Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus(Morality Play)

by Christopher Marlowe

Doctor Faustus is an outstanding creation of Christopher Marlowe. Doctor Faustus is the central character of this play. Though he is already master of all the existing knowledge and skills, he has a confused mind. He has sky kissing ambitions. He desires success and power. He is tempted by evil. He denies all branches of Knowledge without necromancy.

Philosophy is odious and obscure;

Both law and physic are for petty wits;

Divinity is blessed of the three,

Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile.

He runs through all the branches of human knowledge and finds them inadequate to his desires. He selects magic because it is a world of profit and delight, of power, of honor, of supremacy. The good angel tells him to put aside the demand book of magic, while the evil angel urges him to go forward in that famous art. The gentle voices him to give up his magic and return to God. The good angel is the voice of God, and the voice of Faustus conscience. But Faustus listens to the evil angel, who is the representative of Lucifer and who encourages him to continue his study of magic.

Nothing so sweet as magic is to him

Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss.

He rejects all hope of heavenly joys; and he offers his soul to Lucifer for twenty-four years of his heart’s desires. With this decision come new energy, new power, and new command. He wants to conquer time, space, and ignorance. He tries to understand the secrets of the heavens and mysteries of the universe. He is entirely egoistic. He says that he is not afraid of damnation, and then goes to ask questions about Lucifer. Faustus agrees to let Lucifer have his soul, flesh, blood, or goods. He agrees to become forgive if he repents. But Faustus intentionally refuses all aid and so goes down to damnation. He has free will, free choice, and the ability to affirm or give it to the devil. The good angel tells him there is still time to repent. But the evil angel gives him the threat, if he repents, devils will tear him to pieces.

Had I as many souls as there be stars,

I’d give them all for Mephistopheles

Lucifer reminds him of his promise. He confesses to the Scholars the cause of all misery. Knowing his doom is near, he refuges their help and asks them not to talk to him but save themselves and depart. Faustus would like to weep, but the devil does not permit him to shed tears. He would like to lift his hands in prayer to God, but the devil holds his hands. Faustus commits the sin of pride. In the course of his dealing with Mephistopheles, Faustus suffers a number of refusals from the devil. He charges the devil to wait upon him during his life-time. But Mephistopheles disheartens him by saying that he is a servant to great Lucifer and that he may not obey Faustus without Lucifer’s permission. Now Faustus is in a miserable condition.

Ugly hell, gape not! Come not, Lucifer!

I’ll burn my book! –Ah, Mephistopheles

There is only one hour between him and the eternal damnation of his soul. He appeals to the planets to stop moving so that time may come to a halt and the hour of midnight may not come. Faustus himself brings his own tragedy. He calls upon the sun to rise and spread its bright light in order to prevent the coming midnight so that he may get the time to repent and save his soul. But he knows that all these appeals are of no use because the clock will strike the hour of twelve and the devil will come. Faustus now thinks of God and sees a vision of Christ’s blood flowing in the sky. One drop of that blood can save his soul; even half a drop would be sufficient.

See, see, where Christ’s blood streams in the firmament!

One drop would save my soul, half a drop: ah, my Christ!

But the moment he names God and Christ, devil begins to rend his heart. He would like to escape and calls upon the mountains and hills to descend him in order to hide him. He appeals to the earth to open so that he may take shelter in its bowels. The clock now strikes the half-hour. Faustus has now only half an hour to live. He makes another appeal to God for mercy. If God will not have mercy on his soul, he should at least fix a limit to his damnation.

Ah, Faustus

Now hast thou but one hour to live

And then thou must be damned perpetually!

Faustus is prepared to live in hell a thousand years. The clock now strikes the hour of midnight. Faustus would like his soul to be changed into little water-drops, which could mingled with the ocean and get lost forever. The devils appear. Faustus feels terrified to see the fierce look in the eyes of the devils. He appears to hell not to receive him and he appeals to Lucifer not to take him away. He offers to burn his magic books. But all his appeals are useless. Mephistopheles appears. The devil then takes away Faustus. Doctor Faustus is considered as a morality play. Marlowe has added medieval morality and Renaissance’s temper in Doctor Faustus. The basic beliefs of Christianity are inherent in every line of Doctor Faustus. The religion of this play is a Christianity from which Christ is strangely missing. It preaches the basic Christian values and should therefore be regarded as a morality play.