"The Supernatural in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus"
�PAGE �
THE SUPERNATURAL IN MARLOWE'S_DOCTOR FAUSTUS_
�
The Renaissance marked a turning point in history. In this period, Humanism motivated the study of subjects related to man and society, since man, as an individual, had become the centre of interest, leaving theology and religious devotion relatively aside. Therefore, as scholars recognized man's worth and value, some people started to seek further satisfaction in Earth and -partially- stopped longing for Heaven. The highest aspirations were truth and knowledge. The spirit of the time was one of intellectual freedom and defiance; men no longer feared death and even tried to establish direct contact with the afterlife in order to achieve wisdom and power. This thirst for knowledge brought about an inner struggle between the traditional way of thinking imposed by the Church and man's desire to explore the world and discover the truth on his own. The individual was now facing a dilemma: how to live up to the new mindset without completely dismissing old divine concepts. This dichotomy is clearly seen in Marlowe's play _Doctor Faustus_, where the protagonist resorts to the supernatural in order to achieve power and knowledge but at the expense of continuous distress by his contradictory feelings of fascination and fear.
This paper aims to prove that Marlowe's_Doctor Faustus_ reflects the spirit of the Renaissance and the struggle of man between the quest for scientific knowledge and the rejection of religious dogmas and contemplative life. The first section starts with a synopsis of the play. The following section provides a historical background of the Renaissance, with a short description of the concepts and beliefs of the time that are related to Marlowe's play. The last and most extensive section focuses on the analysis of the supernatural elements in _Dr. Faustus_ and their connection with the ambiguities and contradictory ideals of the period.
_Doctor Faustus_ is a non-traditional morality play, whose
THE SUPERNATURAL IN MARLOWE'S_DOCTOR FAUSTUS_
�
The Renaissance marked a turning point in history. In this period, Humanism motivated the study of subjects related to man and society, since man, as an individual, had become the centre of interest, leaving theology and religious devotion relatively aside. Therefore, as scholars recognized man's worth and value, some people started to seek further satisfaction in Earth and -partially- stopped longing for Heaven. The highest aspirations were truth and knowledge. The spirit of the time was one of intellectual freedom and defiance; men no longer feared death and even tried to establish direct contact with the afterlife in order to achieve wisdom and power. This thirst for knowledge brought about an inner struggle between the traditional way of thinking imposed by the Church and man's desire to explore the world and discover the truth on his own. The individual was now facing a dilemma: how to live up to the new mindset without completely dismissing old divine concepts. This dichotomy is clearly seen in Marlowe's play _Doctor Faustus_, where the protagonist resorts to the supernatural in order to achieve power and knowledge but at the expense of continuous distress by his contradictory feelings of fascination and fear.
This paper aims to prove that Marlowe's_Doctor Faustus_ reflects the spirit of the Renaissance and the struggle of man between the quest for scientific knowledge and the rejection of religious dogmas and contemplative life. The first section starts with a synopsis of the play. The following section provides a historical background of the Renaissance, with a short description of the concepts and beliefs of the time that are related to Marlowe's play. The last and most extensive section focuses on the analysis of the supernatural elements in _Dr. Faustus_ and their connection with the ambiguities and contradictory ideals of the period.
_Doctor Faustus_ is a non-traditional morality play, whose
Bibliography: Article Myriad: "The Forbidden Quest for Knowledge in Doctor Faustus and Paradise Lost" http://www.articlemyriad.com/91.htm, August 23, 2011. Baugh, Albert C. (Tucker Brooke and Matthias A. Shaaber, ed). _A Literary History of England:_ Vol. 2: _The Renaissance_. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1967. Braunmuller, A. R. and Hathaway, Michael, ed. _The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Drama_. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Curtis Friesen, Ryan. _Supernatural Fiction in Early Modern Drama and Culture_. Sussex Academic Press, UK, 2009. Daiches, David. _A Critical History of English Literature:_ Vol. 1. London: Martin Secker and Warburg, 1960. English Free Hosting: "Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe" http://english.freehosting.net/faustus.htm, August 20, 2011. Levin, Harry. _Christopher Marlowe: The Overreacher._ London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1961. Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature: "Christopher Marlowe: Additional Sources" http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/marloadd.htm, August 20, 2011. Marlowe, Christopher (Sylvan Barnet, ed). _Doctor Faustus._ New York: Signet Classic, 1969. Marlowe, Christopher (Virginia A. Lamar and Louis B. Wright, ed). _The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus_. New York: Folger Library, 1968. Muchembled, Robert. _A History of the Devil: From the Middle Ages to the Present._ Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003. Paul, S.K. and Prasad, Amar Nath. _Reassessing English Literature_: Vol 1. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2007. Prasad, Amar Nath. _British and Indian English Literature: A Critical Study_. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2007. Ricks, Christopher, ed. _The Penguin History of Literature:_ Vol. 3: _English Drama to 1710_. London: Penguin Books, 1993.