Dr. Faustus

3 Pages 739 Words

In the last scene, the Devils carry Faustus into Hell after he fails to repent and ask God for forgiveness. The quest or thirst for knowledge leads Faustus on a slow decent into the depths of Hell. In order to understand the criticisms used by Marlow, one must first understand the period in which this piece was composed. Scholars who studied anything but the Bible where regarded as having hubris. Nowadays people view the quest for knowledge as noble and honorable. Intellects and scholars are considered necessary to our society and are usually well respected.

The central criticism used throughout the play emphasizes the idea of an “unhealthy quest for knowledge”. This need for knowledge justifies the reason the whole play. Marlow’s criticism is church friendly, he agrees with the extremely powerful church. When this play was written in 1590, the church controlled everything, and they were the absolute authority. It was common practice in the middle ages that at any coronation, that the Cardinal or Pope would place the crown upon the head of the King or Queen, it was a powerful symbol of how even the power of the King came from God. Marlow had to deal with the intellectually and spiritually confining church. He wrote about what he could which was a religious play.
Marlow sort of acts as the Church’s critic, he ends up condemning Faustus to Hell, after he signs a deal with the devil. The deal says that Faustus will be given twenty fours years of power and delight in exchange for his soul. The Good Angel and Evil Angel argue with Faustus whether or not to sign the pact with Lucifer. This is an example of one of the many chances that the good Doctor is given to repent and serve God. Faustus serves as an example to all watching the play, that you must repent now and throw yourself on the mercy of God. This is a universal teaching of the Church and Marlow was a member of the Church. He would more than likely insert this religiou...