
contrast to the Good Angel, the Evil Angel represents the evil side in the good/evil
dichotomy. In a literary sense, the Evil Angel reflects the evil side of Faustus’
conscience, for Marlowe tries to show that Faustus, like every human being, has
two natures, both good and bad. What the Evil Angel says mirrors what Faustus’
evil nature is thinking. Thus, the interchanges between the Good Angel and the
Evil Angel reveal Faustus’ inner struggles with himself. The Evil Angel main
message to Faustus is that God will not accept his repentance.

5. Mephistopheles:
The devil that appears before Faustus, Mephistopheles makes the deal where he is
to serve Faustus for twenty-four years in exchange for Faustus’ soul.
Mephistopheles is the main antagonist in the story, but he is also a conflicted
character in his own right. As part of the rebellion of heaven, Mephistopheles was
cast out with the other angels and sent to hell. When Faustus inquiries about hell,
Mephistopheles admits that he regrets forgoing the joys of heaven for the torment
of hell. Mephistopheles tries to talk Faustus out of making a pact with Lucifer.
But when Faustus makes the deal, Mephistopheles dutifully fulfils Faustus’
wishes, whims, and desires for the next twenty-four years. Although
Mephistopheles warns Faustus about the torments of hell, once the deal is made,
Mephistopheles uses his power and cunning to prevent Faustus from repenting.

6. Lucifer:
The Prince of the devils, Lucifer was once an angel of God who was cast out of
heaven with other rebel angels because of their pride and insolence. Lucifer
authorizes the deal between Faustus and Mephistopheles. If Mephistopheles is a
conflicted devil, Lucifer shows no such weaknesses or signs of remorse for having
been cast out of heaven. When Faustus cries upon the name of Christ, Lucifer
comes, as though Mephistopheles is not crafty enough in such urgent cases.
Lucifer masterly prevents Faustus from turning back to God at key points in the
story.

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MINOR CHARACTERS:

1. Chorus:

A stage and literary device associated with Greek tragedy, the Chorus narrates and
fills in parts of the story.

2. Valdes and Cornelius:

Friends of Faustus, they are reputed to be practitioners of magic. Faustus calls on

them to teach him the black arts. Valdes and Cornelius tell Faustus that with his
wit, he will be powerful, and together they will be famous all over the world.

3. Two scholars:

Faustus’ fellow colleagues at the university, they are concerned that he has not
been around. They ask Wagner about Faustus’ whereabouts. When they find out
Faustus has been with Valdes and Cornelius, they decide to tell the Rector of the
university.

4. Beelzebub:

A companion prince of Lucifer, Faustus refers to Beelzebub when he denounces

God.

5. Clown:

A poor, beggar-like character, the Clown is threatened by Wagner to be his

servant. When the clown refuses, Wagner conjures up some spirits to scare him.
The Clown follows Wagner, but asks Wagner to teach him magic.

6. Baliol and Belcher:

Two spirits that Wagner conjures up to scare the Clown into serving him, Baliol
and Belcher is a he-devil and a she-devil respectively.

36
 7. Seven Deadly Sins:

At the behest of Lucifer, Pride, Covetousness, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and
Lechery appear before Faustus. Faustus is delighted by their presence.

8. Pope:

Faustus intrudes upon the Pope’s privy-chamber and creates havoc, even hitting
the Pope on the head.

9. Cardinal of Lorrain:

The Pope’s guest when Faustus enters the privy-chamber, the Cardinal thinks the
invisible Faustus is a ghost from purgatory.

10. Emperor Carolus the Fifth:

Faustus visits the German Emperor, Carolus the Fifth, who makes a request to see
Alexander the Great and his paramour in person.

11. Robin the Ostler:

An employee of an inn, Robin steals one of Faustus’ magic books and makes
Mephistopheles appear. He is turned into an ape by Mephistopheles.

12. Ralph:

A fellow employee with Robin at the inn, Robin is turned into a dog by
Mephistopheles.

13. Vintner:

The Vintner, a wine merchant, comes to collect from Robin a silver goblet
that is owed him. Robin tries to elude the Vintner by conjuring up a spirit, but it
backfires.

14. Knight:

37
 The Knight, who serves in the court of Emperor Carolus the Fifth, is sceptical
about Faustus’ magical powers. In spite, Faustus makes horns grow on his head.

15. Alexander the Great:

Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian conqueror, and his Paramour are
the two figures of the past that the Emperor Carolus the Fifth wants Faustus to
produce.

16. Paramour:

Emperor Carolus the Fifth is curious to know if Alexander the Great’s lover,
the Paramour, has a mole or a wart on her neck.

17. Horse-Courser:

The Horse-Courser purchases a horse from Faustus. He is warned by Faustus

not to ride the horse through water, but does not listen. When the Horse-Courser
rides into water, the horse turns into a bottle of hay. The Horse-Courser tries to get
Faustus’ attention by pulling on his leg while he is sleeping. But Faustus plays a
joke on him by making his leg fall off, scaring the Horse-Courser away.

18. Duke of Vanholt:

Faustus visits the court of the Duke of Vanholt. The Duke is impressed with
Faustus’ magical powers.

19. Duchess of Vanholt:

The Duchess of Vanholt, who is pregnant, desires ripe grapes in the dead of
winter. Faustus is able to get her the best grapes she has ever had. The Duke and
Duchess agree to reward Faustus handsomely.

20. Helen of Troy:

The figure over which the Trojan War was fought, Helen of Troy is deemed to
be the most admirable beauty in history. Faustus makes her appear before his

38
colleagues. Faustus’ last request to Mephistopheles is to have Helen of Troy as his
lover.

21. Old Man:

The Old Man appears to Faustus in order to convince him to repent and turn to
God. A contrast to Faustus, the Old Man keeps his faith even through persecution
from devils.

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 CHAPTER – IV
THEMES IN DOCTOR FAUSTUS

The themes in the play Doctor Faustus are as follows:

1. SIN, REDEMPTION & DAMNATION:

Starting off with Sin, it is clear to a Christian belief system that Doctor
Faustus commits a Sin by signing a “deed” to sell his soul to the devil. Despite
Doctor Faustus being the central character in the play he isn’t the only character
that sins in this play. If one believes that magic is blasphemous and against the
acts of God as you are manipulating God’s intended path for you then it would
mean that Valdes has also sinned. In Act 1 Scene 1 Valdes offers to “instruct”
Faustus “in the rudiments”, which is another way of saying magic, so that he can
be “perfecter” than Valdes. All of these encouragements by Valdes and Cornelius
have an effect on Faustus as he admits that their “words have won me”. The
construction of Cornelius and Valdes raises the question of whether persuading
someone to commit a sin is an act of sin in itself because they are the ones that
create this excitement in Faustus who wants to become a magician.

40
 As for Redemption, Faustus starts to try and redeem himself in Act 2 Scene 3
when he feels he is in too deep and feels that Mephistopheles has “deprived” him
“of those joys” which means he is referring to the “heavens”. Even though it was
Faustus who made the decision to sell his soul to the devil he appears to be
blaming Mephistopheles for his decision making. However, when the Good Angel
advises Faustus to “repent” because “God will pity thee” Faustus does seem
momentarily interested but ultimately doesn’t repent to God. Therefore, one
wonders how sincere Faustus’s wish was to repent for his actions. The overall
feeling is that Faustus only wants to make his life easier and not repent because
his actions were religiously abhorrent.

Finishing with Damnation, which occurs near the end of the book in Act 5
when Faustus realises that his “offence can ne’er be pardoned” and later accepts
that “thou must be damned perpetually” for the acts he has done. The fact that
Faustus acknowledges his damnation is the most tragic part of the play because
there is nothing, he can do to reverse his situation so he is stuck in limbo but with
the feeling of absolute fear that he is going to hell. I think that Christopher
Marlowe constructs Doctor Faustus in the way he does because it means that the
audience feels no sympathy for Faustus when he is being arrogant at the beginning
of the play but as the play progresses the sympathy increases. If this is the case
then it creates a moral for the play in which one must thoroughly consider the
decisions that one makes otherwise you become damned and then there is no
return.

2. THE CONFLICT BETWEEN MEDIEVAL &

RENAISSANCE VALUES:

According to Medieval values God was the centre of existence and pushed
away the idea of man as an individual and the natural world. During the
Renaissance, a more scientific way of looking at situations and the natural world
was used as well as focussing on the individual and classical learning. These two

41
viewpoints did clash with each other mainly through the role of Religion in
someone’s life because God was the centre of life in medieval life but a more
secular approach was taken during the Renaissance period.

Doctor Faustus can definitely be described as a Renaissance man because his

thirst for knowledge knows no bounds which is particularly noticeable in Act 1
Scene 1 because Faustus spends most of his time disregarding many fields of
scholarship particularly theology when he laughs a “Ha!” at the idea that “The
reward of sin is death”. This definitely goes against medieval and highly religious
beliefs that much of the Elizabethan audience would have been aware of. They
would have known that Marlowe was voicing a modern way of looking at the
world which could have been considered controversial.

3. POWER AS A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE:

Power is definitely a corrupting force over Faustus and it leads him into
making the decision to sell his soul. Faustus declares that he “most desires…
omnipotence”. There isn’t a creature in the world that is more powerful than a
God and if Faustus wants to equal that then it shows how power hungry, he is.

Power also manipulates itself into the relationship of Mephistopheles and

Faustus because it is never really clear whether Mephistopheles is serving
Faustus or whether Mephistopheles is advising Faustus on the decisions he should
make. It first appears that Faustus summoned Mephistopheles but Mephistopheles
disagrees and says that he came “of mine own accord”. Mephistopheles has more
knowledge of the decision that Faustus wants to make and the type of contract
that Faustus will sign. Normally knowledge is power however Faustus seems to
take the dominating role at the beginning of the relationship when he is surprised
at “how pliant” Mephistopheles is and that he is full of “obedience and humility”
which doesn’t suggest that Mephistopheles holds the power in that relationship.

4. THE DIVIDED NATURE OF MAN:

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 Faustus definitely is unsure on his decision to sell his soul however it isn’t
helped by the constant advice given by all of the characters as to what he should
do. The two angels show the two opposite viewpoints that Faustus is debating
over. The Good Angel maintains that Faustus need only “repent” and “God will
pity thee” whereas the Bad Angel says that “God cannot pity thee” and predicts
that Faustus “never shall repent”. The conflict that Faustus goes through is a
recognisable human process because many people know what the morally right
thing to do, whether they do that or not is another thing. The temptation to do
something morally bad or wrong is something that people battle with every day in
varying degrees of severity. Christopher Marlowe decided to make the conflict
over the decision of whether Faustus should sell his soul a large part of the play
because it makes an otherwise unlikeable character someone who people can
relate to because Faustus has doubts and emotions.

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5. GOOD VERSUS EVIL

The push-and-pull conflict between good and evil is a motivating force

throughout Doctor Faustus. Faustus personally embodies the concepts of good
and evil. As a theologian, he represents the good or spiritually uplifting study of
divinity. However, he abandons theology to pursue forbidden knowledge, falling
prey to sin. His noble intentions for acquiring power through magic soon give way
to fancy tricks bought with his soul. Whenever he wavers in his commitment to
evil, Mephastophilis finds it easy to tempt him back from the good of repentance
by appealing to his base nature. Whether it's a book of hidden knowledge or the
beautiful Helen of Troy, Mephistopheles knows just what to give Faustus to hold
on to his soul. Lucifer, too, knows how to charm Faustus and quiet his conscience.
He invokes visions of the Seven Deadly Sins, to which Faustus exclaims, "Oh,
this feeds my soul."

Every prick of conscience expressed by Faustus signals a new conflict.

Faustus is mentally and spiritually torn by desire and fear: desire for salvation and
desire for unholy knowledge; fear of damnation and fear that it is too late to
repent. This conflict is embodied by the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. They
appear at times when Faustus seems close to renouncing magic and asking God's
forgiveness for his defiance and dissent. The two angels act as counsellors,
offering advice, warnings, and arguments intended to persuade the doctor toward
salvation or damnation.

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 Other characters echo Faustus's inner struggle as well. In Act 5 three
scholars beg Faustus to conjure the spirit of Helen, the world's most beautiful
woman. He complies, and they enjoy it. Soon after, the same men shift gears
instantly when he admits to them how he has sold his soul to Lucifer. Now they
offer to pray for Faustus, "that God may have mercy upon [him]," but it is too
late. Mephistopheles is perhaps the most surprising representation of this theme.
While as Lucifer's henchman he is clearly a servant of evil, he is a demon with
feelings and the occasional impulse for good. He devotedly serves Lucifer, but he
is tormented by his separation from God. He scouts for souls and sends them to
hell, but in Act 1 he warns Faustus to "leave these frivolous demands, / Which
strike a terror to my fainting soul!" With this unexpected mix of good and evil,
Mephistopheles breaks the form of the traditional wicked villain.

6. KNOWLEDGE OVER WISDOM

There is an important distinction between knowledge and wisdom.

Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, information, and skills through education
and experience. It is only a tool and offers no insights into the meaning of life.
Wisdom comes from the useful synthesis of facts, information, and skills into a
deeper and more truthful understanding of life and relationships.

In the true spirit of the Renaissance, Doctor Faustus thirsts for knowledge.
In his uncontrolled pursuit of it, he rejects what may be learned from even the
wisest men of the past, specifically the brilliant Greek philosophers Aristotle and
Galen and the Byzantine emperor Justinian, who rewrote Roman law. Though he
is a doctor of divinity, he also dismisses what theology and the Bible have to
teach. Impatient and dissatisfied with the past's accumulated knowledge, he craves
to know more. This quest leads to his downfall primarily because Faustus has not
acquired—and does not search for—wisdom.

As Faustus demonstrates, knowledge without the moral guidance of

wisdom can be used for good or evil. He looks to the forbidden knowledge of
necromancy, the practice of speaking to the spirits of dead people, to fulfil his

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desire to know more than traditional sources of knowledge can teach him. He is
further seduced by the power and wealth magic promises. His desire to push the
boundaries of human knowledge is without guiding wisdom. Nor does he acquire
wisdom along the way. His grand boasts of all he will do with his newly acquired
dark knowledge of magic fizzle into mean-spirited pranks and self-serving tricks
to gain fame and money. He discovers no universally applicable truth. He is never
wise enough to heed the council of the Good Angel, the old man, or even
Mephastophilis. When devils at last cart him off to his doom, he has a head full of
facts and information. Too late he acquires the insight that might have saved him:
hell is real, and he has damned himself to it.

7. PRIDE AND AMBITION

The synthesis of these two themes have an intoxicating effect on Faustus.

His intellectual pride, or arrogance, makes him impatient with even the most
revered authorities of the past, such as Aristotle, a philosopher, Galen, a
philosopher and physician, and Justinian, a specialist in law. Faustus's ambition is
to know more than all their accumulated knowledge and wisdom can teach him.
For this reason, he turns to the study of magic. He fantasizes that by mastering this
field of study, he could become a god and command a vast realm, limited only by
his imagination. He never considers using his knowledge for any kind of greater
good.

In his pride and ambition, Faustus has a kindred spirit in Lucifer, whose
history mirrors his own. In the beginning Lucifer, the highest-ranking angel in
heaven, was full of wisdom and was perfect in his beauty. But he became filled
with pride and desired to be God, instead of a servant to God. For his pride and
insolent ambition, God threw Lucifer and his followers out of heaven. Lucifer
went on to establish his own kingdom: hell. Like Lucifer, Faustus's first great sin
is pride. It leads to his rejection of God, his pact with the devil, the many
additional sins he commits, and his final damnation.

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 Like Lucifer's, Faustus's pride-driven ambitions are never realized. Worse,
they are reduced to something trivial and low. Lucifer uses his power to corrupt
and add souls to his hellish kingdom. Faustus uses his power to play pranks, con
simple folk, and gain fame by entertaining royalty with magic. He never uses his
power to better himself or the world, nor does he fulfil his initial desire to rule
Earth. In fact, his conjuring tricks are, at best, impressive versions of those pulled
off by Wagner, Rafe, and Robin.

8. DAMNATION VERSUS SALVATION

Throughout the play, Faustus finds himself at the crossroads of eternal death
and eternal life: damnation and salvation. Damnation is eternal separation from
God. Salvation is a merciful gift of God to one who repents and asks forgiveness.
Sin, an immoral act that violates divine law, is the defining factor that leads to one
state or the other, depending on the relationship of the sinner to their sin. If a
person shows repentance—appropriate remorse and sorrow for their sins—
salvation is still possible. If not, damnation is inevitable.

In Act 1 Faustus's failure to consider both sides of this equation initiate the
path to his doom. Based on an incomplete reading of a Bible verse from the book
of Romans (6:23), he falsely reasons that sinful humans are destined for eternal
death. Therefore, his only escape may be through pursuit of magic, as "a sound
magician is a mighty god." Faustus overlooks the second half of the verse, which
emphasizes salvation and God's offered gift of eternal life. The doctor
concentrates on the half that justifies the path to damnation he yearns to pursue.
As a consequence, he will struggle with ideas of repentance and salvation
throughout the rest of the play.

Mephistopheles makes it clear in his descriptions of hell's torments that

defying God is the road to eternal suffering. However, the Good Angel and the old
man make it equally clear that Faustus can save himself if he will repent and
accept God's mercy. As he tries to decide between damnation (sticking to his deal
with the devil) or accepting the "gift ... of eternal life" (by showing proper

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repentance to God), Faustus is forced to question his character and motivations,
often at the expense of his lust for power and his fantasy of his own superiority.
Yet once he has sealed the deal with Lucifer, Faustus audaciously continues down
the path to his damnation. He seems committed to his doom, ultimately unwilling
or unable to alter his chosen course.

9. DESTINY VERSUS FREE WILL

The theme of destiny versus free will is related to that of damnation versus
salvation. Faustus appears unable to repent. Even in the moments of his greatest
despair, when he teeters on the brink of repentance, he ultimately pulls back and
renews his allegiance to Lucifer, assuring his doom. Too late he renounces pursuit
of magic in the last line of the play with a final, desperate cry, "I'll burn my
books."

Christopher Marlowe uses Faustus's apparent helplessness to explore the

idea of predestination posed by French-born Protestant theologian John Calvin.
Calvin reasoned that God, being omniscient, knows from the outset who will be
saved and who will not. Therefore, human action and choice are not the keys to
salvation. That end is predetermined. Whatever action or choice a human make
has been set up in advance by God. This suggests that no matter how free Faustus
seems in his choice to pursue magic or reject redemption, he is simply playing out
a script already written. His natural defiance and rebellion guide him to fulfil his
destiny.

On the other hand, Marlowe also suggests that Faustus may have a choice.
On numerous occasions in the play, he considers the possibility of asking God to
forgive his sins, allowing him to change his spiritual path from damnation to one
of salvation. The Good Angel, the Bad Angel, Mephistopheles, the old man, and
other characters chime in to encourage him to save himself or give in and go to
hell. Faustus himself goes back and forth, until it is too late. The question
remains: is Faustus helplessly driven by destiny or doomed by his own poorly

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exercised free will. Marlowe provides no definitive answer but weaves the two
possibilities into his play. However, to believe that Faustus has no choice denies
the more pitiable aspects of his character. The doctor's intelligence, scepticism,
and deeply human desire for knowledge incite choices and actions that anger
heaven and fate him to be destroyed.

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