Marlowe And FaustusDamnation In Shakespeare's Death

Read the following passage from Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Discuss how the passage contributes to the portrayal of Faustus as a

Therefore, it is this paper’s aim to examine some of the similarities and differences in Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus and David Mamet’s Faustus, specifically the presence of religious practices in these two texts.

Shakespeare’s King Lear and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus are two examples of early modern texts, one a tragedy and the other a morality play respectively, which deal with the theme of power at the crux of its narrative. Between both texts it is evident that different characters utilize their power or authority differently – some ‘unwisely’ whilst some ‘maliciously’. In either case, the use of power progresses the plays and drives the majority of main characters.

Then Faustus does repent, but the devil comes and is very angry with him, and he begins to frighten Faustus for repenting to God. But Faustus begs for the devil to forgive him and promises never to call upon the Lord or look unto heaven for help. "Nor will Faustus henceforth. Pardon him for this, and Fautus vows never to look to heaven"(II, ii, 101-102). This shows Faustus' weak character, and that he is more willing to attain worldly goods in the here and now, then to attain heavenly goods in the after life.

Water supports a seed to grow into a beautiful flower, just as Christopher Marlowe’s works watered the seed of the Renaissance and Elizabethan literature. The Renaissance was characterized by new ideas and thinking, which created many influential writers from this time. Christopher Marlowe is known as a talented writer from the late sixteenth through early eighteenth centuries. He and many other writers of this time created new ways of writing and impacted it in other ways. Marlowe was considered the most important playwright before Shakespeare, but his entire career lasted six years because of his untimely death when he was twenty-nine. His most famous work, Doctor Faustus, is based on the Faust Legend, a German classic, in which a scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for more power and knowledge (Biography.com). Christopher Marlowe’s tragic play, The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus, had major influences in the development of Elizabethan literature during the mid-sixteenth century in England.

There is constant references to the beliefs and ideas of the Catholic Church such as confession, penitence and the Virgin Mary this suggests the catholic centered society in which the play existed. It concentrates on the qualities of the catholic religion that are important in the journey to heaven. Everyman is a symbol of the human condition and how it is understood by medieval Catholicism. Whereas in the sixteenth century in which Doctor Faustus was written, saw a shift of Christian ideals. No longer was there only the

Although Faustus may not think it, he guilty of each of those sins, namely jealousy and avarice. This shows an interesting contrast between his self perceptions and reality. He takes full advantage of the power the devil brings him. Faustus has fleeting regrets about his vow to the devil, yet never serious. In his thoughts of repenting, it seems to be only for his own good rather than reaffirming his belief in God. In the end once Faustus becomes conscious that his life of power will be over and he will remain a servant to the devil for eternity, he realizes his huge mistake. When his death is inevitable he curses his choice: “Accursed Faustus, wretch, what hast thou done? I do repent, and yet I do despair. Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast. What shall I do to shun the snares of death?”

As a result of this ambition and its outcome on his perspective, Faust 's rational dilemma has been retained by many to embody the indifference of man in the present day. All of Faust 's values and flaws, his strengths and weaknesses, are amplified so that his experiences and proper improvement are granted on a scope that is greater than life. At the end of the novel, Faust is granted salvation but continues to be seen as a great tragic hero. Faust’s misfortune has been portrayed as “rebellious," for he tries to stride above the constraints of humanity to explore that which is not inclined to mankind to have or experience. Faust 's countless experiences all convey the message that to find contentment one must learn to subdue

Just as each Devil’s motivation for enlarging his kingdom varies, so do their relationships with God. This differing in goals also reflects the change in humanity’s religious pursuits between the time periods. When Faustus tries to seek God’s forgiveness, Lucifer expresses his displeasure when he says “We come to tell thee thou dost injure us […] Thou shouldst not think of God: think of the Devil” (Marlow 5). This Devil’s dislike for God is evident in his jealousy over Faustus’s pledge of allegiance. He can’t seem to stand it when Faustus talks about Paradise or creation. This ultimatum to only think of the Devil, as well as the previously identified thirst for power, alludes to some sort of conflict between the Devil and God in Dr. Faustus.

William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were both writers of the Elizabethan stage, living in the same town of London, at the same time, and they wrote plays while working with the same people. Their strongest similarity was in their work. They both had an innate ability to write about love, great tragedies, comedies, drama and poetry with a similar style called blank verse. Before Marlowe’s time, blank verse was not an accepted verse for drama, but he was able to substitute the regular stresses of earlier blank verses and created a more departed, sincere verse. Shakespeare later followed Marlowe’s example and was able to master the ordinary rhythm of this new style of

Pride is a sin common to the human nature that Faustus falls, and it should be examined by the reader in their own life. “Did not my conjuring speeches raise thee? Speak!” (Marlowe 1.3.45). This quote shows Faustus’ pride through showing anger after figuring it out that it was not his power of conjuring that brought him there. We can see that Faustus wanted the power of his conjuring to have brought him and is angered, which is shown by the exclamation and his demand for the demon to speak after hearing Mephastophilis, “Came now hither of mine own accord”(Marlowe 1.3.44). This shows that pride is a part of human nature. Despite being human nature, Faustus has an extraordinary amount of pride because he wants to have the knowledge and power equal to that of God. This lust for power is made evident to the reader in Faustus’ example of commands he would give to Mephastophilis. Faustus craves the power to destroy God’s creation or recreate his miracles, which allows his pride to show the desire to become a god himself, “To do whatever Faustus shall command,/ Be it to make the moon drop from her sphere,/ Or the ocean to overwhelm the world” (Marlowe 1.3.37-39). God flooded the entire earth before with Moses, and Faustus’ desire to be able to do what God already has done shows his pride. Faustus is saying he can do anything God can. God, in Christian beliefs, created the

    Faustus witnesses a supernatural event that seems to oppose his binding deal with Satan, and although it does make him question his actions and think about repenting, he ignores the event and continues to abandon his salvation. After deciding to pledge his soul to

In the play Doctor Faustus, the theme of good versus evil is one of the most apparent as well as one of the most important themes throughout the play. Good and evil are represented as a battle or struggle in many ways such as constantly battling over winning various individuals souls, the concept of God versus the Devil, and the idea of religion versus science. This war between good and evil creates both internal conflicts for Faustus along with the external conflict between Faustus and various characters. The struggle between good and evil is also represented in the topic of damnation with the struggle to save Faustus’s soul from hell versus fighting to ensure Faustus’s soul is condemned to hell even with the idea of predestination.

The play is a human tragedy for not only is Faustus tragically constituted in his boundless ambitions but, at the same time, the play questions the effectiveness of the cultural aspirations that shape his ambitions. Consequently, the play provides a complex interaction between the human dimensions of the dramatic character and the ambiguities and ambivalences of the cultural situation the character is placed in.

Things aren’t always as they appear to be. This is true in John Faustus’s case in terms of his relationship with Mephistopheles and in turn the devil himself. Poor Faustus believes it is he who has called upon the demon Mephistopheles and it is his tongue that orders the servant of hell, yet he could not be any more mistaken. In reality, Faustus is the one with strings attached to him and it is Lucifer, Mephistopheles, and the Evil Angel playing the role of the puppeteer. Nevertheless, Faustus remains a student to the ideology of Christianity throughout his adventures, even amongst the bleakest of hours. God never leaves the side of John Faustus, as He relentlessly tries to bring Faustus back onto the path of righteousness.