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Critical essays on dr faustus
Critical essays on dr faustus
The status of women in the Renaissance
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The word ‘Renaissance’ itself means ‘rebirth’. “The idea of rebirth originated in the belief that Europeans had discovered the superiority of Greek and Roman culture after many centuries of what they considered intellectual and culture decline.” The Renaissance was a period of fundamental change in human outlook once dominated by religious dogma and Christian theology. The age was marked by a great yearning for unlimited knowledge; by love for worldliness – supreme power, sensual pleasures of life; by love for beauty; respect for classicism; by skepticism, individualism and Machiavellian influence.
Christopher Marlowe was a product of the Renaissance. So automatically his plays has also element of renaissance. We can say that Faustus is also product of renaissance as his writer. Because as his character reveals a great yearning for limitless knowledge, power and pelf, a craving for sensual pleasures of life, a defying spirit of atheism or asceticism and also a spirit of revolt against conventional religious doctrines, and Christian theology.
One of the most important feature of renaissance man was hankering the limitless knowledge. So this idiosyncrasy was also present in Dr Faustus..
The play is starting with Dr Faustus Examines his achievement of various knowledge, he studied all the branches of science but still he feels unsatisfaction he wants to eternal power which these knowledges could not give.
Dr Faustus was a real paragon of renaissance essence. He says:
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy,
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings; and He commits,
‘Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man’
So he taught why not he practices nec...
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...uty
In the Renaissance, “. . . the beauty of woman is more praised and esteemed than any other beauty
He was also moonstruck of beauty so he wants to get the fabulous German maid as a wife he remarked:
“For I am wanton and lascivious
And cannot live without a wife.”
In Act 5 scence I he conjure the beauty of the world Helen of Troy which is expressing his glorious nature of beauty he said:
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?
And burnt the topless tower of Ilium.
Dominance of classical literature, art and culture is a prominent feature of the Renaissance. And it is frequently expressed by Faustus in his allusions, examples, references. One of such examples can be noticed in the following couple of lines where Faustus says,
“Have I not made blind Homer sing to me
Of Alexander’s love and Oenon’s death?”
Although Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus has outclassed every one at Wittenberg with his academic studies, he is "still but Faustus, a man." Proud of his accomplishments, he desires to become a superman. His judgment clouded by the sin of his pride, he misunderstands his knowledge and dismisses the disciplines of medicine, philosophy, law, and divinity. He lusts for God's capability to "make men live eternally or being dead raise them to life again," believing the devil's arts of magic and necromancy can provide the power, honour, omnipotence and, most importantly, the wealth he craves. His deluded pursuit of the immediate pleasures such wealth can yield brings upon himself the risk of eternal damnation. By conjuring the devil, Faustus removes himself from the influence of the Holy Ghost and God's love, instigating attacks of despair, and internal conflicts as personified by the Good and Bad Angels.
Christopher Marlowe uses his eager character, Doctor Faustus, to display the people of the 1590s deep desire to grasp the "forbidden knowledge." A doctor of theology, one that unseemingly knows everything about his study of religion begins to inquire about the enhancement of his knowledge: "Negromantic books are heavenly; Lines, circles, letters, characters-Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires" (Act I: Scene I: Line 48-5...
As first introduced, Dr. Faustus appears to be an individual full of ambition that has made a name for himself within the academic community and is well respected by his peers. However, because the knowledge of man was something that he had appeared to have easily mastered, Faust becomes discontent with it much like a child tires of an old toy. Here Marlowe establishes the binary of want versus need, in which a gift is bestowed upon an individual who has put forth little to no effort in obtaining it and as a result possesses an overall lack of appreciation for its value. This applies to the young doctor in the sen...
Faustus' decisions is tragic, he, himself, is not. Throughout the play, Dr. Faustus does not ever evoke feelings of pity or fear. Rather, readers are well aware as to which direction his foolishness is steering him in, spectating while he insists on rejecting the idea that he could avoid the depths of hell. He should know better than to succumb to theological despair since he claims to be a great scholar, speaking to himself in the third person. Regardless, Dr. Faustus is ambitious and allows his curiosity fuel his desire to pursue knowledge. He does not fit the textbook definition of a hero, but he is one nonetheless. He is dedicated in chasing further studies and expanding his mind's limits, going where no one else has, making him a hero for scholars everywhere. In the end, it is not his hunger for education that dooms him, but rather his pride. In his endeavor to gain not only a sense of personal satisfaction, but power through education, Dr. Faustus loses his sense of humility and further allows his pride to cloud his judgement and reasoning, leading him to strike a deal with the devil himself. He places his sins above God which makes him foolish. By way of example, he claims that even "the serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not [him]" (1156). He undermines God's capacity to forgive and implies that God is capable of refusing a repenting man the refuge of Heaven. Doing so, Dr. Faustus indirectly places himself in a
...n able to bout the inaccuracy he committed. Some things may never be taken back, but when given a chance a compromise can be contrived In Faustus’s case, he was told over and over again to repent and beg to god for mercy. Of course his desire got the the most of him, and he ignored his second guesses and fear. If somethings does not seem intact, follow what your intuition tells you. That is a key point this drama has proved true. In conclusion I think the story was full of knowledge, understanding, and astuteness which all are crucial factors of ones life. Without influence, corruption, and intuition, the human race would be very different. Everyone goes through their own right of passage, some sooner or later then others, where they must surpass and leave behind parts of their pasts, and enter what they want out of their life. In Faustus’s case, he failed the test.
III. Faustus is portrayed as a very individual character. He changes and is shaped by the events that happen all around him. Everything he does affects his future outcome. For example his decision to give up his studies of medicine were very un-stereotypical of a character that is studying to be a doctor to do. Even more so is his decision to take upon the necromantics of the devil. He says, “Then read no more; thou hast attain'd that end: A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit.” (1.11) He believes that he has learned enough information about all the great things of the world and there is nothing left to study that will intrigue him as much as magic will. His curious personality affects the play because his decisions determine the plot. For example the Seven Deadly Sins entice him so he becomes convinced not to repent his sin. This characterizes him as gullible, curious and adventurous. He becomes obsessed with his magic and he absolutely loves having the powers to do anything he pleases. An example of this is when he conjures up Helen. He knows he can do whatever he wants without reservation so he chooses to conjure the woman who launched a thousand ships. This shows that not only is he gullible, curious and obsessed but also Faustus only wishes for the best in whatever he does; the best that will please him.
The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus is Marlowe's misreading of the drama of the morality tradition, the Faust legend, and, ironically, his own Tamburlaine plays. In the development of the character of Doctor Faustus, we find one of the supreme artistic achievements of English dramatic literature, a milestone of artistic creativity and originality. The force of Marlowe's dramatic poetry resonates with lyrical intensity in its dialectic between world and will. Not only is Faustus the first true dramatic character of any psychological, moral, and philosophical depth in English literature of the modern period, but in his creation of this unique character we see Marlowe on the verge of Shakespearean characterization, that supreme artistic achievement that Harold Bloom calls the invention of the human personality.
In Marlowe’s “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus”, he tells a story of a man who “bids farewell to each of his studies – logic, medicine, law, and divinity – something he has used up” (The Norton Anthology 500). Faustus chooses to leave his studies to pursue knowledge in black magic. Faustus believes “A sound magician is a mighty god” (500). In his efforts to learn more about black magic, he in turn sells his soul to the devil. Faustus could repent his sins at any time; however he chooses to not upset the devil and Mephastophilis and spends eternity in hell.
He creates plans to acquire the magic and what to do with them. For example, Faustus’ naturally ambitious characteristic leads him to say, “I’ll have them fly to India for gold, ransack the ocean for orient pearls” (Marlow 1.1, 109-110). Faustus goes on and on about the limitless potential he sees that the power of the supernatural can give to the world so much he asks his servants to call on the local summoners of Germany to assist him in summoning a well-known demon for their time. The demon, Mephistophilis, does not want to become Faustus’ servant, so he strikes a daring deal that the demons can’t say no to. Fasutus tells Mephistophilis to go to Lucifer and “[say] he surrenders up to him his soul, so he will spare him four and twenty years … Having thee ever to attend on me”(1.3, 317 – 320). Faustus is known amongst his peers as a well-known scholar but as well as a magician. He knows many things about life that lesser-men of his time would love to have of at least one specialty in a topic. He throws away his potential for jobs in other fields for magic which would require his soul. Faustus is not wise enough to understand he has a realm of possibilities of professions to join outside of sorcery but still gravitates towards the territory of magic and mystery. Recent studies suggest a correlation with millennials, and depression. Although more girls suffer from it and are 2 times as likely than a boy to
Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of D. Faustus. In Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments. Edited by A.F. Kinney. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 2002.
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.
This soliloquy shows that Faustus is eager to learn magic, which reflects on how people during the Renaissance were interested in science and nonreligious aspects instead of God.
(Munteanu, 2002). Therefore it can be said that Marlowe is attempting to alter the doctrines his fellow country men with whom are questioning their religions. Marlowe uses the renaissance ideals with the medieval myths to master his point. This work is a forewarning of damnation by those who attempt to alter the doctrines or moral standards, and a beacon of caution to those in search of the unknown. Dr Faustus, the work of good and evil. When man becomes idle his mind wanders and he wants more. With the wealth of knowledge Dr Faustus wanted more, he was no longer content with his academia since they could no longer provide him with wealth and fame as well as fulfill his souls want, he turned to the mastering of the dark arts.
Faustus was an exceedingly ambitious man, even in relation to what is considered to be ambitious by people in today’s society. In the prologue, The Chorus sums up Faustus’ background and early life, emphasizing his ordinary background and academic success. It seems that Faustus’ intellect made him become proud and this fired up his ambition. When Marlowe presents Faustus in scene 1, Faustus methodically shuns great authors and classically intellectual subjects, such as medicine and law because they hold little attraction to him, (line 11)
Austen, Glyn. “The Strange Ambiguity of Christopher Marlowe and Dr Faustus: Glyn Austen examines the powerful paradoxes of Dr Faustus in the light of its literary and intellectual context.” The English Review 14.1 (2003): 2