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"Doctor Faustus" - Christopher Marlowe

“Doctor Faustus” – Christopher Marlowe



The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as “Doctor Faustus”, is an Elizabethan tragedy by Christopher Marlowe.

Christopher Marlowe (1564 – 1593) was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. He energized the manner and matter of the drama – by his revitalizing power and Imagination.

Doctor Faustus is learned men who has desire to become demi-god and sells his soul to devil in order to gain power. His pride then leads him to his downfall

This drama is based on the myth of father Daedalus and the son Icarus.
Father  Daedalus prepares waxen wings for his son Icarus , but warns him not to go near the sun . In the same way , we see that Dr.Faustus wants to become Demi-God by learning the art of necromancy . God in different form warns him . Even the devil Mephistophilis  also warns him :
   “ O Faustus , leave the  frivolous demands
      Which strikes a terror to my fainting soul. “  - ( Act 1 - scene 2)

Dr.Faustus misuses his art in doing silly things . His hubris is the cause of his downfall . Likewise , Icarus in great enthusiasm flies near the sun, despite of his father’s warning   and this causes his downfall.
Father  Daedalus  remains helpless . He saw the downfall of his son but couldn’t help him . Similarly , the God in various form couldn’t help Dr.Faustus.

A question might arise after reading this drama, whether god is present in this play or not.
Yes, the God is very much present in the play , even though  he never appears as a character , but he is there in the mind of the characters .
   We find God in the form of Good Angel , who warns Dr.Faustus to leave his desire to learn necromancy :
         “ O Faustus , lay that damned book aside ,
            And gaze not on it lest it tempt thy soul “  -  (Act 1- scene 1)

Good Angel also urges him to repent :
          “ Faustus , repent, yet God will pity thee “  -( Act 2 - scene 2)

If we say that Good Angel symbolises voice of his conscience, then where does this voice comes from ? It comes from within. That means there is some kind of spirituality in Faustus.
In the Act 1 , we also find that Dr.Faustus had studied the Divinity which shows that there is a spiritual aspect  somewhere in him .   

                 We also see God’s sign in the play. When Dr.Faustus signs the contract with his blood, suddenly the blood congeals and he finds something written in Latin..... “HOMO FUGE ‘’. It means ‘’ O Man Fly ‘’. It was a warning to Faustus not to sign the bond:
       ‘’ Homo Fuge! Whither should I flie ?
          If unto God , he’ll , throw me down to hell.
          My senses are deceive’d : here’s nothing writ ! ‘’  -( Act 2 - scene 1)

                    We can also find presence of the God in form of the Old Man. He is seen in the last part of the play. It can be said that it was the last try by the God to save Faustus . He urges Faustus to repent:
        “ O stay , good Faustus , stay thy desperate steps !
           I see an angel  hovers   o’er  thy  head ,
          And  with a vial full of precious grace ,
         Offers  to  pour  the same  into  thy  soul,
         Then  call for mercy and  avoid   despair  “ – ( Act 5 - scene 1)

A question might arise that if God is present, why does evil wins. God tries to help Faustus in one or the other way. Faustus’s thinks he is powerful. His hubris is the reason of his downfall. Despite of many warnings, he doesn’t stop. And when he realises it is too late.

 Every coin has two sides, but we cannot see both the side together. We see presence of Devil, but also the shadow of God in one or the other way.

It can be concluded that gaining knowledge with hard work is wise, but believing that you have gained all the knowledge is foolish.


  Reference:-
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Faustus_(play)

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