being the loss of ‘ freedom ’ through death . Faustus ’ s rejection of “ damnation ” ( Marlowe , 16 ) as a force which “ terrifies him not ” ( Marlowe , 16 ) implies a sense of superiority and highlights his hubristic arrogance . The exploration of the theme of thirst for knowledge is foregrounded within Wagner ’ s chorus that Faustus has “ gone to [ Rome ] to prove cosmography ” ( Marlowe , 33 ).
Here , Faustus takes the ambitions of a Renaissance individual to the extreme , by traveling the world to gain new interpretations and wisdom from other cultures . The protagonist continues to gather intelligence beyond the typical human range of experience . This suggests that his intellectual ‘ freedom ’ could reflect that of Marlowe – as his own experiences exceeded the average Renaissance man due to his assumed work with the Elizabethan Government , as an informant . Furthermore , the significance of “ Rome ” ( Marlowe , 33 ) can be noted given that the revival of the arts and high culture under the influence of classical models , began in Italy in the fourteenth century .
The salience of this setting , as a destination of Faustus , is foregrounded through its links to the classical revival – a concept which plays a fundamental role in Faustus ’ s rise to intellectual ‘ freedom ’. Also , this setting foreshadows the mockery of the Pope which positions Faustus as superior to him – granting the intellectual ‘ freedom ’ that he desires from the outset . The protagonist ’ s listing of the attractions visited , “ We saw the river Maine fall into Rhine ” ( Marlowe , 34 ), “ Maro ’ s golden tomb ” ( Marlowe , 34 ), and “ Venice , Padua , and the rest ” ( Marlowe , 34 ) echoes his historical interest . The adjective “ golden ” ( Marlowe , 34 ) has connotations of wealth and power , which reflects the ideas of classical art communicating a spiritual message .
Additionally , the personification of the rivers “ fall [ ing ]” ( Marlowe , 34 ) into each other communicates an almost clumsy outlay of nature – which could highlight the clumsy nature of religion coexisting with the concept of desire for new knowledge . Therefore , Faustus ’ s thirst to diversify his cultural and intellectual perspectives is prevalent in this area of the text which highlights his academic ‘ freedom ’ to explore new beliefs .
In Marlowe ’ s Doctor Faustus , the protagonist ’ s blasphemous and vain ambition of ‘ freedom ’ drives his rejection of religion . This subjects him to sin which , through a contemporary lens , would fate him to damnation . Faustus ’ s dismissal of religion is symbolised through the stage direction “ Puts down [ the ] Bible ” ( Marlowe , 9 ), which visually foregrounds his sacrilege . What is more , the protagonist favours the “ necromantic books ” ( Marlowe , 9 ) over the biblical ideas of the profoundly Christian society , describing the “ books ” ( Marlowe , 9 ) through the attributive adjective “ heavenly ” ( Marlowe , 9 ). There is an apparent oxymoronic element to this , as necromancy refers to the use of black magic . Given that Heaven is a transcendent harmonious place ( to the religious ), the adjective implies that , for Faustus , the concepts of magic and necromancy offer him ‘ freedom ’ through their ability to expand his knowledge and provide an alternative faith to religion . This religious rejection further pushes Faustus to expand his knowledge to broader horizons and this leaves him ‘ free ’ from any rigid belief system . The distinctive atheism is foregrounded through the desire that Faustus has for knowledge of dark magic rather than reverting to the archetype of full belief in the information presented by the Church . The protagonist ’ s thirst for knowledge is inherent throughout this soliloquy as the repeated direction of “ pick [ ing ] up another book ” ( Marlowe , 7-9 ) adds further emphasis to his dismissal of conventional areas of study . It is suggested that Faustus “ truncates his reading ” ( Burnett , 2010 ) as an excuse “ to legitimate a subsequent embracement of black magic "
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