Dr. Faustus: A Renaissance Man of Conflict

 
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply Doctor Faustus, is an Elizabethan Drama, based on German stories about the title character ‘Faust’. It was probably written in 1592 or 1593, shortly before Marlowe’s death. This drama entails and surrounds the protagonist’s tragic transformation after his major downfall as a tragic hero because he was blinded by the greediness of learning more to achieve the pleasures of wealth and power. The man of scholar has been incapable to have a scholarly vision towards his mischievous course of action.

Conflict is an essential part of a tragedy or a drama as it heightens the effect of the surrounding plot of a drama. Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus represents the conflict between the internal and external and as well the conflict between the Renaissance and the Reformation. Dr. Faustus is the consummation of morality and tragedy and hence, the play portrays the conflict which is pulled by the forces of good and evil. Marlowe is a dramatist of fiery poetic imagination where the characters were personified abstractions of vice or virtues.

In the play, Dr. Faustus, the conflicting status of the protagonist compels him to struggle between hell and grace for conquest in his breast. He is a split character: his conscious self represents the spirit of the Renaissance while his subconscious clings to the principles of the Reformation, that is, the old Christian principles. As a Renaissance man, the passionate desire to learn more and enlighten has deviated his mind towards the study of necromancy, which has been responsible or the sole cause of the tragedy in his life. Magic has ravished his mind as it provides him the omnipotent power to be the super lordship of the world.

From the initial pages of the story, there is an introduction to conflict as symbolized through the constant appearance of Good Angel and Bad Angel. The Bargaining scene is also significant for the conflicts as the blood was congealed during the divine deal between hell and mortal beings. As soon as the pact has been signed and Mephistophilis has become his serviceman, the Renaissance fervor in Faustus declines and the element of Reformation becomes active. Thus, the conflicting mind of Dr. Faustus revolves in and around evil and good, right and wrong, and the hard realities of his realization that he has put himself in the doomed space as a trapped soul. His greed for more knowledge and power has brought in his life a tragic end to his desires and scholarly existence. His soul has been sold to receive supernatural pleasures; however, this pleasure has been experienced at the cost of his tragic end which he realized and repented too late at the end. He remembers God and Christ but Devil twists his tongue, he would weep tears of blood but Devil turns him back. He would revolt against the Devils too late but Mephistophilis threatens to tear him to pieces if he fails to honor the pledge made to Lucifer.

Dr. Faustus struggles to find a moral space due to his immoral decisions and he desperately tries to avoid the snares of death and damnation. The greed and power came at the expense of his sacrifice which couldn’t notice with his excited mind. This conflicting status of his mind is a psychological or spiritual conflict as he was going through the dilemma of damnation and salvation, struggling between his will and conscience. This has been symbolized by Good Angel and Bad Angel. In Act II, Scene 1, there are some instances of his repentance which are as the prick of conscience, a tussle between will and conscience, good and evil, heaven and hell:

Now, Faustus, must thou need be damned. 

And canst thou not be saved. 

What boots it, then, to think of God or heaven? 

Away with such vain fancies, and despair. 

Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub. 

Nay, go not backward, no Faustus be resolute: 

O, something soundeth in mine ears. 

“Abjure this magic, turn to God against?”

Faustus was allured by the excitement of wealth and honor that he has achieved by bargaining with his soul. However, in the Bargaining scene, the conflict was still lingering in his mind. This scene shows the two diverted minds about the course to which he has almost committed himself. He tries to dismiss the idea of repentance which may admit him to the mercy of God because he has already sold his soul and he is damned past redemptions and must abjure hope and embrace despair.

As the act V starts and where old man appears as a symbol of good and divine in him, bursts out before him and an acute mental tension is revealed:

“Where art thou Faustus, wretch what hast thou done. 

Damnd art thou, Faustus, damn’d; despair and die!”

Having mastery over necromancy, Faustus eventually binds or seals his own soul by surrendering himself into the arms of sweet ‘Helen to make Dr. Faustus immortal and here he utters:

“Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss. 

Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies! 

Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again: 

Here will I dwell, for heaven is in those lips. 

And all is dross that is not Helena.” 

However, in the last hour where Faustus is damned to the eternal damnation in hell and where there is no hope of salvation for him. His soul starts shrieking in a very agonizing and torturous manner and in a pathetic mood, he appeals to God in his soliloquy:

“Stand still, you every moving spheres of heaven. 

That time may cease, and mid night never come. 

Fair nature’s eye, rise again. 

Mountains and hills, come, come and fall on me. 

Ugly hell, gape not; come not, Lucifer! 

I’ll burn my books! Ah, Mephistophilis!

The Angels are the external forces guiding Faustus’ decision according to their respective ideologies, thus, representing the conflict between man and society. In act 1.1, the Good Angel and Evil Angel appear on stage and depict the classic battle of good vs. evil in an argument to influence Doctor Faustus’ decision to pursue the art of black magic. Dr. Faustus has got tempted the by pleasures of black art just as Eve has once been tempted by Satan in the form of a serpent. However, eve was ignorant of the knowledge and the repercussions that she had to face, but, Dr. Faustus has self-dug his grave end despite being a scholarly being, the one who has masters of great knowledge and power. The Renaissance passion deviated his mind into the dilemma of his choices which left him in the chaos of understanding whether his actions were right or immoral. There have been appearances of good and bad angels, seven deadly sins, and Mephistophilis and Lucifer to tempt him according to their respective moralities. The split mind of Dr. Faustus fails to identify and justify his unjust deeds after achieving the power of magic. His unpleasant acts of magic have dismantled his piece of happiness in his tragic life. He has suffered from flaws such, as "Hamartia" and "Hubris" as a part of his character's fault and the cause of his tragic downfall. Hamartia refers to the Aristotelian meaning of having an error in judgment, however, hubris refers to excessive pride. Faustus has made a wrong decision and an error to judge between evil and good, moreover, he has also gained many achievements and supernatural powers which developed in his feeling of pride which led him to stay blind towards his unpleasant or unwelcomed tragic end. This conflicting status of his morality has brought chaos both in his exterior and interior world of consciousness. Thus, the zeal and passion of Renaissance desires were achieved by Faustus at the cost of his mortal sacrifice. The dispute between consciousness and unconsciousness, between evil and good, right and wrong, blind and sight, renaissance and reformation, fate and will, zeal and apathy, has begun from a minor decision taken by Faustus and that turned and reflected into a major conflict, he sells his soul to Lucifer to receive twenty-four years of supreme power and it was too late when he desired to repent when the fear of hell grows in him. He has stuck himself in an undefined space from where he can neither turn back to his mortal life nor desire to enter into the devilish world. The conflict between medieval and renaissance values divides the conscious and practical principles of human nature, here, Dr. Faustus has also failed himself at his hands of selfish desires and outwardly pleasures.