38/40 To what extent do you agree with the view that ‘Dr Faustus’ is more a play of spectacle than one which creates fear and apprehension?

To what extent do you agree with the view that ‘Dr Faustus’ is more a play of spectacle than one which creates fear and apprehension? 

In ‘Dr Faustus’, there are many instances where a visually striking display presents itself to the audience, an especially important aspect in a play to engage the audience, ‘Dr Faustus’’ spectacles actually seem to create fear and apprehension more effectively together, shown by the genuine belief and panic following the seemingly real appearance of the conjured devils.

One such spectacle in Marlowe’s play is the seven deadly sins pageant for Faustus’ entertainment. Initially, the entertainment focus of the scene leans more towards a spectacle. However, its use as Faustus’ entertainment creates fear, as the audience know that Lucifer is using the spectacle to bring Faustus’ wavering resolve back onto the path to hell. This behaviour is also shown by Mephistopheles in Act Two Scene One when he “fetches him somewhat to delight his mind” with the stage direction- “Aside”. By speaking exclusively to the audience, the sense of deception towards Faustus is forged. In this way, the spectacle of the seven deadly sins creates fear and apprehension, as the audience are aware that it is used as deceit. The very procession is led by a ‘piper’, complete with connotations of deceit and transgression itself. The Pied Piper of Hamelin was a prominent Medieval German legend, appearing in Goethe’s work- the later reproducer of ‘Faust’- who led children to a questionable destination with a magical pipe. This could be a reference to Mephistopheles’ commanding nature and devious intentions on Dr Faustus. But it is more likely that Marlowe has employed a piper for the leader of this transgressive spectacle to comment on a wider scale about the delusive enticement of papal supremacy (in the 16^th century) and the sins it itself encourages in its wake.

This spectacle also creates fear and apprehension within the audience by showing Faustus’ flagrant disregard for the typically medieval allegorical warning. After Lucifer and Beelzebub show him “some pastime”, Faustus replies “how this sight doth delight his soul”. Faustus’ reference to a “soul” could be taken to be ironical, in which case displaying his laughable relationship with sin. This creates apprehension within the audience, as the mention of the soul in such disregarding and entertaining terms puts Faustus in even more peril; the audience’s “Christian heart lamenting” at the inevitable end of Faustus. Especially in a Medieval morality play, this relationship between sin and man would have demonstrated a punishment at a later time. Differently, the intimidation shown by Lucifer may lead to the lines being read in a pacifying tone, though still ironic. Depending on how the scene was played, the fear and apprehension may have traversed into Faustus, making his downfall more sympathetically accessible after being bullied into sin by the devils. His weak and cowardly behaviour is further indicated to by his eager complacency to “burn his books”- either for Lucifer’s sake at his first threat, or God’s. Through the spectacle of the seven deadly sins, Marlowe allows the fear created to be adapted in different performances to different degrees and subverts the 16^th century audience’s expectations of a morality play by developing a character immune to its warnings- or a Renaissance tragic hero.

Another spectacle which reoccurs in ‘Dr Faustus’ is the conflicting angel and devil which seem to be Faustus’ conscience. It is likely that the 16^th century play would have employed actors to play the parts of both angel and devil, turning the warning of Faustus’ conscience into a striking, oppositional exhibition for the whole audience. The Globe performance even presented the two as warriors and engaged them in dramatic combat, inducing apprehension within the audience. It was predictably most unusual for an audience to see an outward externalisation of conscience in a morality play and Marlowe has likely done so to defy the robotic stock characters who seemed to lack human free will to act as a warning. Marlowe’s depiction of both good and bad in one character doomed to be condemned as an example, creates fear within the audience; Faustus becoming more accessible to the audience’s sympathy and frighteningly- their empathy. In this way, the battle between good and evil typical in a Gothic text becomes an arena in which the audience are fated to acknowledge their similarity to an uncanny, transgressive character- a frightening prospect.

Faustus’ dramatic spectacle of the good and bad angel demonstrates a fear of redemption. The bad angel says at Faustus’ moment of weakness (or strength) “repent and devils shall tear thee in pieces”. This violent and aggressive threat is then directly opposed in the next line with the good angel responding “repent and they shall never raze thy skin”. Structurally, Marlowe is particularly effective in showing direct conflict between Faustus’ rejection of God and his thirst for knowledge and his obedience to God and social values. This could perhaps reflect the changing period of the time and the conflict between the bad angel’s Renaissance idealism- to “go forward” (repeated often throughout the play)- and the good angel’s pious and somewhat oppressive state. Typically at times of social conflict the Gothic arises, and Dr Faustus is a very early example of this. The structural positioning adversely shows Faustus’ constant ignorance of his obvious chance of redemption due to fear, and his feeling of hopelessness despite the audience’s awareness of his choices reflects a Calvinistic hopelessness. Marlowe has used the good and bad angel in ‘Dr Faustus’ to demonstrate that moral dilemmas are in fact just a spectacle to Calvinism and the disastrous consequences this has on people who in turn believe that redemption is “an illusion, fruits of lunacy that make men foolish”.

Marlowe uses spectacles in ‘Dr Faustus’ to comment on social fears during the 16^th century and provide a space on stage to subvert and question authority; a Carnivalesque-ish notion. Through spectacular imagery, the play not only serves for “pastime” but fear and apprehension are a natural result, effective in turning the audience’s world upside down as a Gothic text should.

37/40 Faustus describes Mephistopheles as a “bewitching fiend”. How far do you agree with this view of him?

Faustus describes Mephistopheles as a “bewitching fiend”. How far do you agree with this view of him?

‘Dr Faustus’’ Mephistopheles is undoubtedly a “bewitching fiend”, a manipulative and spell-binding showman with a host of enchanting tricks up his sleeve. However, this “bewitching” quality may not lie in Mephistopheles, but in what he symbolises for Faustus. In this way, Faustus may be more bewitched by power than Mephistopheles himself, for example. Being bewitched also takes the blame off of the individual and onto the supernatural perpetrator. The audience can then begin to question whether Faustus had autonomy over his actions or whether fiendish puppetry was involved.

Mephistopheles’s bewitching nature may be hiding an unsympathetic salesman. This is demonstrated in Act Two scene 2, when Faustus is making his deal with Lucifer. After Faustus’ “blood congeals and can write no more”, Mephistopheles returns with “fire to dissolve it straight”; a business-like and practical suggestion which implies it has happened before. Faustus comes to realise this currency of souls too late, before he is dragged to hell in Act Five Scene Two. Faustus explains to the scholars that he wrote the devils “a bill” and the “date is expired”. The language of currency and business transactions in regards to the soul may have been critiquing the money involved with religion, especially Catholicism, during the Elizabethan reign. The pomposity and greed shown by Pope Adrian demonstrates this, using souls and religion for gain of wealth- “to condemn or judge, resign or seal or whatso pleaseth us”. Especially with Marlowe’s supposed role in the spying of Catholics, this critique would have been likely. This circulation of souls in ‘Dr Faustus’ may also be interrogating the confusion of loyalty with religion, being passed from one to another and therefore reducing its intrinsic human value. Arguably, Mephistopheles is presented as bewitching in order to accompany his salesman antics on Faustus’ soul and express Marlowe’s censored opinions on a fractured, secular culture.

Mephistopheles is not the “bewitching fiend” but rather the physical pleasure he can “cloy” Faustus with are. Mephistopheles often conjures bewitching specters after Faustus displays a wavering resolve, possessing the effect of swaying him back onto the path of hell. Mephistopheles’ last conjuring before Faustus is dragged into “gaping hell” is of Helen of Troy, a Succubus who certainly is bewitching. Faustus states that “heaven is in these lips”, a romantic but ironic statement for the audience who know that the succubus has nothing divine about her; quite the opposite. The morality play form of ‘Dr Faustus’ ensures the audience would have known that the more Faustus engages with the succubus, the more assured his path to hell is guaranteed- creating a feeling of terror. Heaven for Faustus is in something tangible and sexual, rather than something metaphysical. Faustus’ knowledge of Helen of Troy as a succubus is shown with his exclamation- “Her lips suck forth my soul, see where it flies”. The soul “flying” is a direct contrast to the saintly Old Man he has encountered and tormented earlier in the scene (Act Five Scene One), whose soul “flies unto God” and Faustus own usage of the word turns it into something sexual rather than sacred. However “flying” does imply a sense of freedom, suggesting that Faustus feels emancipated on earth rather than through God, a Renaissance humanist view that allowed the mind to expand without the weight of the spiritual holding it back. This wedding of the sacred and profane, and the emphasis on freedom also points to ‘Dr Faustus’ implementation of the Carnivalesque which would have been especially effective in the play-format, allowing a place of subversion on stage and showing Faustus’ obsession with the sensual. Faustus’ soul is hopelessly bewitched by the empirical pleasures he finds on earth that Mephistopheles can give him (subsequently portraying Mephistopheles as bewitching)- a humanist approach that dominated Renaissance thinking.

Perhaps, Dr Faustus finds the idea of wealth and power bewitching rather than Mephistopheles. Before Mephistopheles even exchanges words with the scholar in Act One Scene Three, Faustus orders the devil to “change thy shape” and is impressed by his obedience. He is delighted by how “pliant is this Mephistopheles”. “Pliant” suggests something yielding and easily shaped, demonstrating Faustus’ naïve belief that he will be in complete power of this fiend. Pliancy also has very physical connotations, again demonstrating Faustus’ need to feel tangible power rather than something illusory, which we later know to be the extent of his power over the devil. This need for power is depicted in the same scene when the devil has exited, “by him I’ll be great emperor of the world”. Faustus, therefore, sees Mephistopheles as a passage to power (“by him”) which he finds bewitching.

Although it is depicted at first that Faustus is more bewitched by the promise of power and wealth, as the play progresses we see a relationship develop between the two. Mephistopheles and Faustus refer to each other in possessive terms- “my good Mephistopheles”, “My Faustus” suggesting a hidden power play between the two- with both believing they are in possession of each other. Although Mephistopheles promises wryly that he will “be thy slave and wait on thee”, Faustus treats him more as a friend than servant- he even thanks the fiend after doing his bidding; “thanks, Mephistopheles”. However, this developing relationship may be more effective in depicting a bewitching homoerotic relationship between the two characters. Following a confusing battle with his conscious, and his devil predictably triumphing, Faustus states that he would have “dispatched himself” had not “sweet pleasure conquer’d deep despair” and “made music with my Mephistopheles”. “Making music” is an undoubtedly romantic gesture and also a sexual one, suggesting that Mephistopheles’ bewitching sexuality is a determining factor in whether he turns his back on salvation. Differently, Mephistopheles may be considered his salvation. In Act 2 Scene 1, Mephistopheles presents Faustus with tricks and states that he will “do greater things that these”. This line has a direct link to Jesus in John stating that “whoever believes in me will do works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these”. This synoptic link to the Bible presents Mephistopheles as a subverted Christ-like figure and Faustus’ bewitching false messiah, leading him arguably to destruction rather than “eternal joys”.

Although Mephistopheles himself responds that yes, he “does confess it…and rejoice” that he was the spell that put Faustus under satanic influence; it is to give him too much credit. Firstly, Faustus places the blame on Mephistopheles in a tension-charged and desperate Act 5, directly after confessing to the scholars that he himself “hath done it”. His autonomy is discredited in extreme fear. Secondly, Mephistopheles’ arguably did not bewitch Faustus, but the temptation of physical pleasure and power. And lastly, Faustus’ pride and overreaching nature as a tragic flaw led him to take the path of sin before Mephistopheles even appeared in the play. Mephistopheles was merely a showy distraction from what Faustus knew and refused to accept all along. All in all, Mephistopheles “turn’d the leaves and led thine eye” but Faustus opened the book of his own initiative.