Renaissance Elements in 'DoctorFaustus'

The Renaissance man was fascinated by new learning and knowledge. He took allknowledge to be
his province. He regarded knowledge to be power. He developed aninsatiable thirst for further
curiosity, knowledge, power, beauty, riches, worldly pleasuresand the like. The writer of this age
represented their age in their work. Marlowe is thegreatest and truest representative of his age. So
the Renaissance influence is seen in everyone of his plays. Dr. Faustus represents the Renaissance
spirit in various ways.

Thirst For Knowledge/Intellectual Curiosity

The most important desire of the Renaissance man finds expression in Dr. Faustus.He has an
unequalled thirst for knowledge and power to be acquired with the help of thatknowledge. In the
very beginning of the play Dr. Faustus is found considering theimportance of various subjects which
he may study. He has already studied various subjectsat the universities and impressed scholars with
his knowledge. After considering the relativeimportance of various subjects as - Logic, Metaphysics,
Medicine, Law and Theology - heconcludes that they can give knowledge but no power. He remarks,

Yet art thou still but

Faustus, and a man’.

 So he decided to study the "Metaphysics of Magician" and regarded

 “necromantic books as heavenly". With the help of this knowledge he wants to acquirepower and
become “as powerful as Jove in the sky”.

There was an intellectual curiosity during the Renaissance. The new discoveries inscience and
developments in technology went beyond mere material advances. It was ayouthful age to which
nothing seems impossible. Before the European, this period opened a

new world of imagination. All these things stirred men’s imagination and led t

hem to believethat the infinite was attainable. In Dr. Faustus, Marlowe has expressed such ideas,
whenFaustus says:

O, what a world of profit and delight,

Of power, of honour, of omnipotence,

Is promised to the studious artisan!

 
All things that move between the quiet poles

Shall be at my command.

Wealth And Exploration

The Renaissance man desired wealth and worldly pleasures. After his agreement withthe Devil he
would have spirits at his command to do whatever he liked. He would like themto bring gold from
India, pearls from oceans and delicacies from every part of the world. Inthis way he would have a
lot of power and wealth to enjoy worldly pleasures. Like the Renaissance man Dr. Faustus wanted to
travel across the world. So with the help ofMephistopheles he traveled to distant countries. And

He views the clouds, the planets and the stars

The tropes, zones, and quarters of the sky

From east to west his dragons swiftly glide.

Love Of Beauty

Besides having love of knowledge, power, worldly pleasures Dr. Faustus has theRenaissance love of
beauty, so he wanted to have a wife the fairest maid that is inGermany. As he wanted to see the
most beautiful woman in the world, he conjured thevision of Helen. He expressed his feeling of great
delight in the following words

Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?

And burnt the topless tower of Ilium.

Disregard For The Authority Of The Pope

The Reformation was a companion movement of the Renaissance. The Protestantschallenged the
authority of the Pope and disregarded him. Dr. Faustus not only disregardedthe Pope and the
Bishops, when he stayed in Pope's place, but gave him a box on the ear.He also made fun of bishops
because he pointed that they were interested in only bellycheer.