Doctor Faustus’ Death Essay Example

Shakespeare's baptism in Stratford-upon-Avon (Henderson 275). He was the firstborn son of John Marlowe from the Shoemaker's Guild and Katherine Arthur, a girl from Dover with a yeoman background (Henderson 275). Following his graduation from King's School in Canterbury, he was granted a scholarship to Cambridge for six years on the condition that he pursue studies for the church. Although he attended Cambridge, his M.A. degree was withheld pending a review by the Privy Council due to his alleged failure to attend church. Eventually, in July 1587 at the age of twenty-three, he received his degree after the Privy Council convinced the authorities at Cambridge that he had "behaved himself orderly and discreetly thereby he had done Her Majesty good service" (Henderson 276). Following this event, he proceeded to complete his education at Cambridge within a span of six years.During this period, he wrote several plays, such as "Hero and Leander," and also translated works by Ovid and Lucan. He resided in London for the next five years, where he both wrote and produced plays, and also traveled extensively on government assignments, similar to his time pursuing his M.A. degree. However, in 1589, he was imprisoned for his involvement in a fatal street altercation; eventually, he was released with a caution to maintain peaceful conduct. However, he failed to heed this warning, and three years later, he faced court summons for attacking two constables in Shoreditch; it is unclear whether he responded to these charges. Subsequently, Marlowe faced suspicion for his alleged involvement in the Roven siege, which aimed to suppress Protestant unrest under the Catholic League. Additionally, after sharing a room with his colleague

Thomas Kyd, Marlowe faced Kyd's accusations of possessing heretical documents that questioned Jesus Christ's divinity. Finally, Richard Baines accused him of being an atheist.Before responding to these charges, he was violently stabbed above his right eye while in a fight with Ingram Frizer (Discovering Christopher Marlowe 2). Doctor Faustus can be considered one of Marlowe's great dramatic works, representing his shift from politics, as seen in his plays Edward II and Tamburlaine the Great, to themes of power and knowledge. In this play, Faustus urges the reader to contemplate the limitations of human power and knowledge and explore the consequences of surpassing those boundaries. The play begins with Faustus, renowned as the world's most knowledgeable man, discussing his mastery of every discipline known to mankind. He grows weary of theology, believing that human fate is predetermined, and even becomes a skilled physician, successfully curing an entire village from a plague. However, he feels unfulfilled and decides to plunge into the realms of necromancy and magic. Seeking guidance in this pursuit, he seeks the teachings of fellow magicians Valdes and Cornelius.During his initial private experiment in the black art, Faustus is confronted by Mephistophilis, who takes the form of an unattractive devil. Disgusted by this appearance, Faustus commands the devil to leave and return as a friar. Complying with his request, the devil explains that it was not Faustus' conjuring that summoned him, but rather the fact that Faustus cursed the trinity, causing him to appear. Recognizing the immense power he can attain as a necromancer, Faustus instructs Mephistophilis to go back to hell and inform Satan that he will trade his soul for twenty-four years

of absolute power. Satan agrees to this proposition and encourages Faustus to sign the pact with his own blood. Despite the interference of a Good Angel urging him not to proceed and various omens warning against making the pact, Faustus signs it willingly. For the ensuing twenty-four years, Faustus enjoys complete power with Mephistophilis serving as his servant. Nonetheless, instead of utilizing his abilities for significant purposes, Faustus squanders his time by performing insignificant tricks in various prominent locations.In Rome, Faustus becomes invisible and, together with Mephistophilis, mocks the Pope and some friars. He also visits the German court, where he impresses Emperor Carolus by summoning the ghost of Alexander the Great. When a knight mocks Faustus' tricks, he puts a set of horns on his head. Later, Faustus sells his horse to a horse-courser with the condition that the horse should not be taken into water. Soon after, the horse-courser returns angrily, as his horse has turned into a bundle of hay in the middle of a lake. Eventually, Faustus conjures Helen of Troy for some scholars' entertainment. As the play reaches its climax, Faustus begins to realize the consequences of his actions and acknowledges that death, which he previously believed didn't exist, is indeed his ultimate fate. He is repeatedly given hints to repent to God - for instance, an old man enters towards the end and tells Faustus that it's not too late to repent, using his own experience as an example. However, Faustus still refuses to listen.Finally, as the clock strikes twelve upon his hour of destiny, many ugly devils appear and drag him off as he finally screams for mercy.

After finishing reading or seeing this play, one can argue that Faustus was a Renaissance hero. In fact, some argue that this play epitomizes the ideals of the Renaissance: egocentrism and the over-indulgence of knowledge.

"The lust for power that led to the excess of the Renaissance - the slaughter of Montezuma and countless American Indians, the launching of the Armada, the very creation of the English Church out of Henry's spleen - is epitomized in Dr. Faustus" (Shipley 404). Because Faustus gave his life and soul to Satan himself for the sake of gaining a greater knowledge is proof that he is a Renaissance hero. He rebels against the limitations set forth by medieval ideals and makes a contract for knowledge and power. In essence, Faustus, like every other Renaissance man, tries to prove that man can rise above the current set of limitations. Faustus does go to extremes by chancing damnation in order to gain his knowledge.Despite being considered tragic, the text portrays God as the villain because He imposed limits on knowledge, leading to eternal damnation for those who try to go beyond those limits. This paradoxical situation arises from the fact that man's thirst for knowledge was given to him by God, who created him. Thus, when man seeks knowledge, he is condemned forever. This divine comedy, full of irony, can be observed in Marlowe's play. However, this Renaissance perspective of Marlowe as a martyr becomes far less plausible when considering Faustus as a medieval tragic hero. In fact, the reasons that can be argued for Faustus being a martyr can also provide strong evidence for his fall from grace and transformation

into a tragic hero. Firstly, Faustus asserts that he is proficient in all areas of study. He claims that his medical prescriptions are so effective that they save entire cities from the plague.Faustus expresses his boredom with studying law, which he views as a menial and narrow-minded pursuit. He finds theology perplexing, particularly the interpretation of a quote from Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death." This aspect of the play highlights the irony. Throughout the story, Faustus is given opportunities to repent and turn back to God. The Good Angel and the Bad Angel both try to convince Faustus that their perspective is correct. The Bad Angel encourages Faustus to explore necromancy, claiming it holds the secrets of nature. The Good Angel warns that engaging in magic would invite God's anger upon him. Initially, Faustus disregards the Good Angel's advice due to his intense desire for knowledge from Satan.Later on, when the Good Angel reappears and urges him to contemplate heavenly matters, Faustus once again disregards this angel, either out of unwillingness or fear. The irony stems from Faustus' interpretation of the statement mentioned in the Book of Romans. Faustus only remembers the first part of the verse that reads "For the wages of sin is death," completely overlooking the second part which states "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." This oversight of such a crucial verse, which lies at the core of Christianity, serves as the ultimate irony in his downfall. Furthermore, initially Faustus seeks Mephistophilis and Satan's assistance to gain the power to accomplish anything, whether it be causing the moon to fall

or submerging the entire world in water. He is even promised this power for a span of twenty-four years if he sells his soul to Satan. Yet, when he finally obtains this extraordinary power, he resorts to using it for trivial tricks and foolishness.Originally, Faustus gained the power to understand the essence of the universe. However, during his visit to Rome, he decides not to utilize this power for knowledge-seeking purposes. Instead, he uses it for mischief and entertainment; he becomes invisible, playfully boxes the pope's ear, and takes cups from his hands. He further astounds the audience by causing fireworks to explode near the cardinals and pope. Eventually, Faustus returns to Rome with Mephistophilis, both disguised as cardinals, pretending to be two fathers returning from a mission. This comedic display not only entertains the audience but also mocks Faustus himself. Despite being bestowed with immense powers, he chooses to squander them on petty pranks. This pattern repeats later in the German Court and before Emperor Carolus the Fifth when Faustus summons the ghost of Alexander the Great and causes horns to appear on Benvolio's head.He then demonstrates how his previous enthusiasm for understanding the mysteries of the universe is overshadowed by his intense desire for pleasure, specifically when he summons Helen of Troy. Upon encountering the old man's warnings, Faustus abandons this renowned beauty. Not only does his overwhelming power blind him to the point where he resorts to simple tricks, but he also indulges in his simple pleasures. These displays of his necromantic abilities highlight the true tragic nature of Faustus' character. Ultimately, his most tragic flaw is his audacious quest for knowledge

that is expressly forbidden to him. While the Renaissance perspective suggests that pursuing forbidden power leads to greatness and mightiness, the medieval viewpoint argues that there are limits that mankind should never attempt to breach.In nature, everything follows a predetermined order established by God Himself. This order begins with God, followed by the angels, then man, animals, and finally inanimate objects. If a man decides to descend into the realm of animals by indulging in animalistic desires and tendencies, he is considered to be surrendering to the "id" personality as labeled by Sigmund Freud. Conversely, one can strive to transcend humanity and exceed its limitations by becoming superhuman. Lucifer was once a remarkably beautiful angel until he succumbed to pride and insolence, resulting in God casting him out of heaven. Faustus believes that he can attain god-like powers and mistakenly condemns himself to eternal torment.Even as his final moments approach, he relentlessly attempts to surpass the age-old limitation that man has always sought to bypass: the limitation of time itself. Despite being bestowed with the extraordinary power of the entire universe, he ironically lacks the ability to halt time. As he stands on the precipice of his fate, all he desires is more time, allowing him to seek redemption for his sins. He pleads for the celestial spheres to cease their eternal motion, preventing midnight from arriving. He implores nature to rise once again and create an everlasting day. Alternatively, he suggests that this hour should stretch into a year, a month, a week, or even a single day, granting him the opportunity to repent and save his soul. The poignant line "Slowly, slowly run,

O horses of the night" encapsulates Faustus' anguish and tragic disposition in a profound manner. Once, he did not believe in death or hell.Sadly, now he realizes that those two things are the only reality he will have from then on. Over time, this play has received many critiques. In fact, there is question on whether or not Marlowe actually wrote this play in its entirety. One critic says that "this drama should be regarded as a skeletal structure of the play written by Marlowe, for the surviving manuscripts are so interspersed with comic scenes and the lines themselves are so often revised according to whims of the actors that the original writing must be culled out of the surviving version" ("Dr.Faustus" 261). This same author, when thinking along the same lines as the above quote, says, "the exploits of Faustus are frequently rendered pure low comedy" ("Dr.Faustus" 261). From this he concluded that these parts weren't written at all by Marlowe.Although the stylistic differences between the comical and serious scenes in the play are quite distinct, it is unfounded to draw the conclusion that Faustus and Mephistophilis' slapstick comedy defines the entire play. In my opinion, Marlowe intentionally includes these comedic scenes to highlight the true tragedy of Faustus. Initially portrayed as a knowledgeable and accomplished individual, Faustus undergoes a drastic transformation when he engages in trivial pranks and displays of power, effectively emphasizing his downfall.I believe that Marlowe consciously made the true tragedy a step in order to depict Faustus' dramatic character change. It is possible that someone else could have written these scenes, but from this perspective, it is likely that Marlowe

intentionally wrote them to showcase the dramatic shift in Doctor Faustus. Despite debates from scholars and literary experts, Faustus remains a tragic hero. Some argue that in the Renaissance era, Marlowe meant for Doctor Faustus to be seen as a martyr attempting to attain forbidden knowledge, which was considered noble at the time. However, this is not accurate.Doctor Faustus is undeniably a tragic hero, and his portrayal in the play provides solid evidence for this. One aspect of this is his belief that he can justify his recourse to witchcraft and necromancy by acquiring other forms of knowledge. The irony lies in the fact that he never truly does so; otherwise, he would have realized that even after committing blasphemy by summoning spirits, he could have repented and turned back to God. Moreover, Faustus demonstrates his tragic nature through the way he utilizes his newfound power. Instead of using it to uncover the mysteries of the universe, he indulges in petty pranks and foolishness, targeting influential individuals such as the pope and the German emperor. Ultimately, he confirms his tragic essence by attempting to transcend the limits imposed by God Himself.