Doctor Faustus: by Christopher Marlowe

[~ A7lA DoNiA ~]

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Sin, Redemption, and Damnation

Insofar as Doctor Faustus is a Christian play, it deals with the themes at the heart of Christianity’s understanding of the world. First, there is the idea of sin, which Christianity defines as acts contrary to the will of God. In making a pact with Lucifer, Faustus commits what is in a sense the ultimate sin: not only does he disobey God, but he consciously and even eagerly renounces obedience to him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the devil. In a Christian framework, however, even the worst deed can be forgiven through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, God’s son, who, according to Christian belief, died on the cross for humankind’s sins. Thus, however terrible Faustus’s pact with Lucifer may be, the possibility of redemption is always open to him. All that he needs to do, theoretically, is ask God for forgiveness. The play offers countless moments in which Faustus considers doing just that, urged on by the good angel on his shoulder or by the old man in scene 12—both of whom can be seen either as emissaries of God, personifications of Faustus’s conscience, or both.
Each time, Faustus decides to remain loyal to hell rather than seek heaven. In the Christian framework, this turning away from God condemns him to spend an eternity in hell. Only at the end of his life does Faustus desire to repent, and, in the final scene, he cries out to Christ to redeem him. But it is too late for him to repent. In creating this moment in which Faustus is still alive but incapable of being redeemed, Marlowe steps outside the Christian worldview in order to maximize the dramatic power of the final scene. Having inhabited a Christian world for the entire play, Faustus spends his final moments in a slightly different universe, where redemption is no longer possible and where certain sins cannot be forgiven.

The Conflict Between Medieval and Renaissance Values

Scholar R.M. Dawkins famously remarked that Doctor Faustus tells “the story of a Renaissance man who had to pay the medieval price for being one.” While slightly simplistic, this quotation does get at the heart of one of the play’s central themes: the clash between the medieval world and the world of the emerging Renaissance. The medieval world placed God at the center of existence and shunted aside man and the natural world. The Renaissance was a movement that began in Italy in the fifteenth century and soon spread throughout Europe, carrying with it a new emphasis on the individual, on classical learning, and on scientific inquiry into the nature of the world. In the medieval academy, theology was the queen of the sciences. In the Renaissance, though, secular matters took center stage.
Faustus, despite being a magician rather than a scientist (a blurred distinction in the sixteenth century), explicitly rejects the medieval model. In his opening speech in scene 1, he goes through every field of scholarship, beginning with logic and proceeding through medicine, law, and theology, quoting an ancient authority for each: Aristotle on logic, Galen on medicine, the Byzantine emperor Justinian on law, and the Bible on religion. In the medieval model, tradition and authority, not individual inquiry, were key. But in this soliloquy, Faustus considers and rejects this medieval way of thinking. He resolves, in full Renaissance spirit, to accept no limits, traditions, or authorities in his quest for knowledge, wealth, and power.
The play’s attitude toward the clash between medieval and Renaissance values is ambiguous. Marlowe seems hostile toward the ambitions of Faustus, and, as Dawkins notes, he keeps his tragic hero squarely in the medieval world, where eternal damnation is the price of human pride. Yet Marlowe himself was no pious traditionalist, and it is tempting to see in Faustus—as many readers have—a hero of the new modern world, a world free of God, religion, and the limits that these imposed on humanity. Faustus may pay a medieval price, this reading suggests, but his successors will go further than he and suffer less, as we have in modern times. On the other hand, the disappointment and mediocrity that follow Faustus’s pact with the devil, as he descends from grand ambitions to petty conjuring tricks, might suggest a contrasting interpretation. Marlowe may be suggesting that the new, modern spirit, though ambitious and glittering, will lead only to a Faustian dead end.

Power as a Corrupting Influence

Early in the play, before he agrees to the pact with Lucifer, Faustus is full of ideas for how to use the power that he seeks. He imagines piling up great wealth, but he also aspires to plumb the mysteries of the universe and to remake the map of Europe. Though they may not be entirely admirable, these plans are ambitious and inspire awe, if not sympathy. They lend a grandeur to Faustus’s schemes and make his quest for personal power seem almost heroic, a sense that is reinforced by the eloquence of his early soliloquies.
Once Faustus actually gains the practically limitless power that he so desires, however, his horizons seem to narrow. Everything is possible to him, but his ambition is somehow sapped. Instead of the grand designs that he contemplates early on, he contents himself with performing conjuring tricks for kings and noblemen and takes a strange delight in using his magic to play practical jokes on simple folks. It is not that power has corrupted Faustus by making him evil: indeed, Faustus’s behavior after he sells his soul hardly rises to the level of true wickedness. Rather, gaining absolute power corrupts Faustus by making him mediocre and by transforming his boundless ambition into a meaningless delight in petty celebrity.
In the Christian framework of the play, one can argue that true greatness can be achieved only with God’s blessing. By cutting himself off from the creator of the universe, Faustus is condemned to mediocrity. He has gained the whole world, but he does not know what to do with it.

[~ A7lA DoNiA ~]

The Divided Nature of Man

Faustus is constantly undecided about whether he should repent and return to God or continue to follow his pact with Lucifer. His internal struggle goes on throughout the play, as part of him of wants to do good and serve God, but part of him (the dominant part, it seems) lusts after the power that Mephastophilis promises. The good angel and the evil angel, both of whom appear at Faustus’s shoulder in order to urge him in different directions, symbolize this struggle. While these angels may be intended as an actual pair of supernatural beings, they clearly represent Faustus’s divided will, which compels Faustus to commit to Mephastophilis but also to question this commitment continually.

Motifs

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Magic and the Supernatural

The supernatural pervades Doctor Faustus, appearing everywhere in the story. Angels and devils flit about, magic spells are cast, dragons pull chariots (albeit offstage), and even fools like the two ostlers, Robin and Rafe, can learn enough magic to summon demons. Still, it is worth noting that nothing terribly significant is accomplished through magic. Faustus plays tricks on people, conjures up grapes, and explores the cosmos on a dragon, but he does not fundamentally reshape the world. The magic power that Mephastophilis grants him is more like a toy than an awesome, earth-shaking ability. Furthermore, the real drama of the play, despite all the supernatural frills and pyrotechnics, takes place within Faustus’s vacillating mind and soul, as he first sells his soul to Lucifer and then considers repenting. In this sense, the magic is almost incidental to the real story of Faustus’s struggle with himself, which Marlowe intended not as a fantastical battle but rather as a realistic portrait of a human being with a will divided between good and evil.

Practical Jokes

Once he gains his awesome powers, Faustus does not use them to do great deeds. Instead, he delights in playing tricks on people: he makes horns sprout from the knight’s head and sells the horse-courser an enchanted horse. Such magical practical jokes seem to be Faustus’s chief amusement, and Marlowe uses them to illustrate Faustus’s decline from a great, prideful scholar into a bored, mediocre magician with no higher ambition than to have a laugh at the expense of a collection of simpletons.

Symbols

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Blood

Blood plays multiple symbolic roles in the play. When Faustus signs away his soul, he signs in blood, symbolizing the permanent and supernatural nature of this pact. His blood congeals on the page, however, symbolizing, perhaps, his own body’s revolt against what he intends to do. Meanwhile, Christ’s blood, which Faustus says he sees running across the sky during his terrible last night, symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus, according to Christian belief, made on the cross; this sacrifice opened the way for humankind to repent its sins and be saved. Faustus, of course, in his proud folly, fails to take this path to salvation.

Faustus’s Rejection of the Ancient Authorities

In scene 1, Faustus goes through a list of the major fields of human knowledge—logic, medicine, law, and theology—and cites for each an ancient authority (Aristotle, Galen, Justinian, and Jerome’s Bible, respectively). He then rejects all of these figures in favor of magic. This rejection symbolizes Faustus’s break with the medieval world, which prized authority above all else, in favor of a more modern spirit of free inquiry, in which experimentation and innovation trump the assertions of Greek philosophers and the Bible.

The Good Angel and the Evil Angel

The angels appear at Faustus’s shoulder early on in the play—the good angel urging him to repent and serve God, the evil angel urging him to follow his lust for power and serve Lucifer. The two symbolize his divided will, part of which wants to do good and part of which is sunk in sin

[~ A7lA DoNiA ~]

ESSAYES

Battle Between Good and Evil in Dr. Faustus

The story Dr. Faustus represents the constant battle between good and evil. Every day, we are faced having to choose between the two, even if there seems like there is no solution. Faust, in the story Dr. Faustus, represents those that choose to stoop to a lower level in order to get what they want. The good angel and the bad angel are the morals that pull the Faust's soul apart, forcing him to make a decision that can effect his future. The story Dr. Faustus is a great example of how one wrong decision can cause an everlasting burn.


In the story Dr. Faustus, there is a battle of good versus evil going on. Faust is a man who is desperate for power and control. He wants to do anything he wants to do, and control anything he wants to control. That is where Mephistophales, a blood-sucking devil appears, preying on Foust and his confusing soul. Mephistophales was in heaven, and was kicked out. His soul is burning, and so he is desperate to take Foust's soul with him. Misery does love company. Faust wants power when he states "I charge thee wait upon me whilstg I live. To do whatever Faustus shall command".(Act 1, scene 2,lines 33-34). While Faustus demands his power, Mephistophales is miserable in hell. He wants Faust's soul, and the two make a trade.

Meanwhile, the good angel appears. The good angel is trying to convince Faust to drop this insanity, because the bible is what he should be reading, rather than the magic book. When it seems like the angels have gotten to Faust, the devils appear. It is an insult to the bad angels to hear Christ's name in their presence. While the good angels are telling him to repent, the bad angels are giving him a taste of pure hell. (p48) They bring out the seven deadly sins. (48) Lucifer, in the meantime, worked his magic, and Faust signs the dotted line. It is over. The seven deadly sins represent the agony of hell. Faust now became the eighth. He now became just as evil and manipulative as Mephistophales. He now was forever damned.


Temptation is society's worst enemy. When challenges arise, everyone wants answers, even if that means taking the wrong route. A great example of Faust in our society is robbery. Although most robbers know that it is morally wrong, despair for money and control turns their soul to the devil, who is ready to take advantage. After all, going to prison is like going to hell. That is the price they will pay for allowing the devil's spirit to creep inside them, and let their souls burn forever.

I believe that the story implies a moral that temptations often lead to a disaster. We all have to do what is right, and not allow our despair to take over. When our consience tells us that what we are doing is wrong, the best thing to do is not to fight it. It is often time right. We can not take the dark road, even if it is surrounded by colorful decorations. After all, looks can be deceiving and coniving. We all have to take control and do what we feel is right. We can not allow the devil to take over our soul and destroy us
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Critical Analysis of Doctor Faustus

In this essay the critical approach on (Mythological and Archetypal Approach) played a big role in forming my opinion of the signet classic book, "Doctor Faustus" It is to my knowledge that mythology does not meet our current standards of factual reality, but unlike the 16th century which this play was presented, men like Faustus saw myth as fundamental and a dramatic representation of the deepest instinctual life in the universe.

This play is about how Faustus puts on a performance for the Emperor and the Duke of Vanholt. The main thesis or climax of this play is when Faustus two friends Valdes and Cornelius who are magicians, teaches him the ways of magic. Faustus uses this magic to summon up a devil named Mephistophilis. Faustus signs over his soul to Lucifer (Satan), in return to keep Mephistophilis for 24 years. We also see what happens when magic power gets in the wrong hands when Mephistophilis punishes Robin, who is a clown and his friend Ralph for trying to make magic with a book they have stolen from Faustus. In the beginning angels visit Faustus, and each time he wonders whether or not to repent, but the devil appears and warns him not too by tempting him of magic to posses. In the end of the play the two good and evil angels have been replaced by an old man, who urges Faustus to repent? But it is to late for and the play ends with the devil carrying him off the hell.

[~ A7lA DoNiA ~]

The main reason why I picked this critical approach is because this play has established a significant relationship to archetypes and its patterns. Such things as archetype images played an important role in this play. For example on (page 32, line 8) it speaks of a circle, referring to the protection of Jehovah. As an archetype image it refers to wholeness and unity. Also between (lines 16-24), Mephistophilis wants to put away with the trinity of Jehovah, by saying, "Hail spirits of fire, air, water" and the word welkin on (page 31 line 4). This implies to the first and second images of archetype images. Other major keys that exist in the critical analysis of this play are the number seven, which is said to be the most potent of all symbolic numbers. In the play seven is related to the seven deadly sins: pride, covetness, envy, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and lechery.

The most important critical analysis images of archetypes is the Wise Old Man, which is said to carry intuitions on one hand and moral qualities such as goodwill and a readiness to help on the other. In the play the old man showed these exact qualities. This old man appears when the main character is in a hopeless and desperate situation from which only faith and luck can help him. Unlike every other good ending, it was too late for the old man to help Faustus, and he was carried off to hell. The last of the archetypes was the trickster who was portrayed as the Satan or Lucifer in this play. He was the opposite of the wise old man and his primarily a divine being.

In closing, mythology plays a universal appeal in so many cultures. It is important to use in so many ways because it gives us morals and direction in life. Different cultures use myths to put order to their society and to have something to dwell on in times of good and bad. Unlike present day we look unto the Bible for the correct way of living.
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Applying the Psychoanalytical Approach to Dr. Faustus

Within the text of Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus," a reader notices the struggle between the superego and the id. Throughout the play, Faustus struggles with himself while Lucifer and Mephistopheles struggle with him. Though these huge conflicts take place in the text they aren't the greatest of situations when one tries to apply the psychoanalytical approach. The most obvious situation arrives with the introduction of the Seven Deadly Sins. They represent the constant struggle between the id and the superego. They add to the seduction of Dr. Faustus and the constant struggle in a chaotic Hell.



The id possesses most of the sins: Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony and Lechery. All six of these sins show characteristics that are strong and powerful. Though these sound as if they were good characteristics, they are actually extremely over-bearing. When the sins explain who they are, they don't leave any room for argument. They just say who they are, and they take what they want. For example, Pride explains what he can do with a woman: "I can creep into every corner of a wench: sometimes, like periwig I sit upon her brow; next, like a necklace I hang about her neck; then, like a fan of feathers I kiss her..." (Marlowe, II.ii.120) Obviously, Pride feels powerful enough to take any woman he wants and perform with her any way he wants. With a sly and mischievous voice Pride states what he can do and no one can change it.

Another great representation of the id is Lechery or lust. Lechery just walks out and struts her stuff in front of Faustus. The reader realizes that her power is not in her words but in her presence. Even Lucifer notices her strength because he sends her away almost as fast as she comes in. "Away, to hell, away! On, piper!" (Marlowe, II.ii.177) Lechery closes the deal on Faustus. Her presence is so powerful that Faustus returns to the hands of Lucifer.

All six of these Seven Deadly Sins show their strength and power, for they don't back down, except to Lucifer. They do what they want and say what they please, because they are the angels of Lucifer, the most evil angel of them all. In achieving their goals they are very aggressive and Lucifer provides them all the freedom they need in order capture new souls like Faustus. Through this aggressiveness these six sins show their tendency toward the id.

On the other side of the seesaw, Sloth possesses no aggressiveness. He would rather sit and sleep than get up and do anything, whether it be talking, bathing or even eating. "Heigh-ho, I'll not speak a word more for a king's ransom." (Marlowe, II.ii.170) He is so lazy that the reader can even see Lucifer getting upset with him. This laziness perfectly depicts the superego. While all the other sins are aggressive, he would rather do nothing. Sitting back and doing nothing would be his way of life. Sloth's characteristics may not be as effective on Faustus, but Lucifer knows that there are other souls that will be convinced one day.

[~ A7lA DoNiA ~]

At the end of the introduction of the Seven Deadly Sins one easily sees why Hell is in such a chaotic state. It lacks an ego, the balance between the id and the superego. This is the constant struggle in Hell; either there are very aggressive souls or souls that just sit there and do nothing. Both the id and the superego try to steal another soul from Heaven, and these sins fight constantly in order to win over a soul for their mighty Lucifer. Obviously, the more aggressive sins conquer souls that show that balance between the id and superego. Their assertive behavior allows the sins to break down the ego and sway it toward the id where it is much easier for Lucifer to convince them to sell their souls to Hell. The superego, Sloth, mainly persuades those lazy people who seek nothing from life. He goes out and shows that lazy people that the place for them is Hell. In the end, the conflict between the superego and the id is exactly why Hell is the way it is. Because there is no ego, or balance between the id and superego, it creates the chaotic state of Hell.
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