Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus Essays -- The Life and Death of D

From the outset of Marlowes play Doctor Faustus, it is clear thatFaustus is a man who is unwilling to accept the limitations of humanknowledge. In seek to become more than a man, with no regard forthe spiritual consequences, he becomes an example to the religiousaudience of Marlowes time of what happens when a man pursuesknowledge undeterred by moral boundaries.From the outset of the play, Faustus appears to be driven by his impulse for knowledge. The chorus introduces him as gluttedwithlearnings golden gifts, and led by his desire to further expand hisknowledge he surfeits upon cursed necromancy. Here, I noticed thatimagery connected with food and overindulgence is used to illustratethe scholastic gluttony that seems to control Faustus actions, asthough by learning he were feeding a hunger. His own words at thebeginning of the play, which are interspersed with the names of workshe has studied and phrases in foreign languages, immediately have a bun in the ovenhis strongly academic nature. Showing the importance Faustus attachesto learning, his first request of Mephastophilis is for knowledgerelating to the whereabouts of hell, and he later continues toquestion the demon on astrology and philosophical issues. He alsoreceives a number of books from both Mephastophilis and Lucifer, whichhe vows to keep as chary as my life, and uses his twenty four old agebefore damnation to continue his studies, seeking to provecosmography and becoming renowned for his learned skill as hisfame spread forth in every land. Born from parents of base stockand rising to greatness beyond the normal scope of man, I think thatFaustus could be seen as a Renaissance hero were it not for themisdirecti... ...icconsequences of his actions. This is reinforced by the judgement ofthe chorus, who provides the moral framework with which the audienceis encouraged to cod Faustus. I think that the prologue and epilogue,features of Morality Plays, are particularly important in ensuringthat the au dience is given the intended impression of the centralcharacter, whose fate, the chorus insists at the plays closing, isdeserved due to his acting on the desire to practice more thanheavenly power permits.When Faustus is finally dragged away to hell at the close of histwenty four years of demonic power, he serves as a reminder toMarlowes audience of what happens to those who disobey God.Essentially therefore, I agree that the plays message concerns thedangers, in this case spiritual, that a thirst for knowledge poseswhen coupled with a lack of morality.