FATIMA JINNAH WOMEN UNIVERSITY
Atheism in Doctor Faustus Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus promotes an atheistic and anti-religion agenda in the background background of the Renaissance spirit.
Maria Anwar English Literature
Submitted to: Dr. Dr. Akifa Imtiaz
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Abstract
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe is one of the remarkable works of literature, though many scholars call it a morality play, there is sufficient evidence that it is basically atheistic. Marlowe led a mysterious life and was twice arrested for heresy and atheistic beliefs. The documents found from his room, gathered from his acqua intances prove he was antireligion at heart, a rebel against the Church and that!s what is reflected in this play through the character of Faustus. "e!s Marlowe!s Marlowe!s mouthpiece and has autobiographical traces in personality throughou t the play. This study study has focused on the atheistic element in the play, and the rationale behind it is deciphering the te#t from a new point of view in order to make it more appreciative and rich in meaning.
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Abstract
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe is one of the remarkable works of literature, though many scholars call it a morality play, there is sufficient evidence that it is basically atheistic. Marlowe led a mysterious life and was twice arrested for heresy and atheistic beliefs. The documents found from his room, gathered from his acqua intances prove he was antireligion at heart, a rebel against the Church and that!s what is reflected in this play through the character of Faustus. "e!s Marlowe!s Marlowe!s mouthpiece and has autobiographical traces in personality throughou t the play. This study study has focused on the atheistic element in the play, and the rationale behind it is deciphering the te#t from a new point of view in order to make it more appreciative and rich in meaning.
Table of Contents . !ntroduction . #ackground
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.$ Research problem
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.% Research &uestions'''''''' &uestions'''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''( '''''( ." )*pothesis'''''''' )*pothesis'''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''..' '''''''..'( ( .( Research +b,ecties''''''' +b,ecties''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''.... ''''.......( ...( . /ignificance of the /tud*''''''''' /tud*''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''.( '.( .0 Research Methodolog*'''''' Methodolog*'''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''.. '''''.. .1 Delimitation'''''' Delimitation'''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''
$. 2iterature Reiew''''''''''''''''''''''''''''....0
%. Methodolog*'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''$"
". Anal*sis'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''.$( ". Marlowe’s life reflects in Doctor Faustus…………………………………………….. Faustus ……………………………………………..$( $( ".$ Marlowe’s 3atheist’ and the 3anti-religion’ in Faustus''''''''''' Faustus''''''''''''.$1 '.$1
(. Conclusion''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''%%
References'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''.......%"
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. #ackground .. Drama. The term is derived from a $reek word meaning %action% &Classical $reek '
()ᾶ*+, drama, which comes from the verb meaning %to do% or %to act%. Drama is one of the genres of -iterature, which can be in prose or verse form. t can either portray life or tell a story through characters, involving action, emotions, conflict and dialogue. Drama is meant to be staged and performed in a theatre in front of an audience. t is said to be a very dense form of -iterature and has many types that evolved from the two basic forms tragedy and comedy. "istorically western drama has its origin in the Classical $reek culture in / th century 0C1, at that time it was divided into generic forms tragedy, comedy and satyr. $reek drama used to be performed on festivals held in celebration of god Dionysus. -ater the 2omans further developed the form of drama during their empire. 1.1.1.1 Tragedy. t is a branch of drama that sorrowfully and seriously describes some tragic
event, a misfortune or a disaster in the life of the characters it presents. The $reek dramatists used these kinds of plays for their cultural festivities and religious occasions3 later on this subgenre attained its full recognition in the 1li4abethan age, where 5hakespeare, Marlowe and their contemporaries wrote memorable tragic plays.
1.1.1.2 Comedy. Comedy is an art form that is meant to amuse and make the audience laugh
by holding up a mirror to the society. Comic plays started with 6ristotle in the ancient $reece in 7th century 0C1 and are found in the modern age literature too. Comedies usually played
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with the themes of human follies and vices in order to correct them in the present generation. 5hakespearean comedies are wellknown for their literary merit3 several other writers e#perimented with its form.
..$ 6li7abethan Age. 6fter the dark ages or medieval period, 1li4abethan age
started with succession of 1li4abeth 8 to the throne in 8//9 and ended with her death in 8:;<. t is deemed to be one of the most splendid times in the history of 1ngland during which literary figures such as 5ir =hilip 5idney, 1dmund 5penser , 2oger 6scham, 2ichard "ooker , Christopher Marlowe, and >illiam 5hakespeare flourished under the rich influence of 2enaissance, "umanism, along with scientific and geo graphical advancements.
1.1.2.1 Renaissance . 2enaissance literally means ?rebirth@, it was a movement in the
1uropean history in the 8/th century that spread new awareness of an individual, an interest in the material world and nature and recovery of the cultural heritage of the classical $reece and 2ome. 1urope witnesses a break from feudal system of living from 87th through 8:th century. The urban centers grew and attracted the lower classes with opportunities thus the aristocracy lost its hegemony over the lower classes. 2enaissance further gave way to "umanism.
1.1.2.2 The rise of Humanism. The spirit of 2enaissance e#pressed itself earlier in the
form of an intellectual movement called "umanism, which started from taly with its
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predecessors Dante and =etrarch. t was initiated by secular men of letters and not the religious scholars who were dominant in the intellectualism of the medieval ages. "umanism got its maAor boost after the fall of Constantinople in 87/<, the eastern scholars fled to taly with books and manuscripts of $reek scholarships. This movement was ?anthropocentric@, which meant man was the center of universe and had more potential than anything else in the world. 5econdly, it preferred ?syncretism@ by combining and finding common truth in all the philosophical and theological doctrines. Finally, humanism focused on the recovery of lost human wisdom and rebirth of the human spirit.
1.1.2.3 Travel, geographical expansion and scientific progress. The fear of contagious
disease of =lague and the desire to get out of the house and e#plore the world made people tour the continents and trade with different nations. This led to the spread of wealth and products as well as ideas from one place to another. >hen these people returned to their homeland they brought knowledge with them, which influenced culture, literature and fashion of the times. Christopher Columbus discovered 6merica, 0ritish navy came into being which defeated the 5panish 6rmada at the sea, and Copernicus formulated a model of the universe with 5un at its center. $alileo laid the foundation of modern physics by giving new laws of science. "e invented the telescope and supported Copernicus! idea of a sun centered solar system, he was unfortunately pronounced heretic by the church though. n 877; Bohannes $utenberg brought an ama4ing innovation to printing press, which helped spread literacy and knowledge to the masses.
1.1.2. Reformation and religious controversies. The intellectual stimulation that was
sparked by "umanism led to 2eformation in the 8:th century, which was a religious
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revolution in the western church. The greatest leaders of this movement were Martin -uther and Bohn Calvin. Martin -uther posted ?inetyfive Theses@ on the door of Castle Church in 8/8 at >ittenberg, $ermany. "e attacked the Catholic Church for corruption and lack of spiritual authority, as the church in those days was accumulating wealth by selling indulgences and involved in political affairs. Martin -uther proposed that ?faith@ alone determined man!s salvation and pope had no authority over the purgatory. n 8/E8 he was e#communicated, but his reforms brought a fracture to western Christendom with the emergence of a third branch called =rotestantism. 2eformation had farreaching economic, social and political effects. 1li4abeths father, Ging "enry H, oversaw the =rotestant 2eformation in 1ngland, but it was only during 1li4abeths reign that =rotestantism became firmly established as the national religion. Disagreements in religion became common after people got alienated to $od as a result of the varieties of Catholicism and =rotestantism. 6theistic, 6gnostic and superstitious beliefs this encompassed the nation that was confused which sect of Christianity was to be followed, and 0lack death became associated to witches in spite of the prevailing knowledge and learning of the times.
1.1.2.! "theism in the #li$a%ethan era. 6theism is a belief that reAects the
e#istence of god or a deity. Theism is the opposite belief that stands for faith in a divine power. Budaism, slam, Christianity all affirm the reality of Ine $od, and the believer of these faith depend on the Divine =ower for guidance, who created the universe and created whatever resides in it and that man is sinful and $od only can redeem him. 6theism is thus reAection of all such religious beliefs and has numerous types. 6theists assert that by empirical method alone we can find the fact of anything that e#ists in the universe.
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6gnosticism on the other hand doubted the e#istence of $od and said it wasn!t possible to know if a $od e#isted. n 1li4abethan era people gained a lot of knowledge through science and literacy rate increased, it was a time of reason and truth behind all the universe and natural phenomena which man questioned daringly. 6theism gained believers after 2eformation that shook the whole Christendom, the church and religion was divided and in all this chaos man asked where the god wasJ Francis 0acon proposed ideas for gaining empirical knowledge of the world. 6nyone who e#plored outside the boundaries of established religious doctrine, or e#perimenting to discover hidden knowledge of the celestial bodies was termed a heretic and an atheist. $alileo too was condemned of heresy and some scholars did pay a price for their renaissance learning. n 8/K< the Lueen launched a hunt to get heretics out3 the Commission did not distinguish between the alien religions, no religion or atheism. 6ll 5eparatists, 0arrowists and antiCatholics along with the printers who published the controversial writings were hanged. Thus atheism was a capital charge in those times, as it posed a threat to the sovereignty and political stability of the monarchy. 0lasphemy was considered a sin that would rightly be punished by $od himself, an air of doubt, despair, belief and unbelief was ironically prevalent in this age of learning.
1.1.2.& #li$a%ethan attitude to devils, ghosts, magic and superstition. To 1li4abethans,
the influence of the Devil on human affairs was almost as prevalent as that of $od. >hile $od was a force for good, the Devil was a force for evil. The Devil was believed to be able to take on whatever form he chose, human or animal, to tempt his victims to do wicked things.
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Many people believed that ghosts, too, were the Devil in disguise. Ine of the most famous 1li4abethans, >illiam 5hakespeare, refers to this belief in his play Hamlet. 1li4abethan belief in superstitions dates back to Dark ages and classical $reek and 2oman culture of gods and goddesses. These beliefs are rooted in old magic and mystical properties of herbs, chants, omens, animals and numbers. 5uperstitious people had irrationally connected things and circumstances to certain badevil outcomes. They were afraid of the unknown supernatural forces that govern the cosmos. The public feared witches and witchcraft, and old single wise women were usually thought of as witches who owned animals like cats and could fly in the air with magic. 2eligious divisions after the 2eformation and concerns about Catholic sorcery against Lueen 1li4abeth 8 gave strength to such a belief. The Catholic Church defined witches as ?any woman who has knowledge of herbs and plants@, thus bringing common housewives under suspicion. n 8/:E a witchcraft law was passed by Lueen 1li4abeth 8 that pronounced punishment of hanging for witches. =assing under a ladder, putting shoes on the table, a black cat crossing the path, eclipses and spilling salt or pepper were associated with evil omens, death, illness or misfortune. These popular cultural beliefs can be seen in the -iterature of this time, especially in dramas of 5hakespeare like Hamlet and Christopher Marlowe!s Doctor Faustus. 6 good 1nglish e#ample of the 1li4abethan view of magic mi#ed with scientific inquiry seen in Marlowe!s Doctor Faustus is the life of Dr. Bohn Dee &8/E8:;K. "e was a mathematician and an astrologer, like Marlowe he had interest in the theatre and the introduction of stage effects won him the title of a ?magician@ at Trinity College, Cambridge. "e boasted of conversing with angels and of possessing supernatural powers. n times of Lueen Mary he was imprisoned for heresy, but 1li4abeth 8 kept him as an adviser on
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scientific and astrological matters. Magicians, witches and 5orcerers were thought of being Devil!s associates. 5keptic people went to cunning persons for seeking cure to illnesses and troubles and Catholics were thought to be practicing magic which was forbidden by the =rotestants. t signaled a weak faith in $od and "is power. =eople were thought to enter pacts with the Devil, who had a spiritual form and could possess the bodies of those they wished to torment. 1#orcism was a practice that meant to oust the Devil from the possessed victims. The 5atan was said to rule the kingdom of sin and corruption and his master plan was to add to his domain all who were skeptical and lacked faith in $od. ..% 6li7abethan theatre and audience. 5panning the years 8/;; to 8::;, the
1nglish 2enaissance produced some of the greatest works of literature the world has ever known. The spirit of optimism, unlimited potential, and the enduring 1nglish character all Aoined together to generate literature of the first order. 6t the same time, 1ngland modified from an overlooked ?barbarian@ nation to a center of commercial power and influence. This power naturally permeated into a literature that was bold, sweeping, innovative, and trendsetting. The two genres that flourished in the 2enaissance were poetry and drama, poets e#perimented with form, and dramatists revived and reinvented the classical traditions of the classical $reeks and 2omans. Theatre gained immense popularity as an entertainment and amusement in the social life, with dramatists like 5hakespeare, Gyd, Marlowe and =eele. 5hakespearean comedies, tragedies and historical plays took the world by storm. The 2oyal court appreciated these finer art forms, and the dramatists usually eked out good living from their craft. Many noble men became patrons to these dramatists and encouraged this genre to achieve its bloom in the 1li4abethan age. The =uritans though resisted such entertainment as the crossdressing and frivolities portrayed could
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have led to se#ual corruption in the public sphere. Inly in time of the =lague the theatres were closed to stop the spread of infection, otherwise the poor, the rich and members of all social classes and professions came to enAoy the plays. The $lobe was one of the wellknown theatres that accommodated around 8/;; people at a time. 1li4abethan audiences liked food for their imagination3 they liked spectacle and physical brutality, battles, procession, courtly love, idealism and 1nglish history. They came to learn and educate themselves with law, with metaphors, blank verse, monologues, puns and Aokes. They liked devils, ghosts and insanity as well.
.." Marlowe and his writings. Christopher Marlowe &8/:7 8/K< was a dramatist
who was mainly concerned with the question of power and its affect on human beings. "e was part of a larger group called the Nniversity >its. "e died very young at twentynine and led a life full of mystery, intrigue, violence and remarkable productivity. "e was an e#cellent student at Cambridge Nniversity and was named Canterbury 5cholar because of his intention to Aoin the clergy. "e travelled to several continents and read a lot of Classical legendary poetry and literature. "e was though marked for long absences from the college and it was thought that he was engaged in espionage activities for the 2oyal Lueen. n 8/K8 he was sharing a room with Thomas Gyd renowned for his The Spanish Tragedy &c. 8/9/8/9K. Marlowe received his Masters degree and wrote wonderful poetry and ama4ing plays like Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta, Edward and Doctor Faustus. "e was second only to 5hakespeare, and his blank verse was called Marlowe!s Mighty -ines. "is works show the richness of the history of it!s time, the
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social and political conditions, the religious revolution, the scientific discoveries and the popular culture of witchcraft, superstition and magic. Christopher Marlowe seen as a subversive playwright certainly marks a decisive move away from the medieval plays by populating them with characters which are mentally comple# and not Aust moral props. Marlowe himself being a man of learning and quite controversial in his days for being associated with spying for the Lueen and for holding antireligion ideas can be held responsible for giving atheistic bent to some of his works. Throughout his life he was charged of atheism and pederasty, both capital offenses in 1li4abeth!s 1ngland. Many of his contemporaries considered his play a biting atheistic satire on the 2oman Catholicism. 6nother Marlovian play, The Jew of Malta with a bloody melodramatic theme, shows the hero 0arabas! annihilation of a whole convent full of nuns. Marlowe liked such themes and his rival Gyd also e#ploited it in The Spanish Tragedy. n 8/K<, Marlowe was arrested as an atheist, a capital charge in his day, following the arrest of Gyd on a charge of atheism. Gyd accused Marlowe of possessing heretical documents found in their room where they lived together. Thus it can be assumed that Marlowe!s social circle included people who had an antireligion agenda and their writing incorporates such thoughts. n 8/K< at Deptford, Marlowe was stabbed in a tavern during a brawl and his death was considered by the contemporaries as a due punishment from the Audgment of $od for his homose#uality and atheism. 5ome critics think he was murdered for holding antireligion views. n 8/K7, Edward and Dido, !ueen of "arthage were published, and Marlowe!s translation of Ivid!s #mores, to be publicly burned in 8/KK as heretical, appears also to have been published in 8/K7, although it is not dated. The Massacre at $aris was probably also published in 8/K7, followed ten years later by the publication o f Doctor Faustus. Marlowe was a literary giant
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who!s untimely death cut short his bright career as a dramatist, otherwise he would have e#ceeded his contemporaries in merit. ..( Faust legend8 magic and 'octor (austus. Dr. Faustus was written in 8K/;!s O a
2enaissance 1ra of growing humanism and secularism. 6s humanity and rationality moved to the centre of human discourse, man!s mentality and potential became increasingly significant in dramatic representation. Doctor Faustus is the story of the 2enaissance ?new man@, the overreacher full of ambition and pride. 6fter getting a doctrate in Theology, Faustus reAects all worldy knowledge as mundane and aspires for necromancy that can make him into a mighty god, all powerful. For the achievement of his goal, he thus signs a pact with the Devil for twentyfour years of service. 6 lot of critics call this play autobiographical due to Marlowe!s resemblance with the central character. t raised questions about the conventional Christian doctrine but yet had a universal appeal. The story of Faustus the scholar who sells his soul to the Devil, has been taken from the $erman Faustbuch, although it!s fictional in character, it really is a legend based on a magician who lived in northern $ermany in the 8/th century. Faust owes its fame to the original version Faustbuch &8/9 by an anonymous writer3 it was a collection of tales about ancient magi, who were wise men. The magi possessed magical power, knowledge of the alchemy, astrology and necromancy. 0y placing Faustus in >ittenberg $ermany, where Martin -uther, the $erman Doctor of Theology presented his controversial revolutionary document, the inetyfive Theses3 Marlowe hints at daring action of both characters who tried to rationali4e the religion.
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Marlowe!s Dr. Faustus promotes an atheistic and antireligion agenda in the background of the 2enaissance 5pirit. .% Research &uestions
8. s Dr. Faustus a mouthpiece for Marlowe!s own atheistic viewsJ E. "ow Dr. Faustus% character is a deliberate attempt to challenge the presence of $odJ <. s there a connection between the spirit of 2enaissance and Dr. Faustus% alliance with the devilJ ." )*pothesis
Dr. Faustus has been written from an atheistic point of view and has antireligion agenda. .( Research +b,ecties
8. To decipher the subte#t of Dr. Faustus for supporting atheistic ideas. E. To discover ways in which Dr. Faustus opposes the concept of religion as a 2enaissance man. <. To show how Marlowe!s own atheistic views can be seen through Faustus! character.
. /ignificance of the /tud* This study will closely focus on the play Doctor F austus to find out how this character is similar
to Marlowe!s own personality. The topic of atheism in the play is important as it highlights the social, political and historical aspects of the 1li4abethan age of which Marlowe was a part. -iterature of that time beautifully and artistically chronicles the changes happening in society, how Church on one part was trying to reform the institution of religion and on the other people like Marlowe were promoting "umanism. Faustus is actually representing everyman of every age who wants to put his human potential to unravel secrets of the Nniverse an d e#plore everything from magic to witchcraft and befriending devils. Man fell from "eaven for this very
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sin of e#ploring the forbidden, thus my topic is an e#tension of the old tradition and the creation and fall of man. t makes this research valid for all times as future readers can relate to it. There will always be characters in literary works that will portray the innate desire of man to look beyond the known and the visible and be the devil!s accomplice in atheistic and antireligion thoughts. This play!s subte#t is an evidence o f the agenda behind it!s writing, as Marlowe e#pressed his own viewpoint through it and audience was moved. .0 Research Methodolog* The type of this research is qualitative as it analyses the te#t thematically for atheistic evidence.
will support my thesis with indepth te#tual analysis of various speeches and monologues of Faustus that prove my point and reveal antireligion agenda. The first chapter offers a background to my study and introduces my topic3 while chapter two conte#tuali4es my research in previous and contemporary literature through its critical reviews. Chapter three will e#plain the research methodology in detail. Iff and on shall refer to biographical information about Marlowe that corelates to Faustus! character in Chapter four. The fifth chapter will o ffer a conclusion by summari4ing my study and references shall be mentioned at the end.
.1 Delimitation This research proAect is delimited to only one play of Marlowe that is Doctor Faustus. Though
this work has several aspects to interpretation, will only look at the autobiographical aspect which reveals writer!s own atheistic opinions being a renaissance man, and an antireligion agenda that caused rebellion in the masses and church goers. The te#t of this specific play is actually very influencing and questions man!s motives from the onset of life on earth and his questions and doubt!s of $od!s e#istence. Ither plays of Marlowe!s have been only mentioned briefly in chapter one to give a general overview of his themes3 they are not part of the analysis though.
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$. 2!T6RAT5R6 R6:!6; There has been considerable debate about Marlowe!s play Dr. Faustus as a controversial work of
literature in a country like 1ngland where the Lueen was =rotestant, the church was undergoing reformation and Catholics were chased out of the state. Marlowe!s himself was charged of heresy, and in this particular play his motive to poke fun of Catholicism and religion in general is evident from the te#t which this study will focus on. There are various instances where Faustus shows antireligion thoughts and atheistic beliefs, as a rebel who transgresses boundaries of religion to attain universal power. 2enaissance -iterature is full of many such works that show hu manism or humans as a centre of universe, who can reason and argue about organi4ed religion, who can change destiny and discover the unknown through magical practices, witchcraft or other supernatural tendencies. 0iographical information about Marlowe from various resources too establishes the fact that he was basically a rebel and charged of heresy many times. 5hakespeare!s Macbeth for instance shows how witches prophesy the fall of the king and the rise of Macbeth to the throne. The use of witchcraft in Macbeth, the ghost in Hamlet , of fairies and monster in The Tempest and Midsummer &ight%s Dream show the tradition of the use of supernatural in drama in a Christian 1ngland. 6long with religious debate going on, people did believe in superstitions, in the power of certain magical practices and herbs that the religion clearly pronounced as sin and
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transgression. Man was from the very beginning weak in faith and that!s why the devil is shown to take over his spirit and make man do what it wants. This depiction of man as a battleground for the forces of good and evil looks back to the morality plays and ahead to plays of psychological comple#ity such as 5hakespeare!s Hamlet, $rince of Denmar' .
Della &8K says that Marlowe was an innovator also in his choice of themes. 2eligious skepticism recurs throughout the plays. Tamburlaine the (reat challenged both Christian and Moslem faiths3 The Jew of Malta confounded Christianity and Budaism alike. Marlowe!s questioning of humanity!s place in the universe reached its height in Doctor Faustus, an agoni4ed cry of defiance against an orthodo#y represented as chaining humankind!s unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Ine may infer that the dramatist accepted the e#istence o f a nondenominational supreme intelligence.
>hile giving an overview of the famous plays of Marlowe -evin &8K/E argues that at the co re of Marlowe!s heterodo#y was his fascination with humanity!s aspirant spirit and illimitable mind3 a theme that did not fit easily into contemporary Christian thought. Marlowe!s heroes are selfmade, fired by a sense of their own power and greatness, in strong contrast to 5hakespeare!s, with their orthodo# assumption of the privileges and honor due to noble birth.
Marlowe!s treatment of this theme became more comple# over the years. Faustus shares with the earlier hero Tamburlaine aspirations for worldly power at any cost. 0oth plays display the immense power of the individual to unleash massive forces for good or ill. Pet Faustus!s odyssey, unlike Tamburlaine!s, is intellectual rather than physical, internal rather than e#ternal. >hereas Tamburlaine the (reat was a play of action and show, Doctor Faustus is a play of ideas hence,
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perhaps, it!s more enduring fascination. Tamburlaine!s approach to life is never seriously challenged, whereas the obstacles placed in Faustus!s path form the premise of the play.
$reg &8K7: e#amines several aspects of the heros downfall in Doctor Faustus, particularly how Faustuss pact with Mephistopheles leads not to a rise in grandeur and power, but to mere worldly gratification. Nltimately, the critic claims, Faustus %commits the sin of demonality, that is, bodily intercourse with demons.% The quotations are taken from $regs own collation of the 8:;7 and 8:8: quarto editions of Doctor Faustus. 6n 1nglish literary scholar and librarian, $reg was a pioneer in establishing modern bibliographical scholarship. Combining b ibliographical and critical methods, he developed an approach to editing 5hakespeare and other 1li4abethan dramatists.
"e says that while working lately on the te#t of Doctor Faustus, he was struck by certain aspects of the story as told in Marlowes play and it seemed worthwhile to draw attention to a few points in the picture of the heros downfall, 6s soon as Faustus has decided that necromancy is the only study that can give his ambition scope, he seeks the aid of his friends Haldes and Cornelius, who already are proficient in the art. t would be idle to speculate how far the %atheist% Marlowe, whom gossip accused of what we call %unnatural% vice, may have dwelt in imagination on the direst sin of which human flesh is capable. 0ut in presenting the fall and slow moral disintegration of an ardent if erring spirit, he did not shrink from depicting, beside Faustus spiritual sin of bartering his soul to the powers of evil, what is in effect its physical complement and counterpart, however he may have disguised it in immortal verse@ &8K7:, p.K8;.
5tories of people who bargain with the devil in e#change for worldly goods are many. These can be literal e#changes, such as athaniel "awthornes short story %Poung $oodman 0rown% or >.
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0. Peats %The Countess Cathleen.% This concept can also be treated thematically, as it is in such works as >illiam 5hakespeares Macbeth, Mary 5helleys Fran'enstein, and "erman Melvilles Moby Dic' . These tales illustrate, without evoking supernatural deals, characters whose obsessions drive them to sacrifice all the goodness in their lives. Thus man h as always questioned known ideals and dogmas and has risked his assets in order to get a taste of the unknown even if it involved sin. There has always been an antireligion impulse in man, which writers have brought out like Marlowe did in F austus. Marlowe being from a religious family thus was immediately called a badChristian and an atheist who showed signs of rebellion and a humanist spirit in his writing. n many ways, Marlowes plays typify attitudes in 2enaissance 1ngland. The intellectual and aesthetic rebirth known as the 2enaissance began in taly during the 87th century and, in the ne#t two centuries, spread new ideas throughout 1urope. Three aspects of 2enaissance culture3 "umanism, ndividualism and the ew 5cience figure as prominent themes in Marlowes play.
2eAecting medieval social and religious attitudes, 2enaissance "umanists privileged individual over collective values. "umanism encouraged people to reali4e their happiness and potential in this, the material world, rather than focusing solely on eternal happiness in the afterlife. 0y freeing intellectual inquiry from the confines of theology, a scientific revolution known as the %ew 5cience% took place. The influence of $alileo and Copernicus spread. Thinkers like Francis 0acon, who emphasi4ed the observation of nature over study of traditional writings about nature, developed what we recogni4e today as the scientific method.
Finally, the eras social, political, and economic changes meant that even people without a title or inherited wealth could advance in society. This led to the rise of the strong, ambitious personality
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type that characteri4ed an upwardly mobile 2enaissance individual. Marlowes heroes epitomi4e this character type, aspiring to a greatness that e#tends beyond their current status. This over4ealous ambition often results in ruthless and irrational actions3 they have the power to make their own choices, yet those choices lead to their downfall. n this sense, Marlowes work serves to caution the viewer against this kind of behavior.
n many ways, 2ahn &E;88 declares the 2enaissance as a period of the overachiever, of individuals who aspire for great things which they then struggle to reach. Consider men like 5ir =hilip 5idney or 5ir >alter 2aleigh, admired by their age as courtiers, warriors, and poets. 2enaissance individuals strove for and sometimes attained ambitious goals' 5ir Francis Drake sailed around the world and returned with abundant riches. The period was the first to advance the concept of the selfmade man3 a person could achieve considerable status through his actions, could raise his social standing through ability and d etermination. >hen readers of Machiavellis The $rince and Castigliones The )oo' of the "ourtier reali4ed the important role a persons image played in attaining success, they sought to fashion impressive images for themselves either through actions or fabrication. f Faustus typifies the 2enaissance hero, Doctor Faustus shows the problems with unbridled individualism. Though Faustus has unlimited power, his actions are Auvenile and selfish. "e does no good deed, no charitable action, no feat for the good of his fellow human.
Marlowes first stage success, the twopart Tamburlaine, probably appeared on the -ondon stage in 8/9 or 8/99. t relates the story of the rise to power of a shepherd who uses military and political strength to dominate an empire. Tamburlaine personifies a 2enaissance ideal. The play recounts the story of a selfmade man who achieves greatness not through a birthright or
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inheritance but through skill, determination, and character. The shepherd Tamburlaines success also stems from his Machiavellian attitudes, however. Though the first part of the play ends with him triumphant, the second part concludes with the hero paying the price for his pride. 5till, as an individual, Tamburlaine embodies the e#pansive optimism of 2enaissance society, offering a heroism that fails to acknowledge limitation.
Marlowes ne#t maAor play, The Jew of Malta, appeared in 8/K<. 0arabas, the protagonist, resembles Tamburlaine in his intense desire for wealth and revenge. n representing the struggle between 0arabas, a wealthy Bew, and Maltas Catholic elite, Marlowe offers a world in which values are corrupted by materialism and a ruthless, scheming manner of human relations. n Marlowes day, religious conflict permeated 1nglish society, which viewed Catholics and Bews with suspicion. Though the two plays differ, scholars believe that The Jew of Malta influenced 5hakespeares treatment of similar themes in The Merchant of *enice.
The greatest controversies surrounding Doctor Faustus have turned on the question of orthodo#y' whether the play serves =rotestant theology or subverts it. Ine school of critical thought holds that reformation theology provides dramatic unity of the play. Cole &8KK/ argues that Doctor Faustus is %thoroughly Christian in conception and import%3 pointing out that Faustus sins knowingly, does not repent, and suffers eternal damnation, a plot that in no way controverts Christian doctrine. Ither commentators emphasi4e the humanism of the play, interpreting the character of Faustus as a =romethean image representing the aspirations of the 2enaissance. 6lthough ultimately unsuccessful, the protagonist does revolt against the limitations of sin and death, and by e#tension, against the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. Though seemingly Cole finds the play moralistic, but in my opinion it challenges morality by
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giving man free will to decide his fate and live his life to the full, be it at the cost of the socalled damnation. -ife itself can be heaven or hell like Mephistophilis tells Faustus, thus a hell after death is a vague concept for Marlowe.
n a biographically based interpretation, -evin &8K:8 suggests that Marlowe himself, like Faustus, was an %impenitent and willful miscreant% committed to subverting Christian values. The subversive nature of the play is a common theme of late twentieth century criticism. Many critics now see the drama as raising questions without offering affirmations of either a religious or a humanist nature. >ith the advent of Modernism, we do see a break with the tradition not in literature but also in society. =eople have started questioning and rationali4ing why a thing is believed to be true, when man has constructed all beliefs he believes in. This is what Deconstructionist approach does, and that!s what "umanism, anthropocentricism of the 2enaissance made Marlowe do. Faustus being bored of all known disciplines, argues logically why man who is not without sin inherently, should refrain from sinning and not try overreaching the bounds of knowledge. Divinity doesn!t quench his curiosity to question the e#istence of $od, he must seek answers on his own b y applying magic and befriending the 5atan. This aim in itself is antireligion and atheistic, but still makes us sympathi4e with Faustus.
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%. R6/6ARC) M6T)+D+2+<= This study is Lualitative and revolved around thematic and te#tual analysis of the play
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. 6fter setting background for my topic through introduction and literature review will closely analyse the te#t of the above mentioned play for two things namely' Marlowe!s atheism displayed through the character of Faustus. • The te#t supports antireligion agenda by subtly questioning organi4ed religion • and the e#istence of $od. n fourth chapter will systematically connect Marlowe!s private life and thoughts to Faustus!s character that becomes a mouthpiece for the writer!s own atheism. 5ome Aournals found online will be quoted that have original documents that caused Marlowe to face cap ital punishment, his writings and diaries that were found in his room will also be mentioned. "ence an autobiographical approach will be taken to analyse the play for proving my research statement. Many sources for Marlowe!s life and works have been documented in my paper a with the hope of giving a broader view of his themes and thoughts. 2enaissance as a movement which replaced the Dark 6ges and enlightened man causing him to reali4e his true potential is very important to understand the social and historical conte#t of the play. have elaborated this movement to an adequate length so that my paper sounds and reads coherent and wholesome. The conclusion in chapter Five will summarise my whole research of this aspect of the play under discussion but will leave other avenues open for future researchers who find Faustus as a curious, funny and foolish at the same time. Man will always aspire for new heights like Doctor Faustus did.
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". Marlowe’s life reflects in 'octor (austus
%Contrition, prayer, repentance' what of themJ% Faustus asks, and the qu estion Marlowe wrote for his hero echoed the uncertainty over religious beliefs and practices felt by man y of Lueen 1li4abeths subAects. ndeed, in writing Doctor Fau stus, Marlowe reflected the growing debate among =rotestants that grew progressively more intense at his university during his years there. For unlike I#ford, Cambridge in the later 8/9;s was the battlefield on which the Calvinist and antiCalvinist advocates played out their strategies, and the young Marlowe was surely an impressionable witness. In this scene of religious strife, Marlowe began his Cambridge Nniversity career as a student of divinity at Corpus Christi College in early December 8/9;. "is program in his first year would have involved attending lectures in rhetoric &Luintilian, "ermogenes, and Cicero, preparing lessons for his tutor, studying the Ild and ew Testaments, and attending chapel sermons. Marlowes Doctor Faustus directly engages these controversies. "is plot roughly follows the storyline of the 1nglish Faustbook, but the issues it raises are not discussed in this source. The theological significance of Dr. Faustuss choices can perhaps best be understood by referring to what =erkins himself wrote in a work that grew out of sermons in the 8/K;s, when a fresh outbreak of popular interest in the discovery and detection o f witches would make it a very topical treatment. 6ccording to =erkins, the practice of witchcraft is like the sin in 1den of desiring to become a god, motivated by a longing either to win %credit and countenance amongst men% or, %not satisfied with the measure of inward gifts received, as of knowledge, wit, understanding, memory and suchlike, ... to search out such things as $od
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would have kept secret.% This is what Marlowe d escribes as the %world of profit and delight, If power, of honor, of omnipotence%' his hero wants %to practise more than heavenly power permits.% &=inciss, 8KK<, pp. E7KE:7 6re but obeyd in their seuerall prouinces' 0ut his dominion that e#ceedes in this, 5tretcheth as farre as doth the minde of man. 6 sound Magician is a mighty god' "eere Faustus trie thy braines to gaine a deitie. &lines 99K< Marlowes Faustus is %not satisfied% with the achievements of his education. "ad he been a student at Cambridge, for e#ample, his program of study disputations in divinity on such topics as free will, Austification, and grace3 systematic and analytic sermons on biblical passages3 and the presentation and defense of theseswould have trained him in such matters as $od would not have kept secret from us. To conduct these disputations, analyses, and defenses, the study of logic or dialectics was prescribed in the undergraduate curriculum in the third and fourth years that Marlowe studied in 0.6. 6ristotle was the required te#t3 as Faustus says, he would %live and die in 6ristotles workes% &line
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5weet 6nalytics Qtis thou hast ravish!d meR SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS s, to dispute well, logic!s chiefest endJ 6fford this art no greater miracleJ &line :K 6nd then we see Faustus aspire for higher knowledge, as earthly studies don!t suit his status, he shuns Divinity thinking ?The reward of sin is death@ and that no one!s without sin hence >hat will be shall beJ Divinity, adieuR These metaphysics of Magicians, 6nd necromantic books are heavenly3 SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. 6y, these are those that Faustus most desires, I, what a world of profit and delight, If power, of honour, of omnipotence, &line 7:/E The above quotation from 5cene shows clearly that Faustus wants more than what he has, he wants to be more like an omnipotent $od. "e doesn!t want divinity or 0ible but a book of magic to achieve his aim, and thus be an accomplice of the devil. Thus we see how atheism starts working at the core of this play that challenges $od!s power to magic. Marlowe being from theological studies too was not a hard core Christian but rather a rebel like Faustus. >e see the writer clearly speaking his thoughts through Faustus!s mouth.
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".$ Marlowe>s 3atheist’ and the 3anti-religion’ in Faustus
Gocher &8K7; in his article tells that in a pa per which he laid before the =rivy Council at some time shortly before Marlowe was stabbed to death on May <;, 8/K<, 2ichard ore Marlowe was stabbed to death on May <;, 8/K<, 2ichard 0aines specified a number of blasphemies which he said the dramatist had uttered. Though most scholars today incline to believe the charges true, the circumstances surrounding them remain dark. t will therefore be of some value to show by an e#amination of the 0aines document itself that the whole, or the greater part, of it is nothing more or less than a record of Marlowes share in a single conversation at which 0aines himself or some informant of his must have been present. 6 look at the document will show that if a few relatively minor transpositions are made in the order of the statements attributed to Marlowe, they reveal a progress and transition of ideas which strongly suggest that the course of a single discussion is being traced. The thoughts follow one another with a naturalness of association which seems to preclude their having been either merely fabricated by 0aines or even collected by him from Marlowes actual talk on a number of scattered occasions. Transpositions are necessary where 0aines, setting down the trend of the conversation from memory, remembers a statement after he has passed on from the topic to which it clearly belongs. here reproduce in full the 0aines document,8 indicating before the various statements the order in which believe Marlowe made them'
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?6 note Containing the opinion of on Christopher Marly Concerning his damnable &opini Budgment of 2eligion, and scorn of $ods word, la That the ndians and many 6uthors of antiquity haue assuredly writen of aboue 8: thousand yeares agone wheras &Moyses 6dam is &said proued to haue lived within : thowsand yeares. 8b "e affirmeth that Moyses was but a Bugler that one "eriots being 5ir > 2aleighs man Can do more then he. 8dThat Moyses made the Bewes to travell #l yeares in the wildernes, &which d Borney might haue bin done in lesse then one yeare ere they Came to the promised land to thintent that those who were privy to most of his subtilties might perish and so an everlasting superstition 2emain in the hartes of the people, le That the first beginning of 2eligioun was only to keep men in awe. lc That it was an easy matter for Moyses being brought up in all the artes of the 1giptians to abuse the Bewes being a rude grosse people. Ea That Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest. Ec That he was the sonne of a Carpenter, and that if the Bewes among whome he was borne did Crucify him theie best knew him and whence he Came. That Crist deserved better to dy then 0arrabas and that the Bewes made a good Choise, though 0arrabas were both a thief and a murtherer. That if there be any god or any good 2eligion, then it is in the papistes be cause the service of god is performed with more Cerimonies, as 1levation o f the mass, organs, singing men, 5haven Crownes eta. That all protestantes are "ypocritical asses.@
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f Marlowe made these remarks at one time, they simply cannot be the chance delivery of a chance occasion. 5ome of them, and perhaps the general scheme of the whole, may be traceable to a lost, unpublished, %atheistical% tract written by Marlowe himself. There are several references to the e#istence of one or more such tracts. n 8:7; 5imon 6ldrich, a Cambridge scholar and fellow in the years 8/K< to 8:; and a man of critical and cultured mind in short, a most creditable witness told the Gentish poet "enry I#inden %that Mario who wrot "ero -eander was an 6theist had writ a booke against the 5 cripture, how it was all one mans making, would have printed it but could not be suffered.% Then there is the wellknown declaration assigned to 2ichard Cholmley %that Marlowe told h im that he hath read the atheist lecture to 5ir >alter 2aleigh and others.% The most probable meaning of %read the atheist lecture% is that Marlowe did literally read a manuscript, perhaps the identical one mentioned by 6ldrich, to 2aleighs circle. 5uch diaries were found from his room too for which he was arrested by the 2oyal court for capital punishment. Comparing these blasphemous tracts of written by Marlowe in which religion, Christ, $od and religious figures like Moses have been mocked a t to the blasphemous dialogues of Faustus with the Devil and his playing tricks with the =o pe, ridiculing friars proves that Faustus is actually Marlowe!s mouthpiece. Faustus as learned as Marlowe showed co nceit, pride and insatiable desire for power and an interest in antireligion activities. n 6ct 8scene 8 when Faustus asks Haldes and Cornelius to teach him to conAure, he tells them that ' ?0oth law and physic are for petty wits3 Divinity is basest of three@ &line K/K:
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n 6ct 8 scene < Faustus is shown conAuring the Devil b y making incantations out of religious scripture, he traces a circle on the ground and says' ?>ithin this circle is Behovah!s name, Forward and backward anagrammati4!d, The breviated names of holy saints,@ 6long with playing with names of saints he calls Meph istophilis ugly when he appears and tells him to shape himself into a ?Franciscan friar@, because the holy look suits the devil best. Marlowe is ironically humiliating the monks, clearly antireligion attitude shown here. Mephistophilis tells him that he heard Faustus ?rack the name of $od, abAure the scriptures@ that!s why he flew here to get his soul. Faustus! signing the pact with the devil thus shows rebellion against $od and denial of obedience to holy scripture Aust like Marlowe!s atheistic lectures and blasphemous tracts. Faustus though inside aware of his sin keeps telling himself' ?Despair in $od, and trust in 0el4ebub' SSSSSSSSSSSSSS. The $od thous serv!st is thine own appetite, >herein is fi#!d the love of bel4ebub' To him !ll build a church and an alter@
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5everal other evidences from the te#t show atheistic and antireligion thoughts that Marlowe himself entertained and uttered through Faustus in subtle ways making this play controversial and his life mysterious.
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This study hence concludes that Doctor Faustus is an atheistic play, and has several e#amples of antireligion agenda. Marlowe!s Cambridge years, his mysterious life, his Aob as a spy to the Lueen and his sudden murder pose many questions to his being a very rebellious character in real life as well. o doubt he!s a dramatist of wonderful genius and artistic skill3 he will always be remembered for his literary merit keeping his atheism aside. "e made his characters speak his thoughts3 every writer is influences by his sociopolitical environment and is subAective in his writing displaying spirit of the time. Marlowe!s age was an age of enlightenment, discovery and scientific learning and e#perimentation, that!s what Faustus is fond of. "e aspires for the greatest of knowledge and power, to look beyond this world into the heavens if not through religion then through magic. 5uch a character though is damnable according to organi4ed religion, but is worth sympathi4ing for. Faustus only proved he was human and frail, but his motivation and courage are commendable. >hen religion fails to provide man with answers to his queries then, man finds a way to end his curiosity by other means. 1li4abethan 1ngland ma y fear Faustus! passion but they loved the person in him, a hero in the true sense of the word. Marlowe is only second to 5hakespeare for his characteri4ation is of utmost perfection and the autobiographical element of this play made him all the more interesting. 6theism, agnosticism will always prevail in a world full of hypocrites who call themselves religious, Marlowe at least didn!t pose to be a monk when he was inside an atheist.
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6lchin, -. G. &E;8E, May 8:. Eli+abethan era. 2etrieved from www.eli4abethanera.org.uk
