Assignment of The Renaissance Literature : Dr Faustus as a man of action leading towards tragedy.

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Name : Gohil Jyotiba M. 

Paper no : 1 : The Renaissance Literature 

Assignment Topic : Dr Faustus as a man of action leading towards tragedy 

Roll No : 18

Email ID : jyotibagohil96@gmail.com 

Submitted to : Smt. S.B.Gardi.Department of English 

Dr Faustus as a man of action leading towards tragedy:

                       

● Introduction :

' The Tragical History of doctor Faustus ' was a play written by Christopher Marlow.  The name of the play is telling about itself that it is a tragedy of Dr Faustus. We can also say that he was a man of action who responsible for his tragical death.

 ●       Dr Faustus First take one decision to doing magic .one by one he examines the branches of higher learning as they were organised in the universities of his day philosophy,  medicine, law and theology.  One by one the feats of secular learning were rejected because he was not satisfied with their end and he was demandable but his demand has clearly to be understood.  He doesn't pursue knowledge for power , super human power , the power of life and death. His fundamental grievances is :

   " Yet art thou still but Faustus and a man ."

         He was very dissatisfied with his human status, he rebles against human limitations.  He would like to have the power to make men live eternally and the power to bring the dead person to live back. He rejecting divine learning.

         The superficial logic by which Faustus rejects the scriptures and divinity is in itself.He thinks of study of magic makes a great appeal to him. Magic will bring him not only wealth but power and glory.  He thinks that magic will enable him to extend his authority as far as the mind of Man can go.

         So at that time Good angel and Evil angel appear and good angel told Faustus to not read the book of black magic but to study the scriptures but the Evil angel encourage Faustus to study black magic to become powerful on the earth as God is in the sky . So with that he told Faustus that after this he become equal powerful as God .

        After warning of Good angel Dr Faustus didn't understand so he thinks about the power and pleasure that will be able to enjoy by magic. Though he was warn by Good angel:

" O , Faustus, lay that demandable book aside,

  And gaze not on it , lest it tempt thy soul,

  And heap God's heavy wrath upon thy head!

  Read , read the scriptures : that is blasphemy. "

So he didn't get the things of good angel he aware him to not doing magic . So Faustus thinks about the things that he wants to doing for his country.

" I 'll have them fly to India for Gold ,

  Ransack the ocean for orient pearls,

  And search of all corners of the new -           found world ,

 For pleasant fruits and princely delicates."

   So he wants to bring Gold from India , pearls from ocean and delicious fruits from all corners of new world . He will make spirits read to him the strange philosophy and tell him the secrets of foreign kings .so he wants to make his country rich by getting more knowledge.

  So he tells valdes and cornelius that their advice to practice magic has proved effective. At that time they both encourage Faustus to doing this thing . Valdes telling about that spirit that they will bring great treasure to him from America. Sometime they will appear before him as lovely and beautiful women . So with this description of spiritual things and their power make Faustus Lusty for power and he tells cornelius and valdes to give him some magical demonstration to call up the spirit in order to enjoy these pleasure.

  Then Dr Faustus call mephistophilis. It was beginning of his fall. Though he was warned by Good angel but he didn't understand the things. So with the action of calling Evil spirit  mephistophilis his fall down starting.

  Faustus didn't afraid of the ugly shape of mephistophilis but he tells him to go back and change his shape into holy appearance.

" Go and return an old franciscan friar,

  The holy shape becomes a devil best."

  Faustus  feels very happy at the devil's compliance with his order . Faustus was pleased with mephistophilis's obedience and humanity and call himself a " conjuror laureate ". Faustus wants to mephistophilis to serve him during his whole life and to carry out all his commands. Then mephistophilis tells him that he was a servant of great lucifer and without his order he can not full fill his wish. Then mephistophilis explain about Lucifer that he was a chief ruler and commander of devil spirit. He was once an angel and dearly loved by God. He fell from heaven because of his aspiring pride and insolence.  So knowing these thing about Lucifer. Dr Faustus didn't understand the thing that he was doing wrong thing.

   Faustus asked mephistophilis to go and tell Lucifer that Faustus is willing to surrender his soul to him. On the condition that Lucifer will spare him for "TWENTY AND FOUR " years.

"  Say ,he surrenders up to him his soul ,

   So he will spare him four and twenty years. "

   Then he asked mephistophilis and put  the condition that let him live a life of passionate pleasures with you to attend on me whenever I ask you , to kill my enemies , to help my friends and always be obedient to my wishes.

" Had I as many souls as there be

  Stars , 

   I 'd give them all for mephistophilis." 

  So Dr Faustus was  a Lusty man , lust for power , lust for wealth, lust to became great than God. Because of this lust he was ready to give his soul to Lucifer. He didn't understand the thing. During the time when Faustus in his study room he thinks about the God and heaven but he try to dismiss his foolish thought from his mind . He trys to make his self strong and says himself to give up all hope from the God and put his faith in the Belzebub the devil.

  At this time his inner voice trys to show a right way to give up this magic and moving towards the God. But he didn't hear his inner voice and stars blaming to God that God doesn't love him. He was so against of God that he will ready to build an altar and a church for worship of Evil and for that he will kill new born babies in order to offer their lukewarm blood.

" Good Angel : Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable art,

   Sweet Faustus, think of heaven and heavenly things."

  So with this thing  he doesn't realise the real thing and then Good angel and Evil angel comes again. Good angel urges him to think about heaven and heavenly things and Evil angel tempts him with promise of honor and wealth by this he excites Faustus 's greed. So he didn't listen Good angel and take the side of Evil angel.

  Mephistophilis appears and tells Faustus that Lucifer has agreed to buy his soul on the condition which already put down by Faustus. Mephistophilis told Faustus to sign a bond with his blood but at  that time Faustus 's blood congealed and he can't write. At that time Faustus was puzzled. Where should he run away? But he thinks that God will not accept him. Mephistophilis immediately brings some burning coals on which Faustus dissolves his blood and complete the bond with his signature.

Faustus  recovering his self confidence and he decides not to run away .Faustus there upon reads out the terms of bond by which he will command the service of mephistophilis for twenty and four years at the end of which Lucifer will have full power to take away Faustus 's " Body And Soul , Flesh , Blood, All goods." Whenever he pleases. So Faustus ready to give his soul at the end of twenty-four years.

  Before sign the bond Faustus experience a mental conflict which shows that his conscience is neither dead nor  sleep . The congealing the of Faustus 's blood and the inscription that on his arms are also important. The congealing blood shows that as Faustus himself says his blood or his soul is unwilling that he should sign the unholy contract.

  Faustus next asks for wife because as he puts it he can't live without wife. Mephistophilis refused to get a wife for Faustus. Mephistophilis offers him an alternative namely mistress.  He promises to make available to him any woman whom he likes be she as faithful as was panel ope. Even as wise as queen of sheba. He also gives Faustus a book of magic by means of which Faustus will be able to get great power not only over human being but over the element. This book contains all the knowledge that Faustus desires to acquire.

   After few years Faustus once again shown to us experiencing a mental conflict. When he thinks of heaven, he repents of his contract with Devil. He wants repent of his sins but he finds that his sins have so hardened his heart that repentance was impossible. But he was still torn between the pleasure of magic and the desire of repentance.

  The twenty-four years of Faustus 's life of power and pleasure are now drowing to close .he realise that his end is near .Faustus 's essential humanity is drawing our attention to his genuine friendship towards the scholars who are greatly attached to him.it because of this feeling Faustus stress to use his magic power to call Helen whom beauty the scholar and Faustus like to see.

  Faustus 's inner conflict has always been going on in his mind .but he want to enjoying the power and the pleasure which this magic made available to him. He expresses a desire to have Helen as his ' paramour ' and Mephistophilis  fulfils his desire. Faustus Faustus is now in a state  of ecstasy to see Helen 's beauty.He kisses her and thinks that this kiss has  made him immortal. He would like to dedicate himself to Helen and re-enact the war of Troy in order to prove his love for her . He considered her brighter than was the ' flaming Jupiter '

  An old man urges Faustus to repentance but Faustus derives him away and again exclaims rapturously about Helen 's beauty but time was  growing short , Faustus tells scholars about his pact and horror stricken and tell him to pray for him. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty and four years. Faustus was overcome by fear and remorse and he starts to beg for mercy but it was too late for him but he urges for repentance.

" Stand still, you ever -moving spheres of heaven,

  That time may cease, and midnight never come ;

  Fair Nature 's eye, rise, rise again,  and make

  Perpetual day; or let this hour be but

  A year , a month, a week , a natural day,

  That Faustus may repent and save his soul."

 Faustus want to save his soul .He want to repent for his sin .twenty and four years were completed and it was a time when Mephistophilis take his soul into hell .he says that he want this hour change into year , a month , a week and at least a single natural day for his repentance and save his soul. He told that he want to drown up like foggy mist. Mountain and hills fall on him and hide him from heavy wrath of heaven.

  " It strikes , It strikes ! Now , body turn to air ,

   Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to he'll !

   O , soul be Chang'd into small water drops,

And fall into the ocean , ne'er be found! "

   He was ready to live in a hell for thousand and hundreds thousand years if at last he will be save . He want to turn into small water drops and fall into the ocean that will never be found. He can't repent because it was too late and at the mid night a host appeared  and carried his soul to hell. So he meet tragical death.

● Conclusion  :

        Faustus was a tragic hero and he presents himself. In the play is solid evidence for this. He was a man of action who was responsible for his own tragical death. He many times warned by Good angel and old man but he never realise that he moving towards wrong and devilsh path which ultimately give him pain but he was so Lusty for getting power and wealth and want to become superior as God. So with this lust leads him towards his tragical end of his life .so we can say that Faustus was a man of action  with his wrong actions leads him towards his tragical fall.

Work sited : 

Dr Faustus : original text