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Humanism In Doctor Faustus

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Christopher Marlowe was a deeply complex, provocative, and unique writer. In his short life he became the most prolific tragedist of the Elizabethan era and produced several famous works, including the at-time controversial The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. Scholars have since attempted to unfurl the meaning of this tragic play but not without difficulty. Some of the key questions that has arisen in these analyses are whether or not Marlowe truly was the atheist he was accused of being and what exactly he was trying to convey to the Elizabethan audience in writing Doctor Faustus. Some have claimed that Faustus is a humanist work, whether or not Marlowe intended that positively. Upon a closer examination of the Elizabethan era, Marlowe’s own life, and the play itself, it is clear that Doctor Faustus serves as a cautionary tale: an example of humanist philosophy and free will gone awry. Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus around 1606 in Elizabethan England. The stage was already set for Marlowe: England at the time was filled with religious strife and superstition as well as a hotbed for the theatrical arts. *expand on this obviously* To get closer to understanding his magnum opus, one must also examine Marlowe’s life and education. Marlowe was born in Canterbury in 1564 where he studied until college. From there, his academic excellence led him to Cambridge where he spent most of his postsecondary years. (biographical article) There, he was

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