Critical Analysis of Doctor Faustus
In this essay the critical approach on (Mythological and Archetypal Approach) played a big role in forming my opinion of the signet classic book, "Doctor Faustus" It is to my knowledge that mythology does not meet our current standards of factual reality, but unlike the 16th century which this play was presented, men like Faustus saw myth as fundamental and a dramatic representation of the deepest instinctual life in the universe.
This play is about how Faustus puts on a performance for the Emperor and the Duke of Vanholt. The main thesis or climax of this play is when Faustus two friends Valdes and Cornelius who are magicians, teaches him the ways of magic. Faustus uses this magic to summon up a devil named Mephistophilis. Faustus signs over his soul to Lucifer (Satan), in return to keep Mephistophilis for 24 years. We also see what happens when magic power gets in the wrong hands when Mephistophilis punishes Robin, who is a clown and his friend Ralph for trying to make magic with a book they have stolen from Faustus. In the beginning angels visit Faustus, and each time he wonders whether or not to repent, but the devil appears and warns him not too by tempting him of magic to posses. In the end of the play the two good and evil angels have been replaced by an old man, who urges Faustus to repent? But it is to late for and the play ends with the devil carrying him off the hell.
The main reason why I picked this critical approach is because this play has established a significant relationship to archetypes and its patterns. Such things as archetype images played an important role in this play. For example on (page 32, line 8) it speaks of a circle, referring to the protection of Jehovah. As an archetype image it refers to wholeness and unity. Also between (lines 16-24), Mephistophilis wants to put away with the trinity of Jehovah, by saying, "Hail spirits of fire, air, water" and the word welkin on (page 31 line 4). This implies to the first and second images of archetype images. Other major keys that exist in the critical analysis of this play are the number seven, which is said to be the most potent of all symbolic numbers. In the play seven is related to the seven deadly sins: pride, covetness, envy, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and lechery.
Conformity is defined as the occurrence of people yielding to social pressures as a result of pressure from a group of their peers; when faced by the pressure to conform, people will alter their behaviour and actions to fit the norm demonstrated by their peers (Lilienfield et al., 2012). Conformity is studied so that is can be understood and used in society to facilitate positive outcomes, and help avoid situations where peoples’ predisposition to conform leads to negative consequences (Lilienfield et al., 2012). By understanding conformity and other social processes society as a whole is able to understand themselves better and motivates them to work on improving as a whole (Lilienfield et al., 2012).
One way Cather contrasts individuality and conformity is through detailed descriptions of Paul’s character: Paul’s appearance, Paul’s unusual mannerisms, and Paul’s open criticisms of conformity. Collectively, these three characteristics assert Paul’s individuality. Paul’s appearance is described in detail at the beginning of the story and provides the foundation of his individuality: “Paul was tall for his age and very thin, with high, cramped shoulders and a narrow chest”(Pg. 1). One only needs to reach the second paragraph of the story and realize Paul does not fit in, which can be accredited to Cather’s careful word choice “for his age.” Most young individuals, specifically in Paul’s teenage age bracket, will struggle for acceptance from their peers; however it appears that Paul makes little effort in this regard. Paul’s unusual mannerisms are also worthy of analysis, and aid in creating a mental picture of this unusual young man. Cather uses Paul’s meeting with the faculty of his educational facility to convey the irritating and intimidating qualities of his mannerisms. She writes, “His teachers felt this afternoon that his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower, and they fell upon him without mercy…. He stood through it smiling, his pale lips parted over his white teeth. (His lips were continually twitching, and he had a habit of raising his eyebrows that was contemptuous and irritating to the last degree)”(Pg.2). Combined with the description of Paul’s physical appearance, his mannerisms now...
In society, it's difficult to go against the norm. Individuals are compelled to act a specific way, or look a specific way in order to be accepted. For instance, teenagers may encounter pressure from their peers to partake in specific exercises that may not be moral, since they feel the need to fit in. This weight of conformity isn't just present in reality; it can be found in literature as well. The story "St. Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell depicts that in order to conform to society, individuals abandon their selflessness and compassion and become selfish and apathetic.
So far, conformity has been discussed in terms of group identification and social roles. However, individuals also tend to change prior beliefs to seek group acceptance. Asch (1951) investigated the effect of group pressure on conformity by asking participants to make a line judgment with seven confederates that gave the same obviously incorrect answer. Yet, 37% of participants conformed by giving the incorrect majority answer, whereas in the absence of group pressure, less than 1% of participants conformed (Asch, 1951). There are implications on normative influence as individuals, despite knowing the majority opinion was incorrect, may conform to avoid social punishment (Breckler et al., 2005). However, Turner and colleagues (1987) argued
The question of individualism vs. conformity comes to mind when dealing with the human psyche. Some people value being independent and self-sufficient, while some like to keep themselves in the confines of conformity. The American society tends to lean towards the conformist point of view and it is mostly due to the effects of media. Americans crave the idea of association and strive to become the individuals that the media deems worthy. Conformity is a quality that is present in the hierarchy of American society. It brings a psychological feeling of correlating with a group and creates the notion of liberation from solitude.
The definition of conformity is the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. The motivation behind normative conformity is the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers
This plays similarly into Shakespeare’s parallel and distortion of tragedy and comedy, but in more profound way. Not only does it question free will and fate—but reality verses mirage. Shakespeare often explores the idea of dream and vision against fact and truth and as yet explores this theme in Measure for Measure. “Wrench awe from fools and tie the wiser souls to thy false seeming! Blood, thou art blood: let's write good angel on the devil's horn,” Angelo curses against himself. The duality of the characters and of the city itself is present throughout the play, and multiple questions of reality and truth permeate the essence of Measure for Measure. Measure for Measure often depicts testing and choosing as an instance of determining fate: each character has one or two single moments in which to make a momentous choice, which then determines much of the development within themselves and the plot or their circumstances. While Measure for Measure is infused with a sense of inevitability, character flaws, downfall, and irreversible fate, all which mark a tragedy, it plays upon and sometimes even reverses these elements, reflecting more comedic elements. Each character seems to be spiraling toward doom and certain destruction—but then there is a moment in which the Duke, acting as a benevolent meddler, gives
The desire to be accepted and belong to a group is an undeniable human need. But how does this need affect an individual? Social psychologists have conducted numerous experiments and concluded that, through various forms of social influence, groups can change their members’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Pursuing a personal desire and choosing to conform to societal expectations is a challenging decision to make. A person must decide if their personal desire is worth risking the shame and judgment of others or is conforming the route to take because it is easier. When pursuing a personal desire one must ask itself if it is worth the hardship to accomplish one's desire or if it is best left alone and repressed, in hopes of finding comfort in conformity. John Laroche from The Orchid Thief expresses his personal desire without a care for conformity or societal expectations. Nevertheless, Laroche never stopped being strange as he grew up with fascinations of many objects such as orchids, turtles, old mirrors and fish tanks.
The most basic concept in social psychology is conformity. Conformity is the idea that behaviour or a belief is changed in order to follow, or conform, to what is considered the “norm.” One of the oldest experiments to support this notion was conducted in 1935 by Muzafer Sherif (Song, Ma, Wu, Li, 2012 p. 1366). There are two different types of
Conformity is an alteration in behaviour and attitudes, resulting from social pressure, which is the
Conformity is defined as a change in behavior or belief to accord with others. (Meyers 170) What other people do and say can gradually influence others to deviate from ones beliefs and conform to others. One of the most famous documented studies to better illustrate this was a procedure performed by social psychologist, Solomon Asch.
When faced with a challenging or trivial task, there are two common ways of handling the situation. One is to do sol vas according to one’s own personal desires and belief with no specific regard to other people. The other is to base the decision on the how others will view and respond to it. The most of us would probably fa...
Conformity, compliance and obedience are behavioural consequences of social influence (real or imagined social pressure) that occur in the presence of a group or other individuals (Elsenbroich & Xenitidou, 2012). Often these concepts are misinterpreted as being the same or even synonymous and while they do have similarities they are also very dissimilar. In social psychology conformity, compliance and obedience are distinct concepts that coincide due to their effect on behaviour in the presence of others. Pascual, Line Felonneau, Guéguen & Lafaille (2013) define conformity as an altering of behaviour and beliefs in an individual in order to reflect the behaviour and beliefs of the group that holds influence, though Myers (2014) emphasises that
Elliot Aronson (2012) provides a definition of conformity, two social psychological processes that underlie a conformity and cited examples of reasons why people conform in the book, The Social Animal. Aronson (2012) defines a conformity as “a change in a person’s behavior or opinion as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people” (p.19). In accordance with Aronson’s (2012) definition of conformity, people do conform owing to the social influence, which are two main social psychological processes: belonging and getting information.