Faustus as a Medieval Morality Play
Faustus as a Medieval Morality Play
By K.Friedman
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus has been influenced by the conventions of a Medieval Morality play through Marlowe’s purely didactic use of the text to encourage Christian values. He uses various dramatised moral allegories that together encompass the themes of divided nature of man allegorised through the good and bad angels that demonstrate virtue and vice, alongside the concept of sin and degradation allegorised by the Seven Deadly Sins, the notion of fate versus free will, displayed by a lack of characterisation of God and the possibility of redemption through Christian framework. Such characteristics create the makings of a medieval morality play.
Marlowe influences Faustus by the conventions of a medieval morality play by a dramatized moral allegory of good and bad angels, which illustrate the morality play convention of the divided nature of man, whereby the main character (in this case Faustus) stands for all of mankind. He has many virtues - such as his sweeping visions and ambitions and a yearning passion for knowledge - merits, that caused him to overcome the considerable disadvantage of a lowly birth, to rise to the pinnacle of his profession. He is however, not without vices (like any human). He is unsustainably ambitious, driven by pride and vanity alongside his compulsive overreaching.
As Faust deals with this internal conflict, the entire play explores the battle of good and evil. The persuasions of good and evil ultimately affect his choices that contribute to his inevitable damnation. When he is visited by angels, the good angel urges him to repent his pact with Lucifer, meanwhile, the evil angel urges him to pledge allegiance to hell. It is clear that Faustus is aware of how to differentiate between good and evil and right and wrong, but his uncontrollable thirst for knowledge and power blinds him and baffles his direction, which ultimately leads him to his demise. The good angel
By K.Friedman
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus has been influenced by the conventions of a Medieval Morality play through Marlowe’s purely didactic use of the text to encourage Christian values. He uses various dramatised moral allegories that together encompass the themes of divided nature of man allegorised through the good and bad angels that demonstrate virtue and vice, alongside the concept of sin and degradation allegorised by the Seven Deadly Sins, the notion of fate versus free will, displayed by a lack of characterisation of God and the possibility of redemption through Christian framework. Such characteristics create the makings of a medieval morality play.
Marlowe influences Faustus by the conventions of a medieval morality play by a dramatized moral allegory of good and bad angels, which illustrate the morality play convention of the divided nature of man, whereby the main character (in this case Faustus) stands for all of mankind. He has many virtues - such as his sweeping visions and ambitions and a yearning passion for knowledge - merits, that caused him to overcome the considerable disadvantage of a lowly birth, to rise to the pinnacle of his profession. He is however, not without vices (like any human). He is unsustainably ambitious, driven by pride and vanity alongside his compulsive overreaching.
As Faust deals with this internal conflict, the entire play explores the battle of good and evil. The persuasions of good and evil ultimately affect his choices that contribute to his inevitable damnation. When he is visited by angels, the good angel urges him to repent his pact with Lucifer, meanwhile, the evil angel urges him to pledge allegiance to hell. It is clear that Faustus is aware of how to differentiate between good and evil and right and wrong, but his uncontrollable thirst for knowledge and power blinds him and baffles his direction, which ultimately leads him to his demise. The good angel