Doctor Faustus

Drama | Christopher Marlowe

Consider “Doctor Faustus” as a morality play. 

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Consider Doctor Faustus as a morality play Christopher Marlowe s - Doctor Faustus written in or is not just a tragedy but also a morality play A morality play is a type of drama from the medieval period that teaches moral lessons about right or wrong These plays often show the struggle between good and evil characters Doctor Faustus has many features of a morality play This play teaches the moral lesson that greed pride and disobedience to God can lead to destruction The Struggle Between Good and Evil One of the most important elements of a morality play is the battle between good and evil In Doctor Faustus this struggle is shown through the Good Angel and the Evil Angel The Good Angel represents the path of God When Faustus decides to practice necromancy for unlimited power and knowledge the Good Angel warns him O Faustus lay that damned

book aside The Evil Angel on the other hand tempts Faustus to continue with magic and sin These two angels symbolize Faustus s conscience It shows Faustus s struggle to choose between good and evil Human Weakness Morality plays often have a central character who represents human weakness In Doctor Faustus Faustus represents human weakness He ignores warnings and chooses the path of the devil He chooses to learn magic and defy God He says A sound magician is a mighty god Faustus is a learned scholar but his greed for knowledge and power leads him to sell his soul to Lucifer His pride and greed for power led to his tragic death This play becomes a perfect morality play because Faustus s downfall teaches the audience that human desires should have limits Seven Deadly Sins In traditional morality plays the Seven Deadly Sins Pride Covetousness Greed Wrath Envy Lechery Lust Gluttony and Sloth play an important role In Doctor Faustus Lucifer entertains Faustus by showing him a parade of the Seven Deadly Sins Faustus enjoys watching them However he does not realize that he himself is guilty of these sins In this morality play the Seven Deadly Sins make the audience understand the dangers of sinful behavior The Theme of Repentance A key lesson in morality plays is that sinners can be saved if they repent Throughout the play Faustus gets many chances to repent The Good Angel tells him to repent Repent yet God will pity thee The Old Man also advises him to repent He tells Faustus that God s mercy is always available Then call for mercy and avoid despair Even Mephistophilis warns Faustus about the horrors of hell However Faustus refuses to listen At the end when he finally wants to repent it is too late Faustus s story teaches the moral lesson that if a person ignores the chance to repent they will face eternal punishment Warning to the Audience At the end of the play the Chorus delivers a final message to the audience The Chorus warns that Faustus was a great scholar but his pride and desire for power led to his downfall The Chorus says Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight This is a warning to the audience Greed pride and disobedience to God can lead to destruction This moral lesson at the end of the play is a common feature of morality plays For these reasons Doctor Faustus is a perfect example of a morality play It shows the fight between good and evil the dangers of sin and the importance of repentance Faustus s story serves as a moral lesson to all humans greed pride and disobedience to God can lead to destruction

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