Can Faustus truly be regarded as a tragic hero
Faustus, a tragic hero? In order to do this, Marlowe has drawn on the conventions of classical Greek tragedy, many of which dictate the nature of the hero or heroine. In ancient times, a hero achieved heroic status not because of saintliness or wickedness, but because of the acts he performed in life. The hero should have a socially elevated status and suffer a reversal of fortune in which he experiences great suffering. This is all certainly true of Faustus, who is highly regarded as both a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, and an accomplished scholar. During his life, he performs extraordinary feats, which were unlike anything experienced by lesser mortals. Even by modern standards, the notion of necromancy is disturbing; for a contemporary Elizabethan audience, for whom religion permeated all aspects of life, it would have been inconceivably horrific. Once Faustus is "glutted with learning's golden gifts and surfeited upon cursed necromancy" he uses his powers to embark upon amazing adventures (for example learning the secrets of astronomy upon the summit of mount Olympus) which, again, are befitting of the tragic hero. Faustus reversal of fortune is also typically tragic. During the final scene of the play, in which we witness Faustus' final hour before being taken off to hell, he is, like all heroes of classical tragedy, completely isolated. There is a poignant
It has been suggested that Marlowe's audience would have seen Dr Faustus as a 'simply morality play' consider this view of the play using scene 5 as your starting point.
It has been suggested that Marlowe's audience would have seen Dr Faustus as a 'simply morality play' consider this view of the play using scene 5 as your starting point. Dr Faustus is, without a doubt, among Marlowe's most celebrated works of literature. It is said to be a morality play, which would be an accurate analysis, as there are many moral questions and themes present. However, it cannot be said that it is a simple play, because what is thought to be simple by one person could be interpreted as very complex by someone of a higher calibre. It is necessary to explore all levels of the play to understand its true meanings and messages. If one is to analyse what Marlowe's audience thought of Dr Faustus, then one must establish who his audience was. The play was shown during the Elizabethan period, so Elizabethan people of all classes would have watched the play. It was popular entertainment at the time, and would have been regarded as an afternoon play. Many say that Marlowe wrote the play with the primary intention to make money, so it was in his interests to make it appealing to the rich minority, but also to the poorer majority, making it an efficient source of income. What is interesting is how he managed to do this, because at the time, upper class people would have been highly educated in the fine arts, but the lower class people would not quite understand the
Absolute Power Simply Seems To Corrupt Faustus. Once He Can Do Everything, He No Longer Wants To Do Anything; Discuss.
Absolute Power Simply Seems To Corrupt Faustus. Once He Can Do Everything, He No Longer Wants To Do Anything; Discuss. Marlowe's representation of Doctor Faustus changes direction through the play. We follow the change in ambition and greed of a human being who seeks pleasure so much that he sells his soul to the devil for a number of years. Does the power that Faustus obtains corrupt him or is he merely dissatisfied with the power he has and is greedy for more. At the start of the play, Marlowe uses powerful language when referring to Faustus' search for knowledge. "O, What a world of profit and delight, of power, of honour, of omnipotence, is promis'd to the studious artisan". This is what Faustus wishes to obtain, the forbidden knowledge that he feels he can achieve, however it seems strange that Faustus should want to learn more and to be taught and able to understand this forbidden knowledge as he previously bids a farewell to thinking "Divinity, adieu!". Faustus is striving for a great power and his intentions are on a grand scale. "I'll have them read me strange philosophy and tell the secrets of all foreign kings; I'll have them wall all Germany with brass and make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg". This is what Faustus thinks he will have the ability to do, but later in his same speech we see signs of his arrogance and the way in which he is governed by greed
Explore the presentation of Faustus in the opening scenes.
Explore the presentation of Faustus in the opening scenes. Marlowe uses many techniques to introduce Faustus to the audience within the first few scenes and even from such an early stage in the play the complexity of his character is made apparent, creating a desire for the audience to want to further engage with Faustus in order to try and understand his personality and nature. Through the use of the prologue Marlowe gives a brief history of Faustus life highlighting his success at studying and his lack of content, which followed. Marlowe warns the audience that Faustus will become involved in 'devilish exercise' which is interesting as from the very beginning the audience are anticipating Faustus' fall, knowing that he is a highly skilled man. Through Marlowe presenting Faustus in such a detached way in the prologue, using just simple facts, suspense is created as the audience await the reasons behind such an educated man's decision to become involved in activities that would with certainty condemn him to hell. To the modern audience it is perhaps harder to relate to the great importance religion played in peoples' lives in Marlowe's day when the concept of hell was much a reality of eternity in a physical place, with various punishments of torture depending on the life the deceased had led. Marlowe further highlights Faustus' scholarly nature through his choice of
