Question- Discuss the causes of tragedy in Dr. Faustus.

Or
'Dr. Faustus is a tragedy of excessive pursuit of knowledge and sentimentalism." Discuss.
Or
"The trouble with Faustus........ less than a man" Discuss the causes that lead to the doom of Faustus, in the light of this statement.

Answer -

Introduction : "Mahowe was really the Columbus of the new literature world. He made drama a respresentation of the passionate life never was there an emancipation so calculated to excite the human intellect to the very atmost of its power."

According to some critics, Dr. Faustus is Marlowe's greatest and most personal tragedy in the sense that it treats with a great psychological theme and it offers us great moral lesson. The tragedy in Dr. Faustus is caused by some fatal defects latent in Faustus character. There are different reason to cause this tragedy.

1. Thirst for Knowledge : Faustus is called the renaissance child who has great thirst for knowledge. Christopher Marlowe was a man of great wisdom therefore the first reason for tragedy is insatiable thirst for knowledge. According to the chorus Faustus has received the degree of Doctor in Theology. Although he was born in a poor family, he beautified the fields of wisdom. He is not satisfied with his knowledge. He thinks of "A self conceit, His waxen wings did mount above his reach."

He advises himself to level at the end of every art : At last after a complete analysis of different subjects he comes upon 'cursed necromaney' for he says -

"A sound magician is a mighty god; Here Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity."

2. Super human ambition : Faustus has been presented as a super human being whose ambition is to be higher and more powerful that kings and emperors. In his study room he thinks that the power of a magician is superior to other powers. His ambition is truely the ambition of a renaissance man with the study of magic and its use. He can have "All things that move between the quiet poles."

As a man of ambition he envokes the spirits and presents the things that Faustus more desire. For example - "O, what a world of profit and delight, OF power, of honour, of omnipotence."

In Act Ist and Scene III, he desires to be a dominant person of the world. He makes a bond written by himself in his blood to Lucifer. He says - "By him I'll be great And make a bridge through the moving air."

Thus this ambition of Faustus is second element or cause for his tragedy.

3. Thirst for sensual pleasures : Every artist has a minute observation of happenings in the society where he lives in. As chaucer presents different character of fourteenth century. In his 'Canterbury Tales'. So Faustus also presents the Elizabethan or renaissance quality that haunted every man's mind. It was the thirst for sensual pleasure this is why Faustus has choosen magic. He desires to gain such a power as can raise the spirits of the dead and we see that in Act Vth, Sc. Ist Faustus causes the spirit of Helen to raise in her stately and splended form. He desires to make her his 'better half' to see her heavenly face he is amazed and exclaims there words-

"Was this the face that launched a thousand ships......... "
He desires to become immortal with a kiss and desires.
"Here will I dwell, for heaven is in there lips."
At last Faustus praises her with the atmost power of words -
"O, that art fairer that the evening air."

At last he firm determined to say "And none but thou shalt be my paramour."

4. His Scepticism : Faustus, although a religious man becomes a sceptic. He has little guard for good and evil. He also tells Mephistophilis. The playwright has presented good angel and bad angel. They symbolises nothing but Fausus thoughts of good and evil. In the Ist act and Ist scene we come across these angels, Good angel advises Faustus to lay that damned book aside.' because it may tempt his soul and says-

'Read, read the scriptures'

Just than the evil angel encourageous Faustus to go forward in that famous art where in all nature is contained.

Faustus will be on earth powerful like jove in Heaven. This conflict between good and evil goes on even in secone scene and Act III. Thus this scapticism becomes a great cause for his tragic fall.

5. Individualism : According to some critics Dr. Faustus is a personal tragedy because it depicts individualism of Faustus. He has become so egotist that he tries to free himself from religion, church society and other bondages of life. The playwright got only 29 Aprels of life like Dr. Faustus. His end is alike in the play we see that Faustus gets a painful death and he has no peace at all. In the same way the playwright Marlowe died most miserably. The chorus in the end of the play gives a, moral lesson that is the mark of individualism in these words-

"Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight...........

the wise only to wonder at Unlawful things." Hudson remarks on it 'No feiner sermon that Marlow's Faustus ever came from the pulpit."

6. Sentimentalism : Dr. Faustus is a tragedy mainly caused by sentimentalism. He makes a bound to Lucifer with his own blood. After it he sinks into the ocean of sin and evil with the ship of all his achievements of knowledge then seated in a chariot drawn by dragons. He makes a journey all over the Universe in eight days. He also visits a great numer of places like Royal courts Rome and even the court of Alexander. He comes to know of the secrets of universe. After all he tries to take him back from the devils and turned to Christ and God when the scholars in Act Vth and SC IIIrd advise him to think of divine powers. Faustus says -

"Oft have I thought to have done so, but the Devils threatened to tear me in pieces, if i named God, to fetch both body and soul."

There is left only one hour for him to leave therefore he makes a fine speech and address the sun god making a request to.

"Stand still, you ever moving spheres of heaven,
That time cease and midnight never come;
Fair Nature's eye."

But all his prayers and thoughts of repentance are invent. He desires that he may 'run into the earth'; Like Sita, he may be taking into the lap of the earth mother but because of his sins it will not harbour him'. In this way, he is disappointed from the Universe. So his sentimentalism causes tragedy.

Conclusion : Thus we can sum up that the causes of tragedy in Faustus life are the tragic flaws or fatal flaws or Hamartia. He suffers from super human ambition, pomp of wisdom, insatiable thirst for knowledge and sensual pleasures. His great ambitiion like that of Macbeth leads him to extremes sentimentalism and permanent demination. On the one hand he tries to become super human but on the other hand he becomes weaker and weaker. So we can quote a critic -

"The trouble with Faustus is in his aspiration to be something more than a man be ends up with something less than a man."

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