Consider “Doctor Faustus” as a morality play.
Doctor Faustus is a notable literary work by Christopher Marlowe. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Doctor Faustus.
Answer
Consider “Doctor Faustus” as a morality play.
Christopher Marlowe’s (1564-1593) “Doctor Faustus” (written in 1592 or 1593) is not just a tragedy but also a morality play. A morality play is a type of drama from the medieval period that teaches moral lessons about right or wrong. These plays often show the struggle between good and evil characters. “Doctor Faustus” has many features of a morality play. This play teaches the moral lesson that greed, pride, and disobedience to God can lead to destruction.
The Struggle Between Good and Evil: One of the most important elements of a morality play is the battle between good and evil. In “Doctor Faustus,” this struggle is shown through the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. The Good Angel represents the path of God. When Faustus decides to practice necromancy for unlimited power and knowledge, the Good Angel warns him.
“O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside.”
The Evil Angel, on the other hand, tempts Faustus to continue with magic and sin. These two angels symbolize Faustus’s conscience. It shows Faustus’s struggle to choose between good and evil.
Human Weakness: Morality plays often have a central character who represents human weakness. In “Doctor Faustus,” Faustus represents human weakness. He ignores warnings and chooses the path of the devil. He chooses to learn magic and defy God. He says:
“A sound magician is a mighty god.”
Faustus is a learned scholar, but his greed for knowledge and power leads him to sell his soul to Lucifer. His pride and greed for power led to his tragic death. This play becomes a perfect morality play because Faustus’s downfall teaches the audience that human desires should have limits.
Seven Deadly Sins: In traditional morality plays, the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Covetousness (Greed), Wrath, Envy, Lechery (Lust), Gluttony, and Sloth—play an important role. In “Doctor Faustus,” Lucifer entertains Faustus by showing him a parade of the Seven Deadly Sins. Faustus enjoys watching them. However, he does not realize thatUnlock this study guide now