aids the portrayal of Faustus as iconoclastic through his betrayal to God . In a time of great Christian belief , Marlowe ’ s atheism would have been strongly opposed – reflected through Faustus ’ s , periodically , controversial declarative “ Despair in God and trust in Beelzebub .” ( Marlowe , 20 ) Firstly , the juxtaposition between verbs “ despair ” ( Marlowe , 20 ) and “ trust ” ( Marlowe , 20 ) are symbolic of the many ‘ dualities of the play ’ ( Lawton , 2012 ) – namely ‘ repentance / despair ’ ( Lawton , 162 ) and ‘ atheism / Christianity ' ( Lawton , 162 ). Furthermore , the juxtaposition between “ God ” ( Marlowe , 20 ) and “ Beelzebub ” ( Marlowe , 20 ) is significant as it shows the true extent of Faustus ’ s ( and by extension Marlowe ’ s ) atheism which renders him as ‘ free ’ from any rigid belief system .
What is more , Marlowe ’ s ability to write ‘ freely ’ allows him to explore concepts that had not yet become prevalent in society , such as homoeroticism . There is a suggestion that Marlowe , himself , may have been a homosexual man . This is alluded to through Faustus ’ s “ meet me in my study at midnight ” ( Marlowe , 20 ) which has potential to be interpreted as holding homoerotic undertones . At this time , sexual orientation would not have been recognised meaning heteronormative relationships were more popular – it is only through a more modern lens that this potential homoeroticism can be noted . Naturally , from a modern analytical perspective , homosexuality is viewed as a state of ‘ freedom ’. Thus , one could argue it is fair to assume that Marlowe is liberated from his social realm to write ‘ freely ’, positioning him ( and by extension his protagonist ) as being in a state of ‘ freedom ’.
Conclusively , Marlowe manipulates the theme of ‘ freedom ’ in many respects of the play to highlight the conflicts between the political and religious during the Renaissance . Marlowe uses his protagonist ’ s dismissal of religion in favour of new knowledge , from the classical period , to foreground the historical context of Renaissance humanism . Marlowe ’ s intellectual ‘ freedom ’ through the expansion of knowledge , Faustus ’ s rejection of religion and Marlowe ’ s liberation to write ‘ freely ’ present the idea that ‘ freedom ’ is an ambiguous concept that could be open to many interpretations .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Duxfield , Andrew , Doctor Faustus and Renaissance Hermeticism : Doctor Faustus A Critical Guide . ( 2015 ) pp . 96 – 110 .
Lawton , David ‘ Christopher Marlowe , Doctor Faustus ’: The Oxford Handbook of Tudor Drama . ( 2012 ), pp . 161-176 .
Marlowe Christopher , Doctor Faustus , ed . by David Scott Kastan , A-Text edn ([ n . p .]: Columbia University , 1604 ).
The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments , Authorised King James Version , ( Cambridge : Cambridge University Press , 1984 ), I John 1.9 .
Thornton Burnett , Mark , Doctor Faustus : dramaturgy and disturbance : The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Tragedy . ( 2010 ) pp . 163 – 173 .
Whitfield White , Paul , ‘ Marlowe and the politics of religion ’, The Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe . ( 2004 ), pp . 70-89 .
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