To What Extent is Freedom Reflected in Marlowe ’ s Doctor Faustus ?
HOLLIE-ANNE HARTLEY
“ Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift ” ( Kwame Nkrumah )
To understand the role of freedom in Marlowe ’ s Doctor Faustus , this essay aims to provide a discussion of the extent to which Faustus aims to be ‘ free ’ of restriction . It will also examine how his rejection of religion links to his desire to transcend human limitation and the extent to which Marlowe ’ s own identity influences the text .
Firstly , in order to discuss the theme of freedom within Doctor Faustus , the definition of ‘ freedom ’ must first be established . In relation to the play , one could fix the definition as ‘ the condition or right of being able or allowed to do , say , think whatever you want to , without [..] being limited ’ ( Cambridge , 2021 ). In relation to Doctor Faustus , one could interpret the term as the goal of Faustus ’ s desires – to be the master of himself without his own human limitations . This essay seeks to illustrate how Faustus ’ s ideas of his own ‘ freedom ’ relate to his belief of the transcendency of human limitation in order to become a ‘ God ’ -like figure . The extent to which he can free himself of his constraint , to experience true freedom , relies on the perspective that one considers his character from .
Christopher Marlowe ’ s Doctor Faustus , published in 1604 , can be placed within the category of Renaissance literature , a period where the revival of the arts was spreading throughout Europe . It is salient to consider that this was a time where Renaissance humanism , which led to intellectual rediscovery , was at the forefront of society . These ideas infiltrate the text , particularly through Faustus ’ s criticism of the reaches of science in conjunction with his dismissal of multiple areas of knowledge .
The play captures the tension between the quest for knowledge and medieval Christian beliefs , highlighting the “ religio-political schism ” ( Duxfield , 2015 ) prevalent at the time of Marlowe ’ s writing career . It could be argued that Faustus is a voice for Marlowe to highlight his intellectual ‘ freedom ’ as a result of the looking back to the classical period to expand scientific knowledge . This expansion of knowledge is illustrated through the classical allusion to Icarus ’ s “ waxen wings ” ( Marlowe , 1604 ). The alliteration of the ‘ w ’ phoneme creates a harsher tone to the text and , in conjunction with the pragmatical meaning , captures the Renaissance tension between the quest for knowledge and the medieval Christian beliefs .
As a figure of mythology , Icarus ’ s fatal flaw was being ignorant to the warnings of others – prompting the didactic story to be viewed as an allegory warning against over-ambition . In relation to Faustus , his ignorance is exemplified through his obliviousness towards the warnings of Mephistopheles which suggests he is “ in danger to be damned ” ( Marlowe , 16 ). The adjective “ danger ” ( Marlowe , 16 ) appears as though it is a warning , alike the story of Icarus , which modifies the noun “ damned ” ( Marlowe , 16 ) to signify the eternal consequence of the sin –
HOLLIE-ANNE HARTLEY
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