COURSE: - M.A ENGLISH
SEMESTER: - 1
BATCH: -
2015-2017
ENROLMENT
NO: - PG15101022
SUBMITTED
TO: - SMT.S.B.GARDI
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH MKBU
EMAIL ID: -
vaidehi09hariyani@gmail.com
PAPER NO: - 1
THE RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
TOPIC: -
THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE IN DR.FAUSTUS
The Voice Of Conscience in Dr.Faustus
'The Tragical History of the Life
and Death of Doctor Faustus' commonly referred to simply as 'Dr.Faustus'. It is a play by Christopher Marlowe. It is
based on the German story Faust, in which a man sells his soul to the devil for
power, experience, pleasure and knowledge.
What is
conscience?
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition
or judgement that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. In psychological
terms, conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when human
commits actions that go against his/her moral values.
Generally,
conscience is referred to metaphors like the “voice within” and the “inner
light”.
The voice of conscience is
observed throughout the play in 'Dr.Faustus'.
This inner conflict confuses Dr.Faustus in taking a decision. After the
decision is taken, again we see the inner voice when he is at the edge of the
death.
Two angels
and the Old man personifies Faustus’s inner conflict. We can also see some Latin
words which is also the externalisation of his mind. In the very beginning we
come to know about Dr.Faustus and the so far knowledge he has gained. Two
angels and the Old man are the voice of conscience, so where this voice does
comes from? In act 1, we come to know that Faustus has studied the Divinity:
“When all is
done, divinity is best:
Jerome’s Bible, Faustus; view it well.”
As he has learnt
the divinity, he has a spiritual aspect in him. It does make him realise the
difference between right and wrong, but he doesn’t follow the right path.
“The reward
of sin is death: that’s hard”
He himself
very well understands that he is wrong. He knows that death is the punishment
of all sin, but his negative thoughts are stronger than positive ones. We can
say that Good Angel represents positive thoughts of Faustus while Evil Angel
represents negative thoughts. His desire to become powerful leads him towards
his downfall, but when he realises it’s too late.
Good
Angel:-
Good angel
is the voice of conscience in a positive way. It distinguishes evil from good.
After learning all most all the subjects, Faustus wants to learn Necromancy. He
knows that it might be dangerous to learn this subject. His desire is to become
demi-god. When he thinks of being powerful, good angel; the inner voice stops
him:
“O, Faustus,
lay that damned book aside,
And gaze not
on it, lest it tempt thy soul,
And heap
God’s heavy wrath upon thy head!
Read, read
the scriptures: - that is blasphemy.” -
Act 1
He had already read the scriptures, so he
knew that this desire might cause his downfall. Good angel asks Faustus to
leave that execrable art. Faustus do thinks about contrition, prayer and
repentance. His inner voice does tell him that they means to bring him unto
heaven and also reminds him to think about heaven and heavenly things. Faustus
sells his soul and uses his knowledge in silly things. When he feels that his
end is near, we see that Good angel appears in form of the thought of
repentance.
“Faustus, repent; yet god will pity thee” – Act 2 scene 2
When Faustus is at the threshold of
death, he thinks that if he had followed the conscience in positive way then he
might not come in a situation like this. What is the use of riches and
pleasures now when the death is about to come. Lastly before Lucifer comes to
get his soul, his heart; the Good angel moans:-
“O, thou
hast lost celestial happiness,
Pleasures
unspeakable, bliss without end
Hadst thou
affected sweet divinity,
Hell or the
devil had had no power on thee.
Hadst thou
kept on that way………..
…And now,
poor soul, must thy good angel leave thee:
The jaws of
hell are open to receive thee” – Act 5 scene 2
Evil
Angel:-
Evil angel also represents the
externalisation of Faustus’s mind. On one hand we see the voice of conscience
in form of Good Angel who stops Faustus to fulfil his wish, while on the other
hand there is Evil Angel which tempts Faustus. Evil angel urges Faustus to
fulfil his desire to learn necromancy.
“Go forward,
Faustus, in that famous art
Wherein all nature’s treasure is contain’d:
Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky,
Lord and commander of these elements” – Act 1
scene 1
Evil Angel challenges Good Angel; the
heart challenges the mind. Dr.Faustus knows that he is on a wrong path, but the
illusionary success diverts his attention whenever the Good angel appears. The
evil is stronger than the good. When Faustus thinks about prayer or contrition,
evil angel considers it as illusions, fruits of lunacy. The mind says that the men
are foolish that are thinking about heaven and heavenly things. Evil Angel
tempts Faustus to think of honour and of wealth. At the end also we see that
Faustus is in dilemma for repenting. He is also caught in the state of ‘to be
or not to be”. Evil angel represents the thought that there is no need to
repent and should never repent. Evil angel tempts Faustus to taste the pain of
hell. As Satan says in Paradise Lost “It is better to rule in hell, rather than
serve in heaven”. Same thought is represented by Evil Angel.
“Nothing,
but vex thee more,
To want in
hell, that had on earth such store.”
Old Man:-
Old man too
is the voice of inner conflict of Dr.Faustus. This voice of old man as
externalisation of his mind comes at last stage of the play. The role of Good
angel and Old man is the same, to stop Faustus taking wrong steps. Old angel
urges him to leave the art, as the magic had charmed him to sell his soul. It
warns him that no one express of hell, it can be harsh or unpleasant. Old angel
also urges for repentance.
Now if we look at our culture also,
people often say that if we ask for forgiveness with a true heart, God forgives
us for our mistakes. The same thought is represented by Old man:-
“O, stay,
good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps!
I see an
angel hover o’er thy head,
And, with a
vial full of precious grace,
Offers to
pour the same into thy soul:
Then call
for mercy, and avoid despair.”
Dr.Faustus is constantly in trouble
between the positive and negative thoughts. When he is irritated with the
positive thought; old man, he forgets everything. The vanishing last thought says:-
“Faustus, I
leave thee; but with grief of heart,
Fearing the enemy
of thy hapless soul.”
Homo
Fuge:-
“Homo Fuge”
these words are in Latin. It means “O man fly”. This word appears when signs
the contract with his blood:-
“Homo Fuge!
Whither should I flie?
If unto God,
he’ll throw me down to hell
My senses
are deceived: here’s nothing writ!” – Act 2 scene 1
Psychology
believes in reality rather than magic. Considering this, we can say that these
words are also the personification of Dr.Faustus’s inner voice.
Conclusion:-
If we consider 'Dr.Faustus' from the
religious point of view, we can say that Good Angel and Old man are the forms
of God. A question might arise that if God is present, why the evil does win.
God is something that cannot be described. So in Doctor Faustus we find the
conflict or the psychological struggle furious in the heart and soul of the
hero.
In fact there is hardly any external action in this play—“the description
of a psychological struggle or spiritual conflict in the mind of the hero is
the chief thing.” But then why is this struggle and to what is this due?
Generally this inner conflict takes place when a man is faced with two substitutes,
one of which he must have to choose but finds himself pulled in opposite
directions. The conflict may be said to be the conflict between will and
conscience externalised by the Bad Angel and Good Angel respectively. So the
heart of Faustus is the field where the forces of good and evil are trying to overpower
each other. Marlowe’s 'Tamburlaine', 'Edward II' and 'The Jew of Malta', all show
this external conflict as it takes place between the hero and his opponents.
But the hero’s heart and soul is the great battlefield for the internal or
spiritual conflict. Two opposite thoughts, desires, emotions, devotions or associations
may struggle against each other in human soul giving rise to most serious
spiritual conflict. And of all tragic conflicts, the most tragic one is the
losing battle of the good in man against the evil that ultimately comes out successful.
Marlowe’s 'Doctor Faustus', the most outstanding tragedy before Shakespeare,
illustrates this ultimate spiritual conflict in the most dynamic manner.
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