Bhavya Mahajan

Roll no. 1561

B.A. English (Honours)

Critically argue whether Doctor Faustus is a morality play or renaissance tragedy.

In spite of many uncertainties about Doctor Faustus, most baffling is an attempt to determine a date
when it was written. Marlowe was killed on 30 May 1593, so the probability of the date is around twelve
months before his death i.e. in year 1592. The earliest known performances of Dr. Faustus were
between the years 1594 - 1598. The first copy of the play was printed by Thomas Bushell in 1601, both
printing and performances in theatre contributed in reaching masses and raising radical questions
among them about supremacy of God, presence of God in creation, boundaries of knowledge and power
and much more which only renaissance men could ask. The play is combined from both text –A which
was published in 1604 which is more sparse and grimmer and text –B which is revised and extended
version of A. Marlowe writes the play on the basis of Faustus legend, in the play scholarly Faustus
desires to go beyond the realm of sanctioned knowledge, hence signs the blood pact with Lucifer for
which he would be given 24 years during which “... Faustus may be a spirit in form and substance.
Secondly, that Mephostophilis shall be his servant, and at his command. Thirdly, that Mephostophilis
shall do for him, and bring him what soever. Fourthly, that he shall be in his chamber or house invisible.
Lastly, that he shall appear to the said John Faustus at all times, in what form or shape so ever he
please...” these conditions would be fulfilled by the Devil. Classifying Doctor Faustus as either morality
play or renaissance tragedy is subtle. To precisely understand a text, we must know about the grammar
of the text i.e. its social and political context in which it was written.

In medieval period, there were three forms of drama – mystery, miracle and morality .The last one to
emerge was morality play. Hardin Craig wrote in the article ‘Morality Plays and Elizabethan Drama’, 1950
“Morality plays lack personal motivation or inward struggle. In the tight form of morality play, the hero
is not an individual but a symbol of humanity as a whole thus the hero proceeds on the highway of life
usually accompanied by certain abstract virtues (the one which are personified) at a certain points. He is
met by the figures of various abstract vices that represent temptations... Salvation comes by its only
road, the road of grace”. The central character is identified by names such as Mankind, Humanum Genus
or Everyman. These plays were not dependent upon the biblical stories or historical event, they were
wholly fictional, though never went beyond the Christian doctrine, articulating the principal of sin and
salvation. Battle for the soul of mankind between God and Devil is central to the plays; man had to
actively choose God over Devil. Bevington, wrote in Medieval Drama,1975“The Morality plays thus
became the chief dramatic link between medieval stage and Shakespearean”. So working as link we can
say that it has emerging characteristics of renaissance tragedy, where as the morality aspect works as
residual one. The play ends with death of doctor Faustus, theme stated by chorus are some elements of
morality tradition.

With renaissance (primarily rebirth of Greek and Roman culture) came humanism and individualism.
Humanism is a social philosophy which grants primacy to personal independence and expression of
individual, according to it an individual is capable of appreciating worldly pleasure including good music,
taking pleasure in beauty, going back to art and culture and also appreciating body. Coming to
individualism, it propagates sense of self, uniqueness and determination. In renaissance drama (plays
from 16th century onwards), soliloquy was an important attribute. It is the inner landscape of the
pschycomachia of the morality plays, unlike the traditional monologue, in other words it is not
addressed to another character or audience. It is a dramatic device of the renaissance idea of human –
self as a free agent who can determine. The play begins and ends with the soliloquy of doctor Faustus
(“... yet art thou still but Faustus and a man ...”). The central character of the play is an individual which
doesn’t represent the whole mankind but the only self of Faustus, his deeds, his desires, his ambition
and his end. In the prologue where chorus works as mediator between the protagonist and the
audience, declares Faustus as an individual breaking the morality tradition saying“... and this the man
that in his study sits!.”

Defining ‘tragedy’ is near to impossible, because the word has constantly meant different at different
times. Philosophers such as Aristotle, Hegel, and many others have tried to define it according to their
contemporary times. Aristotle writes in the Poetics that tragedies must represent a complete
seriousness, and important action that rouses and then purges (by catharsis) fear and pity in the
spectators, with a central character who moves from happiness to misery through some fatal flaw
(hamartia). Faustus can be an individual but we as audience or reader could easily relate to his desire to
know more, all the questions he ask Mephostophilis are such, that we too being renaissance human
wanted to explore, like”... where is the place that man call hell?”,”...why dost thou think that Faustus
shall be damn’d?”,”...who made the world?” and many other questions about idea of God and the idea
of religious world that doesn’t provide us with morality framework. Even after raising radicals questions
eventually he ends up entertaining as conjurer in the imperial courts, playing tricks over Pope, gaining
material benefits, and finally giving himself in sexual pleasures. Sir Walter Greg, 1946 essay, he had
argued that...” in making Helen his paramour Faustus commits the sign of demoniality i.e. bodily
intercourse with Helen.” Helen represents lechery which is the last sins in contemporary Gregonan
order. These actions make us wonder is this is why Faustus has sold his soul to Lucifer. He had paid a
heavy amount desiring intellectual knowledge but gaining almost everything other than that. When the
play ends Faustus is not saved by God and his soul goes to Lucifer, making this play as renaissance
tragedy.

Doctor Faustus is a jagged text in which medieval belief of morality play gradually becomes residual and
renaissance humanism tries to become dominant.

Bibliography
 Christopher Marlowe’s doctor Faustus edited by Suroopa Mukherjee
 Critical essays by Robert n. Watson ‘A Theory of Renaissance Tragedy: Dr. Faustus ’