Question- Write a critical essay on the conflict between good and evil in Doctor Faustus.

Or
Trace the spiritual conflict in Faustus from the beginning till his death, and also dwell upon its dramatic significance.

Answer -

Introduction : "The drama is not primarily one of external actions, but of spiritual combat within the soul of one man waged according to the laws of the Christian world order."    - [Dr. Kocher}

Christopher Marlowe is regarded as chief Predecessor to Shakespeare therefore he ranks himself with Shakespeare. 'Dr. Faustus' is the greatest tragedy on the classical patterns in which as Aristotle says 'Conflict is the soul of tragedy.'

As we know during his time, tragedy was the story of a single person of high status, we find here Faustus who has got the highest degree of knowledge so like a Renaissance child as we have seen Faustus has great ambition to possess the world of delight and power to have the greatest beauty of the world as his paramour on the one hand. On the other hand he has a strong consciousness of christianity of God, and of good therefore, he has conflict namely the inner conflict. We have many examples of this conflict in different forms-

1. Good angel and Bad angel : The playwright has used good angels as the symbol of vice. The former represents also christianity and faith in virtue while the latter represents also his thirst for power beauty and scapticism. For example - In the Act Ist, SC. Ist when Faustus has decided to be a sound magician who is like a God, good angel advises him. "O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside

And gaze not on it, lest it tempt thy soul!"
At this evil angel encourges him (Faustus) in these words -

"Go forward Faustus in the famous art Be thou........... Lord commander of these elements."

After this conflict he surrenders his soul, being highly excited, to Mephistophilis with great pride he says -

"Had I as many souls as there be stars
I would give them all for Mephistophilis."

2. Conflict Before singing the bond: In the IInd Act, Ist scene, Mephistophilis makes him to sign his bond with his own blood and asks him - "to stave thine arm courageously and bind thy soul."

And thus he will be great as Lucifer then he wounds his arm to give his soul to Lucifer but he finds that his blood 'Congeals' and he can write no more. He thinks deeply here we find him suffering with deeper conflict whether he should do or not and asks himself "What might the staying of my blood portend?

Is it unwilling I should write this bill"?

But vice is victorious and he writes bond when he thinks of heaven, he thinks of giving up all magic and repent of the evil deeds in Act IInd, SC, IInd. Just then good angel comes and tells him - "Foustus repent, yet God will pity thee."

At this even angel warnes him

"Faustus never shall repent".

3. Disillusionment and Repentance: In the Act IInd, SC Ist, we find Faustus again in conflict. He realizes that he is damned and can not be saved, so it is no use thinking of God. He is overtaken by 'despair' and decides to surrender himself to Beelzebub. His inner voice calls upon him to turn to God but soon his mind is changed and he is for the devils. 'Wherein is fixed the love of Beelzebub'.

Then he makes a promise to build in other and church to Beelzebub just then the good angel teach him their lessons accordingly. The good angel advises him to think of God while the evil angels tempts him "To the world of profit and power' and he is totally dedicated to Lucifer and Beelzebob.

4. Homofuge [manflies] : At the time of singing the bond, there is another warning for him through his soul and wants to know himself is not thy soul thy own'. As soon as he writes, the bond on other warning comes 'Homofuge'. This is another voice of his soul. He is determine to go to hell. He thinks where sould he fly and says to himself.

"If un to God, He'll throw me down to hell'.

At last he comes to the results there is no need for him to fly and then he makes the bond.

5. Spiritual Conflict: We have seen in Act II, SC. IInd, that Faustus is regretting his loss of the joys of heaven. He says to Mephistophilis-

"When I behold the heavens, then I repent And curse thee, wicked Mephistophilis.

Because thou haste deprived me of those joys."

Mephistophilis tries to divert his attention from heaven and we find Faustus so hardened that can not repent. He is so disturbed that he would have killed himself, had sweet pleasure not conquered deep despair. Then he thinks of his magic power that made blind homer sing to him and says -

"Why should I die......... "

In the Act Vth, when he is a very near to death. The old man visits him and advises him to turn to christ whose blood can still save him. He cries 'Ah! christ my saviour

Seek to save distressed Faustus's soul'.

It is his spiritual conflict in the Act Vth when the oldman scolds him for turning again God. When there is only one hour, this conflict comes to the climax. He makes earnest request-

"Stand still you ever moving spneres of heaven
That time may cease and midnight never come
Fair nature's eye...... that Faustus may repent".

There is 'Hallucination' like that of Macbeth in dagger scene. He finds a vision of God but soon someone pulls him down. Again he look at the following blood of christ in the sky. He cries -

"See see, where christ's blood stream in the Firmanent one drop would save my soul, half a drop: Ah my christ, Ah! rend not my heart for naming christ."

Just, then the vision of Lucifer comes to him and Faustus's earnestly pleads to spare him. Both the visions go away and then, he calls mountains and hills to hide him from "The heavy wrath of God'. It is the reneussance element and Eilisformer remarks about conflict in Faustus 'In Murlowe's great tragic fragment, the conflict is not between man and man but between man and spiritual power that sorrounds him."

Conclusion : At last, we come to the conclusion that the play Faustus abounds with mental conflicts that relfect the altering moods of the hero who is impelled by the renaissance thirst for knowledge, sensual life, power and wealth, Mr. Nicoll' comments on it This struggle is certainly primitive in its expression..........

Faustus is the greatest tragic figure in 16th Century'

Commenting on it, Hudson says.

"No more fearsome exposure was ever offered of the punishment, man brings upon himself by giving way to the temptation of his grosser apitides.........."

...Prev | Next...