Doctor Faustus tragic hero in renaissance. M.A:- Sem-1

Name: - Gohel Daya B.

Roll no: - 4

Paper no:-1, The Renaissance Literature.

Assignment title:-Doctor Faustus tragic hero in renaissance.

M.A:- Sem-1

Email ID: - dayagohil47@gmail.com

PG Enrollment no:-14101014

Submitted to:-Department of English m.k.b.university.

v Dr.Faustus as a tragic hero.

 Introduction

                    Dr.Faustus as the title of the play suggests Dr. Faustus is the hero of the play. It unique place in the play .He is the central pivot around whom the whole action of the play revolves. As it is a hero play Marlowe has given supers me significance to this character of the play appears just piggies. We cannot conceive of the play in the absence of this character. He is towering personality .He is such a fascinating character that we can never forget him. He shares our essential feeling he is above us for the extremities.

             Faustus is not entirely the creation of the dramatist’s imagination. His characters in the career bear close resemblance to those of the legendary Faustus of English Faust Book. It is true that Marlowe has borrowed this character from the above mentioned book. But he has totally transformed this character by imparting new life and vigor to it. Her we find a mere medieval magician transformed into one of the greatest dramatic fingers. He has become the symbol of man’s ever-insatiable curiosity of man’s yearning for infinite beauty and power. He is the center of conflict between good and evil that we always find raging within and without man.

              Dr. Faustus can easily be put in the category of great tragic heroes. He has all elements within himself which are needed to become a great tragic dramatic figure. His inordinate ambition, his unique teachable thirst for knowledge and his everlasting courage easily qualify him has a great tragic figure in literature.

                 We get details regarding his life from the chorus in the beginning of the play. He was born in poor family and his parents died when he was very young. He was educated at written by where he specialized himself in theology and got doctorate in divinity. He mastered many other subject including medicine and law. This shows that he was great scholar as far as academic achievements were concerned. But he was not satisfied with scholarship. He wanted to have infinitive knowledge which can give him infinite power and of his calamity. His ambition for something beyond human reach is the central issue of discussion. He is very proud of himself and believes he is not meant for ordinary life. This element in his character makes him essentially a Renaissance figure.

                  He is ready to sacrifice everything in order to get something beyond human reach. He is ready to join hands with Lucifer. He is not even disheartened in his play by the threat of God. It is true that we find him often form between two, facing a moral conflict of its own kind. But this is because he is essentially human. He is not totally devoid of human qualities. He is not diabolic in his approach toward life. He becomes sensualist from the moment that he takes up the book of magic. He undergoes tremendous change in the course of action. He is not the same. Dr. Faustus is in the end whom we meet in the beginning.  Slowly and gradually he losses all good qualities and at the end he becomes helpless as he can’t even repent for his sin like ordinary persons. This tremendous loss on the part of Faustus makes him a great pathetic figure. His constant conflict between good and evil and his spiritual anguish heightens the tragic effect. This inner struggle in Faustus reaches its climax in the last scene. This death scene is remarkable in the whole range of English Drama.

                  In Spite of his being a great magician he does not harm innocent people seriously. When he is confident of meeting his doom. He takes meticulous care to request and force his scholar friends to less him alone as he does not want his friends to be harmed by devil. He gives away all his worldly property to his faithful servant. This shows that he loved humanity at large and never wanted humanity to suffer because of his sins.

                  Dr. Faustus, thus, is with us as a great tragic hero of all time. He is a true representation of conquering power, as Barabbas is of the power knowledge which was the ideal of medieval scholar.

He is the most learned scholar of the day. He has learnt all that university can teach him and yet he has craving for the forbidden fruit of knowledge magic.

                  The conflict in his heart as depicted in the last scene is great. He invokes all element of nature and asks the spheres of heaven to stop so that the hour of death may not come and Faustus may not submit his soul to the Devil. It is the most pathetic scene in which we see the most courageous man craving for rescue. His tragedy is the tragedy of great ambition for lust and power. He can be ranked with the great heroes of Shakespeare.

        

Dr.Faustus renaissance tragedy.

                  Marlowe was the greatest ornament of public theater until Shakespeare. His reputation as a dramatist rests on his remarkable five plays. ‘Tambourine’, ‘Dr.Faustus’, “The Jew of Malta”, ‘Edward II’, ‘Dido, Queen of cartage’.  The first true voice of the renaissance is heard in these five plays. When Marlowe started writing the plays English Drama was in a chaotic condition. The tragedies were written on the model of Seneca which were full of horror and terror. The tragedy form was too melodramatic to be called artistic or aesthetic. The writers when followed classical form had no fire and zeal and those who had fire and zeal had no form. Marlowe was the first who tried to give standards form to English drama in general and to tardy in particular. Thus he was the first who serious tried to write English plays with vigor.

                  His plays are marked with renaissance spirit. As he was the child of renaissance he had great respect for renaissance element and this spirit he expressed in most of his plays. Dr. Faustus is the greatest English tragedy on a popular Faustus legend. As far as the theme and the story of this play are concerned, it is not original in itself.

                  The story of Faustus was widely popular. Dr.Faustus was a real person who was born in 1488, the period of renaissance. He was great scholar who studied all most all subjects including astrology alchemy, magic and gemology. He represented the best and the worst of the renaissance. He was revolution airy in his ideas and rebelled against the old traditions of society. Faustus’s legend was published in the form of book in German under the title ‘Faustian’. It was translated into English under the title ‘The History of Dr. John Faustus’ and was published in the year 1652.

                  Marlowe wanted to write a tragedy reflect renaissance elements and he found his character quite suitable for his purpose and the work. ‘The History of Dr. John Faustus perhaps he took as a model, Dr.Faustus like all the other heroes of Marlowe embodies the typical renaissance ‘virtue’ a concept popularized by Machiavelli in his book ‘prince’. ‘Virtue’ is that quality of man which drives him to find free and full expression for his own thought and emotion.

                  In this respect Dr. Faustus is essential a renaissance man. He has genuinely real reams issuance passion for knowledge infinite. He wants freedom to choose what he likes. He is not to be bound by any sort of taboos marrow has voiced this spirit of new learning thought him. He is a kind of intellectual and Philosophical Tambourine yearning not for wealth and power but for sensuous and intellectual experience.

                  Finally the climax of the renaissance magnificence is apparent in the most lyrical passage of the play where Faustus welcomes the apparition of Helen of Troy. To Faustus Helen of Troy gives not merely the supreme sensuous pleasure and delight but also all joy and rapture of the Greek Classics. This is evidently the strong renaissance classic for enlightenment and delight. Dr.Faustus is again a renaissance man in his human approach. He is essentially human in all his aspects. He loves human principle. This shows that the play is full of renaissance elements.

SUMMARY

                  The play ‘Dr.Faustus’ opens with a prologue spoken by the chorus. The chorus is a dramatic device mainly used by Greek dramatists to perform certain dramatic functions. It introduces the theme of the play. It also provides the introduction of the main character. It sets the tone and gives background to the play all the better. These all function are performed by the chorus of the play ‘Dr.Faustus’.

                  Dr.Faustus who was a great German scholar. He was a profound scholar but he was poor. He mastered many subjects and he was very popular. In this way the chorus introduces. Dr. Faustus and his circumstances in brief. He is thinking about himself. He finds himself a complete master of many subjects. As a medical doctor he has already achieved huge success and great renown. Now he is not able to decide which course of study he should take up for further study. Necromancy greatly attracts him. He thinks if he studies this black art then he will be able to master nature.

                  Meanwhile we find the arrival of good and evil angles. They try to persuade Dr. Faustus. It deems Faustus is not in mood to listen to good angels. It is interesting to not here that these good angles and evil angels symbolize the more conflict of Faustus. Good angels stand for his desire to have worldly pleasures. He is so exulted over the prospects of his forth coming adventures that he is not ready to pay any heed to his good sense. He thinks that with the study of magic he will get infinite power for pleasure.

                  His absence from the university where he works is felt and two scholars come to inquire about him. They come to know thought Faustus’s servant that his master is busy in learning black magic. These scholars are shock to know about such evil intentions of Faustus and they are sorry for him.

                  Faustus’s first act of magic is to summon Mephistopheles who is the assent of Satan. Faustus tries to command Mephistopheles but he refuse to obey him without prior permission on his master Satan (Lucifer). Faustus is very much interested in Lucifer and he asks several questions about him.

                  Mephistopheles explains everything about the downfall of Lucifer and other angel. He also tells Dr.Faustus about the Dr.Faustus from the study of magic. But Dr.Faustus repeatedly says that he would surrender his soul to Lucifer if he gives him worldly power and pleasure for 14 year.

                  Once again we see the appearance of good and evil angels and once again we find Dr.Faustus refusing to listen to good angel. Mephistopheles returns and informs that Lucifer agrees to the bargain. But the contract must be signed with the blood of Dr. Faustus. Faustus immediately agrees to do so. The contract is prepaid and Dr.Faustus tries to sign but he finds that his blood has congealed and then Faustus signs the bond.

                  Now Faustus spends him time in enjoying the fruits of this contract. He travels extensively thought the world. Like a gleeful child Faustus asks Mephistopheles who is now at his command according to the condition of the bond to do more mischief. This shows the utter degradation of Faustus. He who was once a mightily scholar has simply become the juggler harassing innocent people. As his fame spreads the emperor invites him to the palace and asks him to conjure up the spirit of Alexander the Great. One knight in the court doubts his power and Dr.Faustus, after fulfilling the emperor’s wish places horns on the head that knight.

                  Faustus foresees that his time has come to an end and he returns to Wittenberg. He gives all his worldly goods to his servant.

                  As death draws near Faustus tries to speak with his conscience which comes to him in the form of an old man. This old man tries to persuade Dr.Faustus to repent once only to get the grace of God. But he is taken away by the company of devils.

Dr.Faustus Theme

                  Justly this play as Christian and religion play as a Dr.Faustus it is the theme at the heart of Christianity understanding of the world. One idea is sin which Christian defines as a act contrary to the will of God. In Lucifer, Faustus commits as a sense the ultimate sin. Not now disobey God, or he concise ugly and eagerly renounce obedience to him, instead to swear allegiance to the devil choose.

                  In Christian framework, however, even the worst deed can be forgiven thought the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, God’s son. According to Christian belief, God’s son. Accordingly to Christian belief, died on the cross of human king sins Faustus with Lucifer may be possibility of redemption is away open him. All of the needs do theoretically, is ask God for forgiveness. The countless movement in Faustus considers doing that urged on by the good angel on his shoulder by the old man. Either as emissaries of God personification of Faustus. At that time, Faustus decides the loyal to hill rather the seek heaven. God condemns him to spend an eternity in hell. Life does Faustus desire to repent, in the final scene. The entire play inhabited a Christian world. Spends his final moments in a slightly different universe, redemption is no longer possible and certain sins cannot be forgiven.