Doctor Faustus as an Embodiment of the Spirit of the Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of fundamental change. The Renaissance means revival of learning and knowledge which marked the end of the “Dark Age” and beginning of the modern world. The Renaissance gave Impetus to new discovery and brought a change in human outlook which was dominated by religious dogma and Christian theology. The main ingredients of this new spirit were individualism, and worldliness; and these two traits found manifestation in many forms such as its great yearning for knowledge and learning without fetters, its love for beauty and hankering after sensual pleasures of life, its brave spirit of adventure and its sky-high ambition and supreme lust for power and pelf in this world.

Christopher Marlowe was the product of the Renaissance and his Doctor Faustus represents the spirit of Renaissance who shows great yearning for unlimited knowledge, power and glory. His craving for earthly power also shows a spirit of revolt against conventional religious doctrine.

Doctor Faustus took a dangerous step to fulfill his aspiration, to gain superhuman power. For a voluptuous life of 24 years, he sells his soul to Lucifer to exercise the black art of necromancy. Hence Faustus discards God and defiles all religious and moral principles.

Doctor Faustus’s love for beauty is a Renaissance quality. To Faustus knowledge means power and it is the power, which will enable him to gratify sensual pleasure of life. He requests Mephistophilis to bring Helen, the destructive Greek beauty, as his paramour. The magnificent apostrophe to Helen is the most inspired and lyrical passage of the play wonderfully illustrates the Renaissance spirit of love and adoration for classical beauty.

To conclude Marlowe himself was child of the Renaissance. “To know everything to possess everything- is the motto of Marlowe’s heroes. Dr. Faustus is the embodiment of the passion. The high ambition of the Renaissance to conquer everything is reflected through the character of Faustus.