Dr. Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, written around the same time as Shakespeare was writing his plays. It follows an accomplished doctor, Faustus, who desires greater power and influence, and makes a pact with the devil to achieve these ends. When I read Dr. Faustus the first time, I was fascinated by the discussion about the realities of heaven and hell, and whether we ourselves are responsible for our damnation or salvation.
Postcolonialism: At the time that Marlowe wrote Dr. Faustus, Europe was eagerly looking for new territories to conquer, and countries like Spain and England had already sent men across the Atlantic in search for resources that would enrich their kingdoms. In Dr. Faustus, the same obsession over gaining riches and power infects Faustus. Although he obtains his object, Faustus eventually has a tragic and hellish fall into the realm of the devil, losing all material things he had acquired.
Source Studies: By reading a few versions of the original Faust myth, I may see how Marlowe remained faithful to the original tales and how he changed some details to better appeal to his English audience. With this comparison, I may also draw some conclusions about the cultural perceptions of magic and morality in Germany and England.
Marxism: There is a lot of power play in Dr. Faustus: the power Faustus believes he has over the spirits of hell; how Faustus uses his magic to scare and toy with the uneducated; the power the uneducated class wants to obtain through magic; and the power that Lucifer holds over Faustus. How does each group view and use the power they have to achieve their own ends?
Christian Criticism: In a play that discusses so openly belief and unbelief, I would be remiss if I did not look at the characters’ relationships with religion and how their beliefs affect their actions. In particular, I could look at Faustus’ constant wavering between faith and doubt in God and the devil and how his uncertainty leads to his downfall. How was this received in a protestant audience?
I think that it's so interesting that you dived deeper into original Faust myths, and I think that could provide some super enlightening discoveries for your paper! I also really like your idea of how post-colonialism in Europe relates to Dr. Faustus' ambition, and I think that you could make some very interesting claims with that. Do you think Marlowe was trying to warn of the downfalls of imperialism?
ReplyDeleteI like that you could take the Christian Criticism and look at it through a protestant audience's point of view. What would that look like from other religions' perspectives? How would it be received by the public if written today?
ReplyDeleteSource Studies and the legend of Faust is something I am also looking at for my text because it has ties to it as well. I think looking at what was left out in Marlowe's version could tell you a lot about the ideologies of Marlowe's time which you could bridge into another critical lens such as New Historicism.
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