Christopher Marlowe, a renowned playwright from the Elizabethan Era, is known for tracing somewhat 'forbidden' themes of his time like the theme of antisemitism in The Jew of Malta and the theme of witchcraft in his flagship play, Doctor Faustus -- a clear indication of the intellectual rebellion against the orthodox beliefs that took place in Renaissance. For those who don't know, "Doctor Faustus" is a story of a scholar at the University of Wittenberg who sold his soul to the devils so that he may acquire the limitless amount of knowledge, wealth and power. This play appeared in 1594.
Renaissancian Lust for Knowledge
The chief protagonist in the play, "Doctor Faustus", has a keen Renaissancian lust for the acquisition of knowledge at any cost and without wisdom. It is very important to note that knowledge and wisdom are two different concepts. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and observations while wisdom is the outcome of the learning processed through those facts or observations. Faustus, being smitten by the Renaissancian trend of collecting books, only focused on the accumulation of knowledge, not the wisdom stemming out of it. But the question is, why was Faustus so obsessed with knowledge in the first place?
"I’ll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl
And search all corners of the new found world
For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;"
Faustus wanted to conquer the (secrets of) world with the knowledge and power of black magic, and he was also bored with the limitations of earthly knowledge. Knowledge for power is a notable aspect of the Renaissance.
Tragic Pride
Doctor Faustus is a tragic hero whose downfall is initiated by his pride and like a typical Marlowian fashion, he belongs from the people of the ordinary class. Faustus' pride parallels to that of Lucifer. Just like Lucifer, who wanted to be much more than an angel, Faustus also wanted to be more than an ordinary human for he thought,
"A sound magician is a mighty god"
Unlike Satan, Faustus' pride was exploited by Mephistopheles who lured him into selling his soul while warning him of the dangers of hell,
"Think’st thou that I who saw the face of God
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells
In being depriv’d of everlasting bliss? "
Yet we see Mephistopheles providing coal to Faustus so that he may write his pact with his blood for,
"MEPH. [aside]
O, what will not I do to obtain his soul!"
Pride only initiates the tragic spiral of Faustus, it is his fear of "being damned forever", that further pushes him to his tragic downfall. Faustus is given many chances to redeem himself by the good angel as well as the old man even after selling his soul to the devil yet he refuses both in fear of not only being damned but also being torn apart by the devils.
"Less Evil" than Barabas
Comparing the character of Doctor Faustus with Barabas, Doctor Faustus appears to be more innocent or less evil than Barabas from the Jew of Malta. Barabas uses intrigues and poisons to achieve his goals and he even goes as far as to poison his own daughter Abigail. Faustus, on the other hand, does not use the borrowed magical powers to his original goal of "dropping the moon from her sphere". Instead, he devises those powers in bringing grapes for the duchess or to play pranks on the man who purchased horse from Faustus for forty dollars. No person is harmed by Faustus except himself and just like Barabas who was burnt in his own pit, Faustus is torn apart with his own desire of "Ransack the ocean for orient pearl".
In comparing the two, Faustus' death appears more tragic than Barabas' as his last words paint a miserable and helpless picture as he bears a worse death than Barabas' because his death is predetermined whereas Barabas' unexpected where he learns through the hard way that "hell is not a fable".
A Morality Play?
Doctor Faustus is a Difficult Play for it projects a strong Biblical influence as the conflict between the good and the evil. Claiming Faustus' death as tragic can also be controversial since it may also be looked as a well-deserved death since conjuring of black magic is looked down upon in different cultures.
A morality play showcases the good and the evil through consistent allegories. Doctor Faustus is partially a morality play since Faustus leads a blasphemous and lascivious life by indulging in the art of black magic. Yet the play also broadcasts the elements of Renaissance such as Faustus' craving for knowledge and power. Therefore, some critics are inclined to call this play as "inverted morality play".
