Doctor Faustus: Where is the man who sold his soul?

Book: Doctor Faustus

Genre: Drama Classic

Author: Christopher Marlowe

Publisher: Longman Group (1984)

Excerpt

Faustus to Devil

"I charge thee to return and change thy shape;

Thou art too ugly to attend on me.

Go, and return an old Franciscan friar,

That holy shape becomes a devil best."

Doctor Faustus, a central character of Christopher Marlowe’s play, is primarily an examination of the protagonist's ‘mental development’ according to Professor Bradbrook. The transcendent genius of Marlowe is glorified in the pre-eminently bold choice of material of the play — the old story of a man's contract with the devil.

Certain aspects of the play throw light on super-ego forms, which would condemn the doctor to hell. The play can be read as a reinforcement of the super-ego but that is also used as a tool to trigger guilt to cause anxiety. For Faustus his suffering is more intense when it is his ‘time’ as he is highly educated, therefore he is not ignorant of what is to follow. The play incorporates many of the contemporary themes with particular emphasis on exploration and breaking away from convention. This further categorises Faustus as neither a traditional tragic hero nor someone with completely didactic morality. As the play unfolds, settings and characters become more realistic, allowing the fiery devils of Doctor Faustus to achieve their optimum effect.

The central theme in Marlowe's play is the clash between the medieval world of tradition and the world of knowledge. Mephistopheles willingly reveals to Faustus the secrets of astronomy but when asked who created the world, Mephistopheles refuses to answer. Limits are set even to the absolute power. Again, when Mephistopheles has finished telling the horrors of hell, Faustus blithely dismisses what Mephistopheles has said.

There is a desperate naivete to this man that sells his soul to know, almost, all. The man sitting at the top who left no stone unturned to get to that top; we all know a man who would kill,  cheat, destroy to get where he thinks he is meant to be. That ‘naive’ man knows the cost of the bargain; he just doesn’t realise it fully, yet.

It is indisputable that Doctor Faustus represents several humanistic elements. Marlowe implemented these aspects as entertainment; the current themes that an audience would find entertaining. Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus in the late fifteenth century, when humanist issues were the focus. We could imply this concept even today in very modern times. Religion is clearly a large theme in Doctor Faustus.

What makes this play easier to relate to is the inclusion of figures that represent abstractions of the issues that are faced by man. The language used in the play represents the conflict between power and religion. Marlowe borrows from the ancient concept of good and bad and builds it in a twisted array of events that show the man who sold his soul, to enjoy an unfound glory and then the suffering follows close by.

Marlowe employs ‘inner conflict’ to keep his audiences engaged as he understands how that is an issue that everyone faces. With medieval beliefs, but renaissance aspirations, this play hits home to everything man is today.

Doctor Faustus can be looked upon as a play of morality. Struggle is just as important in the framework of the story line. Doctor Faustus, himself, is a man torn between two traditions; modern times of infinite thirst for knowledge and the ancient adherence to religion. On the other hand, the disappointment and mediocrity that follow Faustus's pact with the devil, as he descends from grand ambitions to desperate depths is what man of today goes through more often than not.

The powerful message of the play is more relevant than ever in our contemporary individualistic consumer culture. Faustus turns to something false, malevolent and unnatural to see his dreams materialise.

Faustus regularly shows doubt in what he is doing, but he never thinks of going back. He has achieved a lot in his life, with his profession as a doctor. At first he makes the readers believe that he wants to sell his soul to be a better doctor, a better server to mankind but his real motive is to be powerful — even more powerful than God Himself. Faustus wants to be able to control things around him. He is told he is making a mistake in selling his soul to the devil, yet Faustus does not listen to the warnings from the devil himself.

There are consequences to everything. There will come a time when Faustus will have to face his.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2010.