Dr. Faustus

Dr. Faustus

Medieval-Renaissance Conflict

The conflict between Medieval ideals and the Renaissance ideals:

• Faustus is caught in the grip of the changing times (Renaissance)

• The medieval world placed God at the center of existence and shunted aside man and the natural world.

Clash of values

According to medieval view of the world, everything revolved around God and religion whereas the Renaissance view put more emphasis on the individual, on classical learning, and on scientific inquiry into the nature of the world.

In the middle ages any attempt or ambition to go beyond the assigned place was considered a great sin of pride.

Medieval ideas

Pride was one of the greatest sins that could be committed. This concept was based upon the fact that Lucifer’s fall was the result of his pride when he tried to revolt against God. Thus, for the medieval person, aspiring pride became one of the cardinal sins. Faustus has a desire for forbidden knowledge. In order to gain more knowledge than he is entitled to, Faustus makes a contract with Lucifer, which brings about his damnation.

Medieval ideas

By the medieval standpoint, Faustus deserves his punishment hence the play is not so much a tragedy as it is a morality play. The ending is an act of justice, when the man who has transgressed against the natural laws of the universe is justifiably punished. The chorus at the end of the drama re-emphasizes this position when it admonishes the audience to learn from Faustus’ damnation and not attempt to go beyond the restrictions

Renaissance

According to the Renaissance view, Faustus rebels against the limitations of medieval knowledge and the restriction put upon humankind decreeing that he must accept his place in the universe without challenging it. He resolves, in full Renaissance spirit, to accept no limits, traditions, or authorities in his quest for knowledge, wealth, and power. He even goes to the extent of selling his soul to Satan in his quest for enlightenment and power.

Renaissance

Because of his desire to go beyond human limitations, Faustus is willing to chance damnation in order to achieve his goals. Faustus, thus, may be considered as a ‘Renaissance Hero’- a hero of the new modern world, a world free of God, religion, and the limits that the medieval ideas had imposed on humanity. Faustus wants to prove that he can become greater than he presently is.

The clash between medieval and Renaissance values is quite ambiguous

These were two very different historical eras with quite different values, One of the reasons for the popularity of his play was that it dramatized the tug-of-war between the admonitions of the church and the exciting possibilities of knowledge suggested by the advance of science and the revival of classical learning. Marlowe’s own attitude toward the clash between medieval and Renaissance values is quite ambiguous. He seems hostile toward the ambitions of Faustus, and keeps his tragic hero squarely in the medieval world, where eternal damnation is the price of human pride.

Oral Expression IV