Faustus Gothic Essay

How is Gothic language and imagery used to develop themes and characters in ‘Dr Faustus’?

(Without using Revision Guide)

The Gothic is dominant in Doctor Faustus in order to display the flaws of humanity whether through the cut-throat horror of the final damning scene, the dancing of the 7 sins or the low comedy of Robin and Rafe serving as a parody of Faustus’ own pride and stupidity in making a bad bargain, gaining for his soul nothing more than a satirists’ trivial trickery.  However the relationships between the various characters can be seen as dominated by a cycle of obedience to overreaching powers whether it’s Wagner for Robin and Rafe or the scholarly pair, Faustus and Mehapstophilis, or Faustus and the Emperor. The main role of the Gothic is to exaggerate social constructs to make us question what we assume to be right and wrong. This is shown through the many characteristics in Doctor Faustus whether it’s the Supernatural experiments of black magic, consistent blasphemy of Christianity as a whole and its dominant ideologies, and of course questions over immortality. Though the Gothic is profoundly said to marginalise conventions of ideology and orthodox moral behavior, Doctor Faustus doesn't seem to personify this in terms of the oppositions of good and evil angel. Faustus is merely a representation of the pulls which are in all human beings.

To the very base Doctor Faustus is embedded with Gothic imagery most especially in Faustus’ death, the ‘Thunder and lightning' appears when the clock strikes twelve signifying the presence of hell and damnation that is coming to Faustus. However Faustus’ very own love for magic and his need to sign over his soul is prescriptive to the Gothic 'necromantic books are heavenly’. However the appearance of Lucifer and the seven deadly sins fusing in Act 2 Scene 5 is extremely Gothic. Each sin represents, characterisations of Faustus, what is to come, what he resents within himself, a distraction and a question of pre-destination, as Faustus remains distracted throughout the remainder of the play, and serves as a theatrical centre-piece to foreshadow Faustus' downfall. There is also the personification of the desires and impulses of the 7 deadly sins are humans experiences but some more so with Faustus.

However the scenes Marlowe takes us through develop themes of disturbed ethical viewing. For example the morality of the audience is at danger of being perturbed by the Pope scene, as he and his friars are farcically involved in a hidden beating, an iconoclastic mockery of self-important figures, we find ourselves laughing in the face of a powerful institution. At the time, the pope was treated as a figure of fun or a threat at the time and even the Anti-Christ by some. Faustus at this point can exploit the theatre’s capacity to make contemporary political comment as the scene can be shown differently according to differing methods of production. Throughout the play however we notice the dependency of Faustus on the trickery of Mephistopheles and his inclusion has Faustus appear a side-liner to the trickery, though he believes he commands, he is a puppet himself. The farcical nature of the Pope scene and the returning of Mephistopheles in the attire of a holy monk is dangerous serving as a peak of Faustus’ decline and could be recognised as the beginning of Faustus’ submission truly to the forces of Mephistopheles. Faustus’ character is in all despite his own beliefs submissive to those he has the power to control (monarchy, kings, queens, the Emperor). Serving as a representation of the power of the State through the crown, shaping Faustus. However Dr. Faustus also serves as an exploration of humanity in terms or morality: And to those that pull on his strings in order to arguably dictate his path (Mephistopheles, Lucifer, Beelzebub).

The cheap-comedic scenes identifiable with the inclusions of Robin and Rafe are a parallel comparison throughout to serve as a demonstration of the stupidity and hubris of Faustus. However these two characters are also a reflection of the tensions between the literate and partly educated. Faustus moves on through the dynamics of power in a decline, largely blinded by Mephistopheles aid.

Though women are not prominent, they are given an active role as a measure to show sad, unholy characterisations of Marlowe. For example  ‘Helen of  Troy’ (devil in disguise) is used to prolong Faustus’ memory on Earth ,  Faustus kisses her making clear his focus on the moment and not eternity, 'Here will I dwell, for heaven be in these lips'.  Women are frequently seen in the text as a temptation and lack any real dimension. . There are 3 roles of women which are all cultural constructions: Femme fatale, mother, vestal virgin. Power over women is seen through the sin and links to the devil as Faustus can only acquire a women through "cursed necromancy" where Mephistopheles will "cull thee out the fairest courtesans".

Another typical gothic feature in Faustus is the notion of ‘looking back’. Whether it’s the description of the waxen wings in relation to Icarus and his eventual failure, Achilles fatal blow, it’s prominent within Faustus’ thoughts. However the most emblematic of his history that stains him, are his parents, from ‘base of stock’ without the wealth to own castles nor the power of emperors to rule, such a suggestion links to an  inability to renounce the ideas on ‘pre-destination’ that render him unable to live with acknowledgement of ‘free-will’. Within the context of the Gothic, Marlowe presents the ‘duality’ of life within the juxtaposition between the Angels; as he creates the Catholic faith to be what damns Dr. Faustus – this argument between the two opposing, though Christian, ideologies is presented in a bawdy fashion. Dr. Faustus is damned dependent on which side of the faith he believes in; an un-Christian, and therefore rather Gothic, ideal to believe in.  Born out of the lower classes, his jealously to the Kings and Emperors that rule are made literal upon visiting them. Though Faustus admirers’ rulers, referring to the Emperor for example as ‘great sovereign’, his attack of the Pope and his friars can be seen differently. Either merely a comedic confrontation or a poke at the Catholic regime and belief.

The play becomes merely a cycle of doubt, persuasion, resolve and gains. Whether it’s when Faustus’s blood congeals, the moments before where Faustus contemplates the apparent inevitability of damnation and the possibility of repentance, or the moment of seeing the heavens having signed his contract. Dr. Faustus is unable to give his blood in order to bind his soul to Lucifer; his ‘blood congeals’ and he can ‘write no more’, it is as if Dr. Faustus is given the choice between life and death. This develops a sense of ‘free-will’, as Dr. Faustus has the opportunity to repent for his sins against God. However, as his blood ‘begins to clear’, he can once again write his soul to Lucifer; creating the idea of ‘pre-destination’, as Dr. Faustus is unable to choose another path other than the one set – his blood was bound to flow once again, meaning his outcome is ‘pre-determined’ by the Protestant ideology whereby life is ‘pre-determined’.

Although Act 5 is the most significant set of cycles to the plot , the remainder of the play continues to have such a role in displaying the hubris of Faustus in not just simply ignoring the doubts and possibility of retribution but being manipulated by the devils through Fear to do so. Though there is a huge question over whether they can gain access to the form of the soul, however much they can corrupt the body of Faustus. Up to the attempted persuasion of the Old Man to seek the redemptive blood of Christ, Faustus could save his soul.  With this in mind, the theme of pre-destination must be questioned. God repeatedly offers chance for Faustus, but his continuous rejection of being saved may point towards this protestant ideal being formed in this story of damnation. The Old Man symbolises the Catholic belief of ‘free-will’, and Faustus can choose for himself but Dr. Faustus must ‘break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears’. However, Dr. Faustus seems to take comfort in the Protestant ideal that he is ‘pre-destined’ to die at the hands of ‘Lucifer’; his ‘offence can ne’er be pardoned’.

There are of course some physically gothic scenes, Faustus cutting his arm to sign the contract ‘with my proper blood, I assure my soul to be great Lucifer’s’, the Old Man’s murder, the ‘wife’ as a devil appearance, and the ending. However the scene of Faustus’ leg being pulled off with the Horse-Courser is particularly important in its attempts to terrify. The way in which Faustus makes a deal with the devil is re-occurring. The idea of cheating the receiver into economic exchange is reflected in Faustus’s deal but also with the Horse courser and Wagner with the clown to be a servant. However it could be argued this scene is merely a demonstration of Faustus functioning as a score of the wicked, and his trickery would have been more shocking than comical at the time. Though comedic for Faustus the scene serves as a paramount comparison to what he desired at the beginning of the play to what he has come to do. Fashioning himself into a magician who had all the power but is too foolish to utilise it to its highest extent. Faustus even contaminates the lower orders of society however, when a magic book is stolen by Robin. Though not entirely Gothic, we can see the corruption of Faustus across Wittenberg. 

A profound influence however is the issue of predestination. According to Calvinism (branch of the Protestant Christianity) people are predestined to be saved or damned. Is Faustus’ to fall from grace by his own damning or was he fated?  Was Lucifer himself and his surrounding devils fated to fall? Faustus at least appears to choose his own path., Calvinists may argue the free will displayed is merely an illusion and these choices already pre-determined by God. Faustus himself may believe in pre-destination or at least raises the issue in the final scene ‘Faustus must be damned’. A key theme of Doctor Faustus is of course the question behind the belonging of the soul and the religion of which to follow. Faustus almost attempts to create his own belief going off what the Bible naming hell ‘a fab;e’.  Whether Faustus does so to avoid fears of damnation and the expectations of pre-destination is an open question, but Faustus towards his end is by no means convinced of such a belief "no end is limited to a damned soul". This inevitably leads to hubris - the main fatal flaw for all tragic heroes. A particularly striking feature of Doctor Faustus is the protagonists’ lack of will to repent in order to receive salvation, the way in which Faustus attempts to haggle before his damnation is a personification of the corruption of man. 

Marlowe questions the worthiness of a soul. If Dr. Faustus repents then the Devil’s will ‘tear thee into pieces’. Dr. Faustus’ choice not to overwhelmingly repent for his ‘sins’ against God may be Marlowe’s attempt to show the extent to which those within the 16th Century were bound to Protestant ideologies on ‘pre-destination’, without listening to innovative Catholic ideas that ‘free-will’ prevails within life.  Faustus attempts to manipulate the bible to his own accord and claims “we deceive ourselves if we say we do not sin and there is no truth in us”. 'The reward of sin is death...Why then be like we must sin, and so consequently die'. Faustus is arguing with himself that if we have all sinned we will all die and go to hell. Therefore, he might as well transgress seeing that his fate is already settled.  The imagery of Christ’s blood, running across the sky on his final night appears almost as a torment to Faustus, of message of what’s gone for him. With the devils holding him down so he can’t repent  and asking ‘O spare me Lucifer’…’ ‘impose some end to my incessant pain’, the scene turns into a paroxysm ,of fear in the face of the doubled vision of both  God’s rejection and Lucifer’s ferocious welcome, Faustus is escorted to hell. Faustus claims before his damnation, that it would only had been avoided, if he had been born without a soul.

Though it may be easy to pick out the supernatural elements that occur, the summoning of Helen for the Emperor is an example of nothing of significance being accomplished through magic. Faustus probably achieved more without magic. Marlowe reveals the negative effects of Sin on Faustus himself. Despite his originally lofty ambitions. Faustus ends up using his magic for tricks and summoning's. Faustus was an esteemed scholar and the deal with the devil makes him a mere shade of his former self. The Evil Angel’s persuasion shapes Faustus into believing he’s damned already and perhaps blinds his ability to recognise the opportunities for redemption.

The Epilogue see’s Faustus’ tale as cautionary, as a lesson to show us we can ‘only wonder at unlawful things’ and not to ‘practice more than heavenly power permits’.  In the end we see Faustus recognizing God as all powerful in the eventuality of the soul and the decision to not save Faustus is a measure of destination. The use of prose in the final scene contributes to highlighting Faustus’ demise in comparison to the eloquent, oratorical, resonant language used beforehand. The abundance of punctuation represents the blind terror of Faustus and the building of suspense and fear. This scene however could last anything from a minute in a fast paced scenario to a drawn out state. What’s most Gothic however is Faustus’ grim determination most prevalent in his rejection of believing in God, despite Homo Fugue (flea) appearing on his arm two times round!

The failure to interpret accurately the situation Faustus places himself is a frequent theme, and the continuous opportunity and illogical reasoning for rejecting these opportunities for survival deepen the Gothic dwelling in Doctor Faustus. However this raises questions over possible links to Manichaeism and the good soul that Gods seeks, and the semi-internal corruptible soul Lucifer gets his hands on. Saint Augustine’s view of the single soul incorruptible and eternal argues for pre-destination and perhaps Faustus is evil upon rejecting God. The Old Man’s account of Faustus’ sins as ‘heinous’ relate to manechaeistic ideas. Dr. Faustus endeavors to present the conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism as trivial, as the imagery used to develop these religious convictions becomes increasingly bawdy, it may be that Marlowe shows through his Gothic language and imagery his lack of acceptance of either religious practice. This links to ‘Saint Augustine’s’ belief that the soul is of dual nature, it can be inherently ‘good’, whilst exhibiting transgression into its heinous side – which, therefore, means it does not support either the Catholic or Protestant notion on death.    In the end I believe Faustus’s desire to be superhuman leads him to be inhuman but disagree with those that would claim the play provokes more laughter in the audience than terror as pleasure and pain are inextricably linked.

Marlowe’s final attempts to show the flaws within Christianity, comes at the height of his play; Dr. Faustus repents but due to his Protestant belief in ‘pre-destination’ he can never accept full responsibility for his actions, creating a paradox within the faith; does Dr. Faustus necessarily have to atone for his sins if his life is pre-determined for him.