It is no wonder that Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, with its A-Text published in 1604, documents the fall of a man who succumbs to dark art as this play takes place during a period of great political and religious upheaval. In the early 1600s, England was subject to the monarchy’s vacillations from Catholicism to Protestantism, and there was a constant struggle that the country could eventually convert back to Catholicism after Henry the Eighth’s break from the Holy Roman Church. These religious politics are reflected through Doctor Faustus’s satirizing of the Pope and his monks as well as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Fifth. Doctor Faustus can be argued to value power over spirituality as through dark arts the play reveals the lack of spiritualism and surplus of materialism present within historical, political, and religious figures of Marlowe’s time.
In regards to the Pope and historical religious figures, Doctor Faustus paints them in a materialistic light as it refers to the religious riches more so than the spirituality of the figures. On pages thirty-six and -seven, for example, when Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles are playing practical jokes on the Catholic court, the Pope and his Cardinal are initially more concerned with the fact that the invisible Faustus is snatching a dish that was sent from the Cardinal of Florence (III. II. 69-70) than the fact that there is a supposed spirit among them. Additionally, the Pope being unable to expel the presence of hellish spirits strengthens the idea of the Pope’s inadequacy practicing religion as he ends up running away from the invisible Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles (III. II. 80-85). As the Pope—the leader of Catholicism as a whole—cannot even protect himself from the sorcery around him, relying on his friars to expel away the spirit, the story is commenting on the fact that the Pope, representing Catholicism as a whole, is corrupted by the riches given them. Also, it lends to the concept of the Catholic Church and its leaders lacking in the skill of warding away evil, possibly as a result of its preoccupation with objects and money. This lends to the idea of the play placing power at a higher value than spirituality as it exposes the tendency for this change of ideals and monetary fixation within the highest and most honored field at the time: the Church.
The mentioning of the Emperor adds to this idea of political and historical figures as more focused on their accomplishments in order to bolster their prides rather than esteeming spiritualism enough to practice caution with Faustus’s use of dark magic. The Emperor says to Doctor Faustus, “Canst raise this man [Alexander the Great] from hollow vaults below,/ Where lies entombed this famous conqueror,/ And bring with him his beauteous paramour,/ Both in their right shapes, gesture, and attire/ They used to wear during their time of life,/ Thou shalt both satisfy my just desire/ And give me cause to praise thee whilst I live” (IV. I. 34-40). As the Emperor is only desirous of seeing his great ancestor, he bares his superfluous family pride in addition with his obsession of his ancestry proving more important to him than determining how much of a threat Faustus could be what with his dark magic. Because of this, too, Faustus is easily able to target the Emperor’s courtiers for their tricks. The Emperor’s offering Faustus a gift (4. 1. 95) further proves the Emperor’s ignorance as Faustus’s tricks on the Emperor’s court goes unnoticed in light of the enhanced pride that Faustus presents to the Emperor. Because the Emperor is nameless, too, the effect is that this Emperor could have been any political leader throughout history, commenting on the corruption and pride of many historical leaders.
Overall, Doctor Faustus places corruption and pride of historical leaders as the backdrop for Doctor Faustus’s own corruption and prideful sins. Though Faustus’s crimes are in the forefront of the play, the inadequacy of the Pope and the corruption of the Emperor serve as historical context for Faustus’s time. This can help shed light on Faustus’s decisions, too, as since Faustus’s historical, political, and religious leaders’ corruption and lack of spirituality may have influenced Faustus’s choices to succumb to evil for selfish profit. Just as Faustus sins for his own joy, so do the historical, political, and religious leaders in this tale.
Works Cited
- Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus. Ed. David Scott Kastan. Norton Critical Edition ed. New
- York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2005. Print.