DR Faustus Lecture Notes PDF

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Summary

Lecture notes on Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, its Christian undertones, and how it ties into the Christian idea of the Great Chain....

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DR. FAUSTUS—Christopher Marlowe 

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tragedy: drama that begins in prosperity, relates a series of casually related events in the life of a person of significance, and culminates in an unhappy catastrophe. The downfall of the hero from a happy state to a miserable one is caused by his hamartia or tragic flaw. tragic hero: the central character (or protagonist) who is a person of significance that because of his tragic flaw, initiates the action the leads to the play s catastrophe. hamartia or tragic flaw: the personality defect, character flaw, or error in judgment displayed by the play s central figure(s) that creates the unhappy ending. Chain of Being: The meaning of Dr. Faustus lies in an understanding of a medieval concept, the Chain of Being, which carries over into this Renaissance play. o This is a hierarchical system that sees the universe as an organic whole whose function depends on each link (from God down to the smallest particle) functioning according to its prescribed, divine role. Each thing in the universe has its God-given place in the chain. One should attempt neither to move above or below his place in the chain. o To resist that order is to destroy the chain and to throw the entire universe into chaos. This system of ordering the universe is based on the belief that God is in control, and it is inappropriate to countermand God. o The punishment for those who dare to defy His ordering of the universe is severe. Often order is not restored until those that broke the chain have paid the ultimate price: death. Chain: God, angels, man, beasts, birds, fish, trees, flowers, metals, stones o Moreover, each link in the chain has its own corresponding hierarchy. For example, the God link is as follows: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Angels are broken down into archangels, seraphim, cherubim, virtues, powers, principalities, and dominions. Man is broken down into king, duke, earl, viscount, baron, knight, squire, freemen, and peasants. The head beast is the lion; the head bird is the eagle; the head fish is the whale; the head tree is the oak; the head flower is the rose; the head metal is gold; and the head stone is the diamond. Application: Dr. Faustus breaks the Chain of Being by using black magic in an attempt to move up the chain. He sells his soul in exchange for 24 years of God-like knowledge. He wants the power of knowledge so that he can move beyond his human limitations. In his aspiration to be more than a man, a god, he breaks the chain and the result is chaos in his world, the loss of his soul, and eternal damnation. Minor characters in the story echo his behavior with lesser consequences. Faustus two sins: Faustus first sin is breaking the chain by selling his soul for god-like knowledge. But his unpardonable sin is despair, doubting that the grace of God and that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover his sins. In his arrogance, Faustus thinks that his sins are greater than God s mercy and Christ s sacrifice....