Thinking Activity: Doctor faustus

Here is my answer on Doctor Faustus task given by Dr.Dilip Barad sir(Head of English department mkbu).

• Short Introduction about Christopher Marlow:

                               

Christopher marlow(baptised 26 February,1564 - 30 May,1593)was an English playwright,poet and translator of the Elizabethan Era.Marlow was the foremost Elizabethan Tragedian of his day.His works influenced William Shakespeare and generations of writers to follow.Born in Canterbury,England in 1564.while Christopher Marlow's literary career lasted less than six years,and his life only 29 years,his achievements,most notably the play 'The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus',ensured his lasting legacy.

                     

Doctor Faustus ( or Tragicall History of  The Life and Death of Doctor Faustus),based on the German Faustbuch,was the first dramatised version of the Faust legend of a Scholar's dealing with the devil.While version of "The Devil's pact" can be traced back to the 4th century,Marlow deviates significantly by having his hero unable to "Burn His Books" or repent to a merciful god in order to have his contract annulled at the end of the play.Marlow's protagonist is instead carried off by demons,and in the 1616 Quarto his mangled cropse is found by several scholars.Doctor Faustus is a textual problem for scholars as two version of the play exist: The 1604 Quarto,also known as the A Text and The 1616 Quarto or B Text.Both were published after Marlow's death.

Q-1 :  The play directed by Matthew Dunster for Globe Theater ends with this scence ( see the image of Lucifer)what does it signify?

                                

The play directed by Matthew Dunster for GLOBE THEATER ends scene suggest that the fall of Dr.Faustus and the victory of Lucifer.Dr.Faustus a well-respected German Scholar,grows dissatisfied with the limits of traditional form of

Knowledge,logic,medicine,law and religion and he decides that he wants to learn more knowledge.He became hunger for knowledge But he choose wrong path.Dr.Faustus mistaken choice,exchange of his soul to Lucifer,results in his downfall.He devoted himself completely to Lucifer,never choosing right and making a tragedy out of his downfall.At the end of the scene Dr.Faustus realized that he choose wrong path and at the end by his grief he indirectly dies inside and because of that fall of Dr. Faustus Lucifer feel his great triumphal against him.

According to Aristotle The tragic hero evokes both our pity and terror because he is neither good nor thoroughly bad but a mixture of both;this tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is better than we are.such a hero suffer from a change of happiness to misery because of his mistaken choice which is led by his Hamarcia(error of judgment).The tragic hero stands his fate or the gods to demonstrate his power of free will.He wants to be the master of his own fate.He decides to make decisions but mostly the decision making would lead to weakness or his own downfall.

Dr faustus as a  tragic hero evokes our pity.We feel some form of connection with him because he has a sense of realism.Dr.Faustus makes mistakes which can be also all human condition.He wants to gain more knowledge that is also another part of human condition to learn and understand more.We sympathize with Dr. Faustus because his feeling are similar to other human beings at the end we really want him to repent in order to change his fate radically.We sympathize with him at the end of the drama when it is time for a farewell to his soul.Although he has done many fault but we really want God not to be so fierce towards a human being,He desires:

O soul, be changed to little water drops

And fall into the ocean.Ne're be found

O,mercy,heaven!look not so fierce on me! 

Q-2 Is God present in the play?If yes how,where and how? If no ,why?

No,there is not present of God in the play But we can say that,God gave us multiple choice and then rest us that whether we choose good or bad way for our desire.It's depend upon us what we choose.Dr.faustus choose his own way of getting knowledge and power.we can say that God gives him some significantly by sending the old man and good Angel But again choice rest of on Faustus.Faustus reveals one of the text's main themes power and ambition when he responds to the Good Angel's and Bad Angel's arguments by declaring his desires for power and wealth,Despite the Good Angel's attempts to persuade Faustus to look toward  God and redemption,Faustus is blinded by the power,fame and wealth that the Bad Angel reminds him he will have with Lucifer.In faustus lines,he describes all the way he can he wants,revealing his greedy and power hungry side. Good Angel and old man also try to save Dr.faustus but dr faustus is blinded he don't understand .Dr.Faustus is very confused about what is good and bad for him.Sem situations in the drama" HEMLET" by Shakespeare.Hamlet not able to take decisions in the right time.

Desire for learning is part of human nature but he choose wrong way without sense of guilt.His hasty desire for power and honor did not allow him to repent.He was so confused that he couldn't decide on following The ways of God or The path of Lucifer.

so we can say that God gives many choice but dr faustus blinded for power and knowledge so he don't understand that what is good or bad for him.

Q-3 : what reading and interpretation can be givan to this image with reference to central theme of the play Dr.Faustus?

                              

Greek myth of Icarus,a son whose father DAEDULUS is a brilliant inventor the Thomas Edison of his day.Unfortunately,he angers king minos, the ruler of the island Crete, and he has to hightail it out of there.Desperate to flee the island,Daedalus uses wax to build some wings for himself and his son Icarus .Daedalus warns his son to fly at a middle height: the seawater will dampen the wings and the sun will melt them.Icarus is having so much fun flying that he forgots the warning and flies too close to the Sun, and then he fall down on earth and died.

"Greater the height is Greater the lose(fall)".

Similarly fall down of Dr.Faustus.Pride creates Dr. Faustus inability to repent,therefore ultimately resulting in his death.We compares Dr.Faustus with Icarus their similarity being vanity.Dr.Faustus fall down from his higher position of knowledge.Lust for knowledge is good at some level but cross the limitation it is bad .Thus we can say that this image of falling of Icarus shows the central theme of being vanity or same falling of Dr.Faustus.

Q-4 :  How do you interpret this painting?
                             

 Above the image is a about Landscape with the fall of Icarus is an oil painting attributed to PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER.It shows the Greek mythological figures,icarus plunging into the sea in the lower right-hand corner.In literature,Icarus is often used as a metaphor for human pride and ambition.

William carlos Williams :

According to Brueghel 

when Icaruse fell

it was spring

A farmer was ploughing 

his field

The whole pageantry

Of the year was

Awake tingling

Near

The edge of the sea

 concerned

With itself

Sweating in the sun 

 That Melted

The wing's wax

Unsignificantly off the coast

There was

A splash quite unnoticed

This was 

Icarus drowning.

(https://poets.org › poem › landscape...
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams - Poems | poets ...)

When you rise and fall it for insignificant for the people.Everyday many people fall down but we have not disturb about it.In above image we can see that one person fall down in the sea but the farmer and woman don't disturb.Nobody can effected.They doing their rooting work.

Q-5 : Read this article by Bhagat singh.In the light of the arguments made by Bhagat singh in this article,can you re-write last monologue of Doctor Faustus?

Ans :5  Bhagat singh was strong atheist. He didn't pray to God for save his life at the end of his life.

Bhagat singh: O'Lucifer come and take my soul with you.I  don't wait this long

didn't occur to your all knowing God. I will not curse anyone even not myself.I'm not needed the pity and sympathy from anyone.I don't pray to God to save my life because I am atheist.I don't believe in blind faith.

O 'Lucifer don't wait me a long.I'm ready to come with you.I will never stop my quest for knowledge.

O'Lucifer come and take my soul.

                   Thank you........