Dr. Faustus “As Tragic Hero"
One of the greatest contributions of Marlowe in the development
of English tragedy is the concept of a tragic hero. Marlowe was the first
playwright in England to realize that a tragic action must have its origin in
the mind of the character. Marlovian tragedy is significant due to its newness, Renaissance influence,
Machiavellian morality, powerful and passionate expression, element of tragic
inner conflict, tragic hero, popular literary type, high seriousness, bombastic
language and blank verse.
Before Marlowe, there was no convention of a tragic hero in the
early English plays, e.g. “Moralities and Miracles” of the
pre-Elizabethan age. Even in his contemporaries and in the writers of early
tragedies, there was no awareness of any such need. Hence, Marlowe was
the first to introduce such titanic and secular minded characters as
his heroes, like Tamburlaine, Barabas and Faustus. Thus:
“Liberating English tragedy, Marlowe widened its scope.”
Marlowe introduces ordinary persons as the heroes in his
tragedies. He picks up day-to-day themes and in accordance to these themes, he
selects commonplace persons as his heroes. However, these persons are distinct
in their respected groups because of their special qualities. As Barabas is an
ordinary moneylender, Tamburlaine is a shepherd, while Faustus is an ordinary
scholar in divinity. Hence, Marlowe makes his tragedy the story of everyone.
According to the Greeks, a tragic hero is a conspicuous man, such as king and
princes, falling from prosperity to adversity. But Marlowe’s hero struggles
against the hostile forces. Thus he brings the drama out of the forte.
“Marlowe’s heroes reflect the struggle of a brave soul”.
His protagonists have a towering personality, who play the most
dominant role, rising head and shoulders high above all the minor characters
and attain a titanic stature of a superman size. They are just like Gulliver
amongst the various Lilliputians. In “Dr. Faustus”, Faustus is the only figure
focused throughout the play and “The Jew of Malta” focuses the “Jew”
everywhere. Hence, hero is the sole interest of Marlowe’s play. However,
Shakespeare takes much care of his minor characters too.
Maarlovian heroes are ambitious and passionate men with their
great but limited capabilities. But they want to fly high in the sky. He
desires:
“His waxen wings did
mount above his reach.”
He wants to hold the
powers of the world. He says:
“All things that move between the quiet poles
shall be at my command”.
Their passion urge them to undertake mighty actions; even they
violate all the accepted moral codes. They are terribly inclined to evil.
Faustus wants to attain the highest power of Omnipotence, even at the cost of
God and religion. He says:
“Divinity adieu: These metaphysics of magicians and necromantic
books are heavenly.”
He further thinks:
“A sound magician is a mighty God: Here Faustus tire thy brain
to gain a deity.”
Another great contribution of Marlowe is that he interiorized
the drama. Greek tragedies and the Pre-Elizabethan dramas focus at the outer
conflict of the protagonists, with the forces of nature or destiny. But Marlowe
introduces both inner as well as outer conflicts in the minds of his heroes.
The minds of his heroes are generally tom off between two extremes. In “The Jew
of Malta” and “Tamburlaine”, the conflict is mainly external but in Dr. Faustus
it is most of the time internal. The object of the author is to delineate the
psychological conditions of Faustus, though Faustus wants to repent yet he has
to carry on his passions as well:
“Ay, and Faustus will turn to God again,
To God? He loves thee not”
All of the heroes of Marlowe also reflect the zealous spirit of
renaissance. They are embodiments of Machiavellian ideals.
Renaissance is famous for adventure, ambition, extremely
individualistic approach, sensuous pleasure and the longing for infinite power
and knowledge. And Marlovian protagonists are true representatives of these
qualities. They are self-made individuals, working at cross ends with the world
for personal benefits. Marlowe presents three basic of his age in his three
well renowned and genuine heroes. In this regard, Tamburlaine strives for universal
power, The Jew runs after infinite riches while Doctor Faustus longs for
universal knowledge. All these thing are unattainable yet fascinating. Hence,
Faustus says:
“O what a world of profit and delight,
Of power, of honour, of omnipotence,
Is promised to the studious artizan!”
Marlovian heroes are the portraits of the author himself.
Marlowe himself held renaissance spirit and was fascinated by the various
ambitions of this age. Therefore, he portrayed his own passions and ambitions
in his heroes. Shakespeare did not project himself in his heroes, but Marlowe
did it successfully but they are not the thorough picture of Marlowe himself.
His heroes are very prominently the mouthpiece of their author in their poetic
expressions. Dr. Faustus of all Marlowe’s heroes is the most poetic with his
passionate love of beauty and yearning for sensuous pleasure. He says:
“Was this the face
that launched thousand ships,
And burnt the topless
towers of Ilium!
Sweet Helen makes me
immortal with a kiss”.
Another major characteristic of Marlovian heroes is that they are very
skeptical and anti-dogmatic. They do not hold any regard for social norms and
values confronting their policies. They are irreligious and even atheisticall
in their views.
Faustus is also
anti-religious and says:
“Never name God, or to
pray to him,
To burn his
scriptures, slay his ministers,
And make my spirits
pull his churches down.”
He also holds an
opinion:
“That holy shape becomes a devil best.”
Marlowe’s major characters also do not believe in matrimonial
bliss or marriage e.g., when Mephistophilis tells Faustus about marriage, he
says:
“Tut, Faustus, Marriage is but a ceremonial toy.”
Another important characteristic of Marlovian heroes is that they
meet their death because of their over ambitiousness. As in “The Jew of Malta”
Barabas dies because of his excess lust for wealth and this lust leads him to
his death.
“Die, life! Fly, soul! Tongue, curse thy fill,
and die!”
And same is the case
with Faustus, he says:
“My God, my god, look not so fierce on me!
Adders and serpents, let me breath a while!
Ugly hell, gap not! Come not, Lucifer!
I’ll burn my books! – Ay, Mephistophilis!”
We can conclude that Marlowe conceives his heroes as ordinary
men, capable of great qualities, raise to high position, because of their over
ambitiousness and their insurmountable ambition brings their fall and doom.
Thus, we can say that Faustus suffers from his fall because of his
unconquerable will and unrelenting ambition
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