Dr Faustus - interpretation ideas

Humanism (Contextual interpretation)

• Conflict between tradition and Renaissance individualism is central to Doctor Faustus.

• The play blends orthodox Christianity (reminiscent of morality and mystery plays) with Faustus's desire for power over space and time.

• Faustus represents modern man, tragic and torn between traditional faith and self-belief.

• Faustus takes a risk and ends up in hell, adhering to mystery-play conventions.

• The final scene doesn't fully convey that justice has been served, despite Faustus acknowledging his fate.

• The scene hints at fate and freedom at play, suggesting Faustus's dilemma was unavoidable for any imaginative person.

7 Deadly Sins (contextual interpretation)

• The seven deadly sins in Doctor Faustus echo Catholic morality plays popular in Marlowe's time.

• The parade of sins represents Faustus’s mortal vices throughout the play.

• The choral prologue foreshadows Faustus's fate and highlights the sins leading to it.

  • Pride (self-conceit) causes Faustus to overreach.

  • Covetousness and envy drive him to excel in theology disputes.

  • Sin grows from Faustus’s desire to be more than human, leading to a surfeit of knowledge through necromancy.

  • Sloth emerges as he becomes incapable of doing good.

• Act Four turns the seven deadly sins into parodies and comic representations.

  • Faustus himself becomes a parody, symbolizing a fragmented man destroyed by his vices.

• Act Five begins with a feast served by devils, feeding Faustus’s gluttony.

• The appearance of Helen of Troy symbolizes the final stage of Faustus’s damnation.

  • She first appears for Faustus' friends, then again for Faustus alone, representing lechery as the final sin.

• Helen's appearance completes Faustus's damnation, both structurally and symbolically.

Potential Atheism (Religious interpretation)

• Some critics argue that Doctor Faustus contains an atheistic statement.

  • It could be against the contemporary concept of a "monstrous God".

  • It may also critique the harshness of the Calvinist doctrine of predestination.

• The "atheism" in the play is perhaps more sceptical of religious dogma than of faith itself.

• The play questions structured belief systems rather than belief in God.

• It parodies the belief in or fear of supernatural intrusion.

• The play critiques the man-made doctrines and rituals that manipulate people's fear and hold them captive.

Marlowe’s Adaptation of Medieval and Renaissance Elements

• Challenge: Adapting a medieval moralistic plot of religious transgression and damnation to fit the emerging Renaissance ethos focused on new learning and human potential.

• Solution: Combining medieval allegory and morality with Renaissance psychology and naturalism to parody the medieval morality play.

• Outcome: Created a modern protagonist with humanist aspirations relevant to contemporary intellectuals, questioning the ideals of morality that the genre aims to instill.

The Parodic and Subversive Elements in Doctor Faustus

• The play uses a comic sensibility instead of a straightforward moral message, reducing Faustus’s struggle to the "lurid and vulgar" as a strategy for parody.

• Marlowe subverts religious doctrine with a surface of orthodoxy, making it appear traditional but subtly challenging orthodox beliefs.

• The structure and devices of the morality play (e.g., the Chorus) disguise the subversive content, allowing the questioning of orthodoxy to go unnoticed.

The Use of Comedy and Allegory in Doctor Faustus

• Marlowe blends traditional morality play devices (e.g., hell mouth, seven deadly sins, good and bad angels, devils) with subversive British folk humor.

• He overturns the traditional use of comedy in morality plays, where comedy usually serves as a foil for the serious plot, making comedy the main plot and tragedy the sub-plot.

• The play parodies not sin and evil themselves but the attitudes toward sin and evil within social and literary conventions of orthodox morality and tragedy.

The Contradiction in Doctor Faustus's Narrative and Tone

• Barbara Howard Traister: "The play's words and actions do not match."

• Refers to the disparity between Faustus's poetic aspirations and his comedic accomplishments on stage.

• Visual spectacle undermines the narrative plot, poetic tone, and moral structure.

• Dollimore: The morality structure negates the "heroic aspirations of 'Renaissance man'".

Genre Confusion and Comic vs. Tragic Elements

• Doctor Faustus presents a simple medieval morality tale.

• The play could be seen as a Renaissance tragedy due to its focus on knowledge and poetic force.

• The inclusion of comic and parodic material muddles generic coding, weakening the serious tone.

• The comedy undermines both the opening and closing scenes, preventing a consistent tragic or moralistic theme.

Faustus’s Final Hour and Contradictory Expectations

• Faustus's final hour is rooted in the morality tradition but treated comically.

• The hell-mouth leads audiences to expect salvation, as seen in medieval morality plays, but Faustus faces damnation.

• The concept of Calvinist predestination makes damnation more fitting than salvation.

• Faustus is not "Everyman," complicating expectations, as the play uses a historical individual to explore the consequences of endless knowledge-seeking.

• The play mixes multiple genres: historic, tragic, moral, romantic, and comedic, complicating audience expectations.