The Body-Soul Dichotomy
In the first scene we are greeted with the sight of Faustus at his study, and we are introduced, through Marlowe’s mighty line, into the recesses of Faustus’ apparently perspicacious mind. He tells the audience of his traversing through the various professions that he has studied, and expresses his passion for philosophy and his pursuit of knowledge.
What may not seem so obvious is this first scene, in the context of typical productions of the play over the centuries, is the sometimes unintentional portrayal of the dichotomy which I am discussing.
A typical production of Dr. Faustus, and indeed, an instinctive, reactionary image that emerges in the readers mind, has Faustus reclining or sitting down at his study, as a first interpretation. Faustus’ personality, which being his passion and zest for knowledge, is essentially his soul. Through Marlowe’s panache with words, Faustus’ ‘soul’ is imbued with an almost fiery aura. This is a powerful contrast with the physically still model of Faustus sitting at his study, and the result is an amazing image.
Instances of the Body-Soul dichotomy occur many times throughout the play, some of which are within Faustus’ speech and dialogue itself:
-
“How I am glutted with conceit of this!” – scene 1, l.80
- Contrast between a physical fullness and an emotion
-
“Why this is hell, nor am I out of it.” – scene 3, l.77
- Implies that hell is a state of mind, rather than an actual place
-
“I cut mine arm, and with my proper blood
Assure my soul to be great Lucifer’s…” – scene 5, ll.54-55
- Is one of the major images to do with the body-soul dichotomy, the sacrificing of the body and its blood is a separate process from the offering of the soul to Lucifer.
- In effect it shows Faustus had to offer ‘all’ of his self in accordance with the pact, but they were both different things.
Dr. Faustus is actually not a very interesting personality. He does not have the wittiness or the incongruous charm of a character such as Hamlet, or any of Shakespeare’s characters. He is, at a basic level, a power-hungry scholar, with dreams of surpassing the limitations of the mortal realms, but unknowingly binds himself to eternal damnation in the process.
The question which arises is, “How then, is Dr. Faustus, excluding the moral and religious aspects, an involving experience for the audience?”
The answer to that lies in the base subject matter of the play, and the manner in which that subject matter is presented to the audience. The audience can relate to Dr. Faustus, in the sense that they can understand his desire to surpass the bounds of mere mortality and human intelligence. This is a state of being that a greater part of humans experience in their reckless and impetuous youths, when they seek to break human records and achieve their lifetime victories. This is the basic empathizing force in the play to draw the audience close. Marlowe’s use of the body-soul dichotomy is the main attraction in the play.
The contrast between graphic physicality and the depths of the human mind frame and emotion result in quite vivid imagery. The many dichotomies that occur throughout the play after Faustus’ acquisition of his power culminate in the doctor himself being ‘dismembered’ from his physical body as he prepares to enter the domain of Lucifer, and the final ‘union’ of his physical body with the spirit realm, in the form of Helena. Faustus’ ‘Helena’ speech is not only beautiful by itself, but also re-illustrates Faustus’ self-condemnation to the audience.
The oxymoronic, almost paradoxical play ends with the soul of the damned Faustus being ripped away in an ironically physical manner.
