Monday, 14 November 2016

Critical analysis of Dr. Faustus


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(The Renaissance literature)














NAME                    :-Olakiya Sonal Z.

ROLL NO               :-31

PAPER NO             :-1

 SEMESTER            :-1(one)

 YEAR                     :-2016-2018

EMAIL ID            :-sonalolakiya2405@gmail.com

SUBMITTED         :-Dr.Dillip Barad Dept of Eng.

Smt.S.B Gardi Maharaja Krishnakumar Sinhji Bhavnagar University.

·    Topic:
      Critical analysis of Dr. Faustus
Introduction
             Marlowe is one of the most suggestive figure of the English Renaissance, and great predecessors of Shakespeare’s. He was an out standing figure amongst the university wits. His importance can be judged from the opinion of many critics that Marlow was the model for Shakespeare. Had there beer no Marlow, there would have been no. Shakespeare, Shakespeare learn from Marlow at least two major dramatic techniques. His "Theory of tragedy” and his 'Black verse". He learn the concept of the "Tragic Hero" and “The spiritual Conflict" through which the hero passes from Marlowe’s.

          [1] Dr. Faustus
          [2] King Edward II

          Marlowe was the prime creative force in English literature Marlowe's heroes confront the fates; they are not the sport of destiny. His Edward II was a model before Shakespeare for his historical plays. “Edward II" was the first complete historical play "Dr. Faustus", is the best example of the blending of the morality play and spiritual tragedy. The tragic lamentation of Dr. Faustus immediately before his, death is an unparalleled example. of spiritual conflict in the soul of the tragic hero.

“Was this the face that launched thousand ships, and burnt?
The topless toothless of ill sweet Helen make me immortal with at kiss
Come Helen come give me my soul again Here will I dwell, for
Heaven is in these lips."
Thus Marlowe the most powerful member of the university wits laid down the strong foundation on which English drawn was bruits on in the ages to come.

  Marlow's famous for four dramas.

1. Tamburlaine
2. Dr. Faustus
3. The Jew of Malta.
4. Edward II




 Title

Although we know it today by its short name doctor Faustus the full title of the play when it was first printed in 1604 was the tragic all histories of doctor Faustus.
          Now consider the title of the chapbook that was Marlowe’s probable source for his play "The Histories of the damnable life and deserved death of doctor john Faustus ". It is a mouthful right? It seems that England just kept getting shorter and shooter as time passed and boy are we grateful.
          It should be short, simple and meaningful and suitable for play.


   Plot and subplot

          Christopher Marlow's Famous Play “Doctor Faustus" is by Aristotle's definition a tragedy along with the tragic plot main plot of the play there is a comic, less serious subplot as well. This essay will aid to show how the tragic main plot of doctor Faustus interacts with this plays humorous subplot. The relation between the two plot, and how the occurrence of this subplot makes the play even more tragic.
          As a prologue, the chorus tells us what type of play "doctor Faustus". It isn't about war and courtly love, but about Faustus, who was born of lower class parents. This can be seen as different from the medieval tradition. Faustus held a lower status then kings and saints but his story is still worth telling. It gives an introduction to his wisdom and abilities, most remarkably in academia, in which he excels so greatly that he is awarded a doctorate. During this opining, we also get our first clue to the source of Faustus's downfall. Faustus's tale is compared to the sun and fell to his death when the sun melted his waken wings. This is certainly a hint to Faustus's end as well as bringing to our attention the ideal of excessive pride which is represented in the story of Icarus
          In the play doctor Faustus reaches his downfall  because he attempts to reach beyond what he is capable of achieving in the opening of the play, Faustus comments that he has reached the ends of every subject he has studied he appreciated logic's being a tool for arguing; medicines being undervalued unless it allowed raising the dead immortality; laws being upstanding and above him divinity as useless because he feels that all humans commit sin, and to have sins punishable by death complicates the logic of Divinity.  He dismisses it as "what doctrine call you this? Que sear, which Spanish for "what will be, shall be".

                                                                                                            
 Themes

          Theme's means central idea of the play.
          Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
[Sin, Redemption, and Damnation]
          Insofar as doctor Faustus is a Christian play, it deals with the themes at the heart of Christianity understanding of the world. First, there is the idea of sin, which Christianity defines as arts contrary to the will of god. In making a part with Lucifer. Faustus commits what is in a sense the ultimate sin; not only does he disobey god, but he consciously and even eagerly renounces obedience to him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the devil.

[Pride / Hubris]
          The major theme of Dr. Faustus is the pride which goes before a fall. Faustus sin in not his practice of necromancy but his denial of god's power and majesty.
·      His pride is the source of his damnation all the other sins committed by him are various aspects of the sin of pride.
·      Even his despair in the last scene of the play is another aspect of his pride because it prevents him.

[Quest for knowledge]
·      He examines all the orthodox branches of knowledge and finds them wanting.
·      He chose magic, for it promises a world of profit and delight of power of honor, of omnipotence.

[Quest for power]
·      A desire to be 'omnipotent' or 'demigod'
·      Faustus power exists more in his imagination than in fact.
·      Faustus power is illusory, since at each stage he depends upon Mephistophilis.
·      When He performs magic, the audience gets the impression that he is a practical joker or a court entertainer.

[The Divided Nature of Man]
          Faustus is constantly undecided about whether he should repent and returns to god of continue to follow his pact with Lucifer. His Internal struggle goes on throughout the play as part of him of wants to do good and serve god, but part of him lusts after the power that mephistophilis promises. The good angel and the evil. Angel both of whom appears at Faustus's shoulder in order to arge him in different directions, symbolize this struggle. While these angels may be intended as an actual of supernatural beings, they clearly represent Faustus's divided will, which compels Faustus to commit to Mephastophilis but also to question this commitment continually.

 Symbol
          Symbol are object, characters figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
[Blood]
          Blood plays multiple symbolic roles in the play, when Faustus signs away his soul, he signs in blood, symbolizing the permanent and supernatural nature of this fact. His Blood congeals on the page however, symbolizing; perhaps, his own body's revolt against what he intends to do. Meanwhile Christ's blood, which Faustus says he sees running across the sky during his terrible last night, symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus, according to Christian belief made on the cross, this sacrifice opened the way for humankind to repent its sins and be saved Faustus of course, in his proud folly, fails to take this path to salvation.

Faustus's Rejection of the Ancient Authorities
          In Scene 1, Faustus goes through a list of the major fields of human knowledge logic, medicine, law, and theology and cites for each an ancient authority. he then rejects all these figures in favor of magic. This rejection symbolizes Faustus's break with the medieval world, which prized authority above all else, in favor of a more modern spirit of free inquiry in which experimentation and innovation trumps the assertions of Greek philosophers and the Bible.

 The Good Angel and Evil Angel
          The angles appear at Faustus's shoulder early an in the play the good angel urging him to repent and serve  god, the evil angel urging him to follow his heist for power and serve Lucifer. The two symbolize his divided will, part of which wants to do good and part of which is sunk in sin.
 
Conclusion
                  Faustus was indeed a tragic hero. Many scholars and literary experts may debate that, because this play was written in the renaissance, Christopher Marlowe intended the Doctor Faustus be seen as a martyr trying to attain that which was forbidden to man in a time when doing so was the noble things to do. To begin with, he feels that he can justify his turning to witchcraft and necromancy by his gaining of all other knowledge. He also is a tragic hero because of his methods of using his new power. Finally, he proved his tragic nature by trying to move above and beyond the limitations set by god himself Faustus knew he had to abide by certain laws and rules that god set aside for all of mankind.
          However, because he was suborn, ignorant and blind he refused to see that he was never truly damned until he was drug by the devils into the heart of hell itself.
                                                                                                                  
(critical essay)
critical essay. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/topics/faustus/critical-essays

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