Would You Consider Doctor Faustus to be a Medieval Morality Play or a Renaissance Drama?
Would You Consider Doctor Faustus to be a
Medieval Morality Play or a Renaissance Drama?
When considering as to whether Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is a medieval morality play or a renaissance drama one could make a legitimate case on either side of this question. On the one hand, the play seems to offer the very basic moralistic message of avoiding temptation and sin, but if tempted repent when the chance is offered, which falls within the tradition of the morality play. However, parts of the play and its conclusion can be interpreted as straying away from the orthodox pattern of morality plays in order to conform to conventions of renaissance drama.
Probably the most significant influence on the play is the social upheaval that was taking place at the time it was written. It is thought that it was first performed around 1594 and this was a time of tremendous change in Europe, with medieval times being replaced by the renaissance stage, and influences from both times can be found in the play. Therefore, the play could be described as a transitional play where beliefs from both sides are inextricably entwined. From a medieval point of view, Doctor Faustus can be looked upon as a morality play, because he overreaches himself, aspiring beyond his God-given place in the world, and to push the boundaries beyond the limitations set by God was a medieval sin. However, from a renaissance perspective it was a time of individuality and people were no longer trapped in the social class into which they were born. By renaissance ideals, if Faustus believes that he has reached the end of human knowledge, he is quite justified in using the black art to further his ambitions.
The structure of the play itself clearly shows how the different influences overlap and intermingle. Whereas it is set in the framework of a medieval morality play and the middle part, largely composed of farce underlines this, the play is flanked at the beginning and end by pure renaissance drama of great depth and power. The opening chorus follows the morality convention of describing both the rise and fall of the play’s protagonist. It not only gives us background information about Faustus' life and education, but also explicitly tells us that his swelling pride will lead to his ‘overthrow,’ and like Icarus, Faustus will ‘mount above his reach’ and suffer the consequences. However, the way that the Chorus introduces the play’s protagonist is significant, since it reflects a commitment to explicitly renaissance values, such as the rebirth of interest in classical learning and a new emphasis on the individual in painting and literature. In the medieval era that preceded the Renaissance, the focus of scholarship was on God and theology, so the Prologue locates its drama squarely in the Renaissance world, where humanistic values hold sway. The Chorus insists, we will focus not on ancient battles between Rome and Carthage, nor on the ‘court of kings’ or the ‘pomp of proud audacious deeds’ instead, we will witness the life of an ordinary man, born to parents ‘base of stock.’ The message is clear that in the new-world of the Renaissance, an ordinary man like Faustus, a common-born scholar, is as important as any king or warrior, and his story is just as worthy to tell. Even so, the focus is from the outside, looking in, and although objective, the tone is disapproving and moralistic. In the tradition of the morality play the audience is brought to a state of suspense and anticipation with the prospect of the unfolding story of damnation.
