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Two years before the birth of Elizabeth I, the skies over Western Europe exploded in atmospheric

chaos when A yellow tailed comet blazed across the heavens followed by flags, fireballs, and flaming

crosses. For the incredulous onlookers, "God and Satan were once again in mortal conflict, and, as never

before, men's souls stood in jeopardy . Calvin and Loyola sparked the flames of the reformation that led

to a permanent schism in Western Christendom. Erasmus and More helped advance the humanist

movement, and by the time Henry VIII was declared the Supreme Head on Earth, the English

Renaissance was in full swing. The gloom of the medieval past gave way to an energized, exciting and

experimental period that was essentially ambiguous. The early modern period is distinguished by its zest

for life, its desire for knowledge, and its celebration of the individual. The pursuit of wealth and

knowledge changed the delicate class structure of Elizabethan England. Merchants and tradersbecame wealthier and more powerful than the aristocracy; the guild system broke down, and

masterless men lost their place in the social order. It is in this changing world that Marlowe'smorality tale of Dr. Faustus is told.

The 16th century which produced this play saw men like Faustus who perceived myth

as fundamental and a dramatic representation of the deepest instinctual life in the universe.

Marlowe's hero, Dr. Faustus, is the quintessential Renaissance man; a lover of knowledge,beauty, and power, operating in a society that had not yet released its grip on the medieval

contempt for the world. The 15th century's obsession with death, fear of devils and damnationare played out in Marlowe's tragedy, revealing the underlying misgivings of an excessive and

immoderate age.

When first introduced to Faustus he is contemplating the wealth of his knowledge: from thephilosophy of Aristotle, to Galen's medicine, Justinian law, and the Bible, Faustus dismisses

them all. In a parody of this insatiable desire for new, practical knowledge, Faustus instead turnsto magic as his new pursuit. And with true Renaissance conceit, claims "A sound magician is a

demi-god". Faustus is confronted with two opposing forces, one representing the exciting,experimental and forward-looking world, the other embodying the fear and melancholy of the

medieval past. In making a pact with Lucifer, Faustus commits what is in a sense the ultimatesin: not only does he disobey God, but he consciously and even eagerly renounces obedience to

him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the devil. The play offers countless moments inwhich Faustus considers doing just that, urged on by the good angel on his shoulder or by the old

man in scene 12both of whom can be seen either as emissaries of God, personifications ofFaustuss conscience, or both who attempt to instill the old morals of contrition, prayer and

repentance on Faustus while the bad angel speaks for the spirit of the age: "No, Faustus, think ofhonour and of wealth" (II.i.22). Without a second thought, Faustus chooses magic and muses on

the wealth he might conjure: "Indian for gold, ocean for orient pearl...pleasant fruits and princelydelicates" (I.i.84-85). The capricious and petty magic that Faustus practices is the paradox of the

play.

Each time, Faustus decides to remain loyal to hell rather than seek heaven It seems that ",

Faustus's magic has no purpose except to provide pleasure. Despite his fantasies of accumulatedwealth, Faustus does nothing with his power except spend his time in "pleasure and dalliance

followed by periods of fear and doubt. A Renaissance man would have empathized with Faustus

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but would have agreed that he went too far. The desire for new, practical knowledge, and the lustfor riches and beauty did not include the complete denial of salvation and heaven. Orthodox

Christianity still prevailed. Faustus threatened both social and religious structures; although heseemed to want to repent, he had passed the point of no return In his last hour, Faustus tries to

find God but cannot make the spiritual leap necessary for redemption. He has lost his faith and

once again turns to the classical knowledge he once dismissed: "Ah, Pythagoras'metempsychosis, were that true, this soul should fly from me, and I be chang'd / Unto somebrutish beast". For Faustus, as with Marlowe's other heros, it is the belief that the human

potential to possess, own, use and destroy with liberty will eventually exact a heavy price.Marlowe's overreaching stars have no faith, and therefore, must fall victim to the medieval

anxiety and ambivalence that lay just below the surface of their modern age.