Faustus

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)

Medieval Plays

The Morality Play

Elements of The Morality Play in Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus

Summary

Themes

Structure

Function of the Comic Scenes

Characterization

Relevant Links

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)
English dramatist and poet (Elizabethan)

Major plays (tragedies):

	Tamburlaine the Great (c. 1587)
	Dr. Faustus (c. 1588)
	The Jew of Malta (c. 1589)

Marlowe's Dramas
Marlowe's Dr. Faustus

Medieval Plays

Mystery    —   enact events of the Bible, generally part of dramatic cycles presented on a religious holiday.
Miracle     —   focus on enactments of the miracles performed by the saints.
Morality    —   focus on allegorical representations of moral issues, designed to stand alone.
                         Doctor Faustus borrows many of the conventions of the morality play.

The Morality Play

Developed in the late Middle Ages.

The central figure usually represents humanity in general. (Faustus represents humanity but is also an individual.)

A dramatized allegory in which abstract virtues and vices appear in personified form, which serve as inspiration for various characters in Renaissance drama.

Elements of The Morality Play in Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus

The battle over the spirit, waged by a Good Angel and a Bad Angel.

The parade of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Lechery.

The potential for salvation, which exists until Faustus finally succumbs to despair and gives up all hope of being able to repent.

Summary

Prologue: Dr. Faustus, Rhodes, Germany
Scene 1: Faustus dissatisfies with all the knowledge he studies and determines to study magic.
Scene 3: Calls Mephastophilis, Lucifer’s minister
Scene 5: Faustus surrenders his soul to Satan and has great power among 24 years
Scene 7: Amazes the Pope by becoming invisible
Scene 9: Calls the spirit of Alexander the Great
Scene 11: Brings ripe grapes in January
Scene 12,13: When 24 years is almost over, he begins to fear Satan and nearly repents. He is carried off by devils at the end.

Themes

Sin, Redemption and Damnation

Sin: acts contrary to the will of God
In making a pact with Lucifer, Faustus commits 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. However terrible Faustus’s pact with Lucifer may be, the possibility of redemption is always open to him. All that he needs to do is ask God for forgiveness. Yet, Faustus decides to remain loyal to hell.

The conflict between Medieval and Renaissance Values:
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, secular matters took center stage.

Power as a Corrupting Influence
Gaining absolute power corrupts Faustus by making him mediocre and by transforming his boundless ambition into a meaningless delight in petty celebrity.

The Divided Nature of Man
Internal struggle (personified in
good angel and the evil angel, and the old man)
　

Selling his soul to obtain power

Drawn up the character of an intelligent learned man tragically seduced by the lure of power greater than mortally meant to be

The superstitious mind frequently deemed magicians in league with the devil

Ideal of humanism: damn nonetheless, thus satirizing the ideals of Renaissance Humanism

Structure

In extant form the play shows the familiar double-plot construction with buffoonery in the subplot (in prose) to parallel the Faust theme (the major plot—in verse).

The Good and Bad Angels contending for the soul of Faustus come straight out of the medieval Moralities.

3 main parts:
1. The lure of Faustus
2. Faustus owns the magic power
3. The death of Faustus

Function of the Comic Scenes

Cover passage of time.
Parallel and parody the main plot.
Foreshadow events to come.
Give comic relief.

Characterization

Faustus

He is bold enough to sell his soul to the Devil for ultimate knowledge.
He is sometimes ultimately arrogant, overly confident.
He is a loner who faces the ultimate test by himself.
He can be viewed as naïve.
A contradictory character:

tells himself hell is not bad

wants to go to heaven

ambitious wastes powers

Represents the spirit of the Renaissance

Minor Characters

Wagner: Faustus’s servant, a student
Valdes and Cornelius: Faustus’s friends, magicians
Robin and Rafe: Ostlers at an inn. Even these two fools can learn enough magic to summon demons.
Emperor Charles V
A knight at the court (Benvolio)
Horse-courser

Relevant Links

http://mchip00.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-med-db/webdocs/webdescrips/marlowe278-des-.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0831904.html

http://athena.english.vt.edu/%7Ejmooney/renmats/faustus.htm

http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/english/allen/meddram.htm