The Religious Motivations of Christopher Marlowes Dr...

The Religious Motivations of Christopher Marlowes Dr Faustus Dr Faustus is a short play written by Christopher Marlowe. The play is a masterful insight into the paradoxical soul of mankind and its ironically self inflicted corruption. The play could be classified as a theological allegory. It can be assumed that the play specifically speaks to the religious motivations of the time, but can be adapted to the present as well. Marlowe portrays Faustus’ ambition as dangerous; it was the cause of his demise. Perhaps Marlowe used the theme of over-ambition as a warning to the audience, who would be likely to be wary of ambition - it was looked down on as a negative personality trait in Christian England (Calvinism) (Munteanu, Class notes).†¦show more content†¦Here we are told of the life of an ordinary man, born to modest people. This piece tells us that in the new age of the Renaissance, a common-born scholar like Faustus, is as important as any king or warrior, and his story is worthy of being told. Also state is that Dr Faustusâ €™s swelling pride will lead to his downfall. Here we are addressed with a precursor of what is about to happen and how it is to be facilitated, again by one mans desire to destroy himself in respect to Godliness. In act one, Marlowe portrays Faustus as being over-ambitious by his turning to magic, which is a much more sinister and much less conventional pursuit than others that he had been discussing previously. Faustus hopes that magic will make him omnipotent and god-like. Through out the next few acts we see Dr Faustus disregard the teachings against the seven deadly sins with his trickery and debauchery. The great doctor Faustus has the seven deadly sins entrenched in his life and they are displayed by his various actions during the play. The first deadly sin was that of pride. Dr Faustus saw himself as in comparison to others in a competitive nature. Pride and vanity are competitive. This was done in Act One when he sits there and tells the audience of his accomplishments and wishes for more glory. The second is covetousness, it is manifested in the play through various actions. Faustus demonstrates this in various scenes, when he evokes