Doctor Faustus by Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe was a major playwright of the Elizabethan era. Doctor

Faustus remains one of his most famous works, blending themes of morality,
ambition, and religion into a classic tragedy.
The Plot
The Betrayal The Pact The Price
Doctor Faustus, a He makes a deal with Faustus struggles with
brilliant scholar, grows Mephistopheles, the the price of his deal,
dissatisfied with his devil's representative, but in the end, he
life and turns to dark exchanging his soul for spends his final hours
magic to gain 24 years of service tragically trying to
unlimited knowledge from the demon. prevent the devil from
and power. taking his soul.

The Consequence
Doctor Faustus dies a
violent death and ends
up paying the ultimate
price for his ambition
and greed.
Main Themes

1 2 3

Ambition Morality Religion

Doctor Faustus craves As Faustus begins to see The play grapples with
knowledge and power the consequences of his ideas of good and evil, sin
above all else, and is deal, he confronts the and redemption, and the
willing to make a terrible moral implications of his role of divine forces in
bargain to satisfy his actions. human life.
ambition.
Christianity in the Play
Redemption and
Damnation
The figure of Lucifer, the
fallen angel, and his role in
the story serve to explore
ideas of salvation and
damnation, as well as the
idea of free will.
The Seven Deadly
Sins
The presentation of the seven
deadly sins, and Doctor
Faustus's indulgence in them,
plays an important role in the
play's exploration of
Christian morality.
The Bible as a Motif
The Bible is referenced
throughout the play,
providing a framework for
understanding the conflict
between good and evil.
Comparison with Other Renaissance Works

Theater as Spectacle The Human Condition Political Machinations

The spectacle of theater was
important to both Marlowe and
Shakespeare, but Marlowe's plays
feature more overtly fantastical
elements.
Like many works of the
Renaissance period, Doctor
Faustus is concerned with the
human condition and the search
for meaning in a changing world.
Machiavelli's The Prince, written
around the same time as Doctor
Faustus, explores some of the
same themes as the play,
particularly the corruption of
power.
Reception During Marlowe's Time
Popular Audience
Despite its controversial nature, the play
was popular with audiences and helped
establish Marlowe as a major playwright
of his time.
1 Controversial Content
The play was controversial due to its
potentially subversive content, which
2 explored ideas of forbidden knowledge
and the moral status of religion.
3 Influence on Later Works
Doctor Faustus was an important
precursor to future works of literature,
particularly those that explored themes of
morality and religion in a changing world.
Relevance Today
1 Moral Dilemmas 2 The Desire for
The play's exploration of
morality and ethical
dilemmas is still relevant
today, especially in a
global society where
technology has made
knowledge and power
more accessible than ever
before.
3 The Limits of
Power
The story of Doctor
Faustus is a cautionary
tale about the dangers of
ambition and the
corrupting influence of
power, a theme that still
resonates in modern
society.
Human Knowledge
The play's exploration
of the limits of human
knowledge raises
important questions
about our relationship
with the unknowable,
and the ethical
implications of chasing
after forbidden
knowledge.
Conclusion
Legacy of Marlowe
Doctor Faustus remains a
landmark work of Elizabethan
literature, exploring timeless
questions about power,
knowledge, and morality.
Continued Inspiration
The story of Doctor Faustus
continues to inspire artists and
writers, and has been reimagined
in countless different ways over
the centuries.
The Devil in Our Time
Doctor Faustus serves as a
reminder of the enduring
fascination with the idea of
the devil and the struggle
between good and evil.