Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The Christian tradition of Dr.Faustus
The religious motivitions in doctor faustus
Critical analysis of faustus
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The Christian tradition of Dr.Faustus
This essay takes a look at how the given passage from Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus reflects the play as a whole, and what the passage contributes to the play. Doctor Faustus deals with many issues, for instance: the failure of ‘Renaissance man—of his dreams and aspirations and, more particularly, his failures and illusions.’ This idea of overreaching is central to the excerpt. Moreover, religion plays a large role in the extract, and continues to resonate throughout the entire play. This paper looks at both, the overreaching Renaissance man and religion, closely to show the importance of the passage under analysis to the complete work. Moreover, during Marlowe’s time, drama was considered to be ‘a satanic opposition to the Word of God’; therefore, this essay will determine whether Doctor Faustus was originally created to challenge or subvert such criticism. Furthermore, the poetic style, rhetorical devices, and intertextuality Marlowe employs are analysed to show how they may be different to the rest of the play, and how this affects the play as a whole. It is important to recognise that Marlowe’s personal life and beliefs may have had an impact on his work; however, this paper focuses on the play itself, and does not draw parallels with Marlowe and, the protagonist, Faustus. All in all, this essay considers whether one can see the entirety of the play in the chosen section.
William Hazlitt considers the character of Faustus to be a ‘personification of the pride of will and eagerness of curiosity, sublimed beyond the reach of fear and remorse.’ This is exemplified when Faustus decides to surrender his soul, disregarding all reprimands in order for him to gain more power over the span of ‘four-and-twenty years’. Prec...
... middle of paper ...
...ion to English Renaissance Tragedy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), pp. 163-173.
Hazlitt, William, ‘Critics on Marlowe: 1592-1930’, in Judith O’Neill (ed.), Critics on Marlowe: Readings in Literary Criticism IV (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1969) pp. 9-27.
Healy, Thomas, ‘Doctor Faustus’, in Patrick Cheney (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Marlowe, Christopher, Doctor Faustus: A Norton Critical Edition (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005).
Masinton, Charles G., ‘Faustus and the Failure of Renaissance Man’, in Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus: A Norton Critical Edition (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005), pp. 344-52.
McDonald, Russ, ‘Marlowe and Style’, in Patrick Cheney (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
10. Walter N. King. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 , Vol. 8, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1968) , pp. 283-306
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
"Morton, Thomas - Introduction." Literary Criticism (1400-1800). Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg. Vol. 72. Gale Cengage, 2002. eNotes.com. 2006. 21 Feb, 2011
Abrams, M.H., The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition, Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1993
Morgentaler, Goldie. “Meditating on the Low: A Darwinian Reading of Great Expectations.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 38.4 (Autumn 1998): 707-721.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993.
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.
Bevington, David M; Rasmussen, Eric. “Doctor Faustus A- and B- texts (1604, 1616): Christopher Marlowe and his collaborator and revisers.” Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. (1962). Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2013 (Bevington)
* Drabble, Margaret, ed. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 5th Ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1985.
Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus. Ed. Louis B. Wright. New York: Washington Square Press, 1959.
“Marlowe’s biographers often portray him as a dangerously over–ambitious individual. Explore ways this aspect of Marlowe’s personality is reflected in ‘Dr. Faustus.’ ”
Unaware that he is guilty of committing these sins, pride first leads Faustus into being extremely greedy, and this greediness acts in opposition to the will of God. While ambition is admirable, it appears to be a negative trait when it is not used for good. It appears that Faustus wanted to gain this knowledge for himself and not for the well-being of all people. Being so adamant about gaining this power
The truth that ambition and desire for material objects does not always satisfy the soul is a major theme depicted in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. The poem on page 93, lines 96-113 is the essence of this theme. It describes Faustus meeting, what he believes, is the icon of perfection. This perfection is a mere human women, yet, to Faustus, she is worth his life. Marlowe’s use of syntax and diction, allusions and references, and other literary devices throughout this monologue give support to the theme while adding rich symbolic images.
Robert Ornstein. “Marlowe and God: The Tragic Theology of Dr. Faustus.” PMLA 83.5 (Oct, 1968): 1378-1385. Modern Language Association. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Snow, Edward A. "Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and the Ends of Desire." Two Renaissance Mythmakers: Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Ed. Alvin Kernan. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Print.