English - Doctor Faustus (Context)
When was the printing press invented?
1440, by Johannes Gutenberg, William Caxton is thought to be the first to introduce a press to England, in 1476.
When did Columbus 'discover' America?
1492
Christopher Marlowe birth and death year?
1564-1593
when was faustus probs written?
1592
when was the a-text published?
1604
When was the B-Text published?
1616
What did Vasco de Gama discover in 1498?
A sea route from Europe to India
Characteristics of tragic hero?
He Has Painted A Nice Cat 1 HAMARTIA - a tragic flaw that causes the downfall of a hero 2 HUBRIS - excessive pride and disrespect for the natural order of things. 3 PERIPETEIA - The reversal of fate that the hero experiences 4 ANAGNORISIS - a moment in time when hero makes an important discovery in the story 5 NEMESIS - a punishment that the protagonist cannot avoid, usually occurring as a result of his hubris 6 CATHARSIS - feelings of pity and fear felt by the audience, for the inevitable downfall of the protagonist
political context of england - what was lutheranism?
belief that humans are saved from their sins by god's grace, faith and through scripts alone (god made the world)
who was Alexander the Great?
king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty (356 BC - 323 BC)
where did the idea of selling one's soul to the devil come from?
old motif from christian folklore
What does Limited Atonement mean in Calvinism?
only the sins of the elect were atoned for by Jesus's death (atone = make amends)
when was the a text written?
probably 1592
What does Unconditional Election mean in Calvinism?
- God has chosen from eternity to extend mercy to those he has chosen and to withhold mercy from those not chosen - Those chosen receive salvation through Christ alone. Those not chosen receive the just wrath that is warranted for their sins against God.
christian teaching - forgiveness
- God's purpose was not to give up on humanity -Sin and Death can be paid for in a different way - Jesus died for the sin's of mankind - 1 John 1:9 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' - Marlowe makes us question if DF wants forgiveness or believes in it - it is intertwined with the idea of repentance - you have to be TRULY sorry and know that what you did was wrong - 'see where Christ's blood streams in the firmament' = Christ's blood and love is ready and full, always there for him to turn to
Myth of Icarus?
- Icarus had wings made of feathers and wax and was warned by his father not to fly too high. - But, thrilled at being able to fly, Icarus soared close to the sun. So, his wings melted and he plummeted to his peril in the ocean
Difference of Protestantism compared to Catholicism?
- Promoted a much more direct relationship between the individual and God
What was the Manichaean view: the 'Concept of Dualism'?
- Put forward by third century Prophet Manes. - Dictates that soul is actually divided into two; the good/divine soul and the evil soul. Represented by the good and evil angels?
characteristics of carnivalesque?
- subverting hierarchies - focus on materiality of the body (bodily functions) - makes higher class characters look more stupid - eccentric behaviour - sacrilege
What did Charles V inherit?
- the Hasburg monarchy from his grandfather (Austria, hungary, spain etc) - he INHERITED the empire which was preexisting 'The empire on which the sun never sets'
What did St Augustine: the 'Unitary Soul' state?
- the soul fluctuates between two contrary wills; good and evil. - Evil is due to the abuse of free will, rather than the soul itself
christian teaching - belief in god
- there is only one god, he created the world - he is loving and all-powerful - he sent jesus to earth to deal with the sin of mankind - if they believe this, they can be saved (doesn't have to be earnt, but believing must be real)
what did Alexander the Great do?
- took over Syria by defeating Persian army - conquered Egypt and made Alexandria the capital - help it all together, never defeated in battle - Aristotle was his teacher
Message and purpose of Greek tragedy?
- tragic flaw of the hero leads to his demise or downfall that in turn brings tragic end - gives wisdom to the audience to avoid such things in their everyday lives - sufferings and fall of a hero, arousing feelings of pity and fear through catharsis, purges the audiences of those emotions, to transform them into good human beings and good citizens
greek tragedy traits?
- tragic hero - display of hubris - three unities = place, time, action (Castelvetro 1570 - derived from ancient gree Aristotle's ideas) - involves mimesis (imitation) - serious subject matter - languages has 'pleasurable accessories' = rhythm and harmony - some bits are spoken in verse, sung - performed rather than narrated - aroused pity and fear - accomplishes catharsis (purification, purgation) of fear and pity
examples of carnivalesque inverting hierarchy in DF?
- wagner and the scholars/clown 'sirra' - faustus becomes more comedic character
examples of carnivalesque sacrilege focus in DF?
- writing gods name backwards scene 3 p18 - mocking the pope scene 8 - irony of using religious imagery to refer to the devil p30
what does prolepsis mean?
the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance (revolt, or I'll in piecemeal tear thy flesh p72)
what was 'Historia von D. Johann Fausten'?
the first 'Faust book' - anticatholic book - published in germany 1587 - sells his soul to devil, plays tricks on peasants/nobility guided by a familiar spirit - suffers eternal damnation
what is the ptolemaic model of the universe? (p42)
the geocentric model is a superseded description of the universe with Earth at the center, the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets all orbited Earth.
who was Helen of Troy?
the most beautiful woman in the world, who was married to King Menelaus of Sparta but eloped with Paris
What does Irresistible Grace mean in Calvinism?
the purposeful influence of God's Holy Spirit cannot be resisted, the Holy Spirit "graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ."
What does Calvinism emphasise?
the sovereignty of god, the unconditional election of the saved and the irresistible grace that saves a sinner
Who was Aristotle?
an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist
Where did the idea of someone selling their soul to the devil come from?
an old motif in Christian folklore
examples of carnivalesque body/bodily functions focus in DF?
- 'Baliol and Belcher' scene 4 - devils with horns/cleft and cloven feet
renaissance - general
- 'Renaissance Man' - a personification of the spirit of the Renaissance. A man of great learning in all areas of human knowledge, he strives to achieve even greater understanding - in this period the world was opened up with a series of high-profile exploration voyages and discoveries - bringing economic prosperity, which helped support the arts, these voyages and discoveries fired the imaginations of writers and reinforced the sense that the sense that the extent of human knowledge was being rapidly enlarged
characteristics of a morality play?
- 'everyman' protagonist - embodiment/personification of abstract qualities - teaches the protagonist a lesson - strongly religious themes - very 'black and white', good and evil are obvious on stage
Renaissance ideas of the cosmos?
- 1543 Copernicus published a hypothesis that was sun-centric instead of earth-centric (ptolemaic) - this was built upon by Galileo (italian astronomer) 1564-1642
Examples of seven deadly sins in ancient culture?
- Aristotle argues that for each positive quality there are two negative vices that are found on each extreme of the virtue - Roman writers like Horace praise the value of virtue while listing and warning against vices. His first epistles says that "to flee vice is the beginning of virtue, and to have got rid of folly is the beginning of wisdom."
What is Machiavellianism?
- Belief that leaders should do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals; it is better to be feared than loved - Political theory of Niccolò Machiavelli (Italian renaissance humanist and poet, author of 'Il Principe' or 'The Prince' which popularised the theory) - Also the name of a personality trait, characterised by: - a duplicitous interpersonal style, - an absence of morality, - a lack of empathy, - a focus on self-interest and personal gain.
The Castle of Perseverance?
- Contains features that evidently have a major influence on the structure and content of Doctor Faustus; a battle between vices and virtues, allegorical characters, attack on the Church etc.
Scientific advancements during renaissance?
- Copernicus, a Polish Astronomer, put forward his idea of the sun being at the centre of the universe, not the earth. Questioning traditional ideas
lutheranism in doctor faustus?
- Faustus had been a student of Martin Luther at Wittenberg university and lived in his town - both have an obsession with hell and demons (faustus asking the questions to meph) - increased dissatisfaction with the simple catholic belief of afterlife (luther's works and faustus's behaviour)
renaissance - influence of social attitudes
- Faustus is born of 'parents base of stock', but despite this is respected and 'graced with doctor's name'. - However he is still unhappy with his position in society and uses Devil-given power to gain access to the upper echelons of society. - In the final Acts Faustus returns to associating with lowly people, and one reading of the play is that *Marlowe upholds conventional hierarchies, presenting Faustus' gruesome fate as a punishment for reacting against God's order. - However there is an undercurrent of social rebellion. The Duke and Duchess and Vanholt, for example, do not behave in a noble way, and speak in prose rather than elevated blank verse. Nobility is negatively presented in the play, and Marlowe brings scenes of low comedy to palatial/noble settings.
Myth of Prometheus?
- Gave fire to humans against God's will. - Punished by being chained to a rock where a vulture gnawed at his liver, which was constantly renewed
christian teaching - judgement
- The Day of Judgement - christianity teaches that though this will come, god is delaying it in order to give as many people the chance to repent - salvation is something that remained an option until the very end - he is a fair judge and will not misunderstand you, it is impossible for him to wrongly convict you - Old testament - he was a god of judgement, often seen as scary and fierce but also a god of mercy - New testament - mercy is available through Jesus - both urge confession as a way to be saved - DF wants to evade judgement and for there to be no consequences for his actions - temporary please for eternal suffering? - Marlowe shows DF accepting his wrong and going to hell but doesn't show God (blasphemy?) + CATHOLICS = after death the Eternal Destiny of each soul is decided by God - souls leaving the body in a state of grace but need purification go through purgatory - souls that are pure are immediately admitted to the Godhead - souls in mortal sin are sent to hell to be punished for eternity in accordance with the severity of their sin PROTESTANT = life is a pilgrimage, a journey towards an eternal destination (heaven or hell)
Who was Charles V?
- The Holy Roman Emperor (1500-1558), ruled over European empire, elected by princes and kings
Morality plays?
- Typically told stories about the progress of the soul and humanity's relationship with virtue and temptation - Typical morality plays personified human qualities which would take part in disputes - e.g the good and evil angels and the seven deadly sins in Doctor Faustus
what are the seven deadly sins?
- a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. - they are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth
Implications of Witchcraft in real life?
- around 3000 (mostly women) killed as they were suspected to be witches
christian teaching - redemption
- biblical definition: deliverance or rescue from sin or evil - Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for the redemption of human sin for all humanity - He laid his life down, 'to serve and to give his life ransom for many' (Mark 10:45) - God did this to show that all humans (non-believers too) could be redeemed by Christ's sacrifice - Catholic church does not agree with the Calvinistic doctrine that Jesus died for the salvation of a predestined elect (certain people are destined to damnation) - god gave us the give of free will so that we can choose whether or not to reject the gift of Christ - only those who truly returned Christ's love and obey his conditions can justify their place in the kingdom of heaven (called process justification) IN DOCTOR FAUSTUS: - Good angel tells him that it is never too late to repent and thereby gain God's mercy - the two angels represent the opposing pulls of redemption and the temptation to sin even more - he seems to repent in his final scene (Marlowe makes us debate this) - the play offers countless moments in which he could repent - while christianity seems to accept even a deathbed repentance, Marlowe appears to reject this for thematic purposes - Marlowe steps outside of the Christian worldview in order to maximise the dramatic power of the final scene
renaissance - humanism
- contradictory school of thought to the Great Chain of Being - Middle Ages = valued life of contemplation and religious devotion, away from the world - Renaissance = highest cultural values = active involvement in public life/ Individual achievement, breadth of knowledge, and personal aspiration were valued - most important value Humanists extracted from their studies of classical literature, history, and moral philosophy was the social nature of humanity - believed in being in control of ones own destiny and position in society
What did Charles V do?
- effectively the king of spain - guardian of his insane mother, Queen of Castile - initiated many wars with France - Supported by Henry VIII in a war, he captured François of France and forced him to sign the treaty of Madrid - Fought the Ottoman empire - STRONG empire originally STRUGGLED to hold it together
difference between DF and classic morality play?
- faustus doesn't think of himself as an everyman (superior)
what did Alexander the Great inherit?
- inherited Macedonia when his father Phillip II died - it was a powerful yet volatile kingdom - however it was HE that conquered a vast territory not inherited (by the age of 30)
story of the judgement of paris (summary)?
- iris goddess of discord not invited to marriage banquet of achille's parents - gatecrashes with a golden apple 'for the fairest one' - zeus makes mortal paris choose cause he chose the better bull in the past - hera, athena and aphrodite all compete for it - mount ida, they confront him and try to persuade him (they get naked) - hera says she'll make him king of europe and asia - athena offers wisdom and skill in war - aphrodite offers most beautiful girl in the world - paris choses aphrodite and raids menelaus's house for Helen (causes the Trojan war)
christian teaching - falling
- it is sin, the result of man's free choice, that makes everything in the world fallen - god wanted people to be able to choose to believe in him, in order to ensure that their and belief and love was pure - Adam & Eve in the garden of eden = took the forbidden fruit (sin) and caused 'The Fall' - caused the falling of the world and death was introduced (not longer immortal) - DF is fallen but the play never shows him as virtuous or close to god - he is fallen from the beginning therefore
Examples of Morality play parallels in DF?
- p29 good and evil angel (allegorical, abstract qualities) - p46 seven deadly sins (abstract qualities) - p71 old man = good deeds from everyman (makes us think that F will repent, Marlowe subverts expectations)
christian teaching - god's love and suffering
- paradox = is god really powerful or loving enough to stop suffering if he chooses not to? - christians do not judge him by human standards - if you can make wind and stars etc then you can ask questions, but otherwise you have to just trust - DF questions the existence of god, hell etc - 1 John 1:5 'God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. God is pure.' - DF is distanced from God, his behaviour is inconsistent with a belief in god - his relationship with devil is the opposite of a christian's to god - (forcefully giving his soul without belief or knowledge vs pledging allegiance to god and allowing him to take your soul when death comes)
What was the reformation?
- split from the Roman Catholic church initiated by Martin Luther - he started it with his 1517 work 'The Ninety-Five theses' - challenged idea of salvation through priests and church procedure (instead of individual faith) -BEGAN PROTESTANTISM
renaissance - great chain of being
-Classical period - concept of the Great Chain of Being. Its major premise was that every existing thing in the universe had its "place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order - pictured as a chain vertically extended. -"Hierarchical" refers to an order based on a series of higher and lower, strictly ranked gradations - some Renaissance writers were fascinated by the thought of going beyond boundaries set by the chain of being - FAUSTUS is one of the major examples of this. - Simultaneously displaying the grand spirit of human aspiration and the more questionable hunger for superhuman powers - Faustus seems in the play to be both exalted and punished. - Marlowe's drama seen as the embodiment of Renaissance ambiguity, suggesting both its fear of and its fascination with pushing beyond human limitations
Who was John Dee?
-English/Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occult philosopher, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. - devoted his life to the study of alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy.
Significance of Wittenberg University?
Hamlet and Martin Luther went there, home of scepticism, also links with Marlowe's Cambridge
christian teaching - temptation example?
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the serpent (devil) tempts eve with an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
What were Aristotle's poetics?
Aristotle's literary theory in which he describes: - Differences in music rhythm, harmony, metre and melody. - Difference of goodness in the characters. - Difference in how the narrative is presented: telling a story or acting it out.
Story of Actaeon in Greek mythology? (p60)
because he looked at Diana and her nymphs while they were bathing, he was turned into a stag, and his own hounds tore him to pieces
How many books in Europe by 1500, after printing press invented in 1440?
By 1500, there were 9 million books in Europe alone.
which renaissance discover happened in 1492?
Columbus discovered America and West indies
what was the faust legend?
Dr Johann Georg Faust (1480-1540) - alchemist, astrologer and magician - german renaissance
Who was the alleged inspiration for Doctor Faustus?
Dr Johann Georg Faust (1480-1541) - alchemist, astrologer, magician of the german renaissance
Name some famous morality plays?
Everyman, Mankind, the castle of perseverance
great chain of being levels? (7)
Gods Angels Kings and Queens Commoners Animals Plants Non-living things
What were Castelvetro's 1570 three unities in greek tragedy?
Inspired by Aristotle's theories: - Action - one action the play follows, minimal subplots - Time - occur over a period of no more than 24 hours - Place - should only take place in one space, stage should not represent more than one place
Who was Machiavelli?
Italian philosopher, humanist, and writer of the Renaissance period, thought of as the father of modern political science
When and where did the renaissance begin and when did it come to England?
Italy 14th century, spread to England in 16th century
Where does the name 'Calvinism' come from?
John Calvin was a french theologian who taught these principles, It was first used by a Lutheran theologian in 1552
What does Total Depravity mean in Calvinism?
Man cannot save himself from sin and damnation
who was an influencer of Marlowe?
Shakespeare, born in the same year, 1564
5 points of Calvinism?
TULIP - Total Depravity - Unconditional Election - Limited Atonement - Irresistible Grace - Perseverance of the Saints
Two other Marlowe plays?
The Jew of Malta, Tamburlaine
what is a morality play?
a kind of ALLEGORICAL drama with personified ABSTRACT qualities as the main characters, presenting a LESSON about good conduct and character, popular in the 15th and early 16th centuries
Examples of Tragic heroes?
Oedipus (Sophocles), Hamlet (Shakespeare)
Aristotle's 6 parts to any greek tragedy?
Please Can Timothée Do More Singing - Plot - Character - Thought - Diction - Melody - Spectacle
Who coined the term 'Carnivalesque' in relation to comedy?
Russian thinker and literary critic Bakhtin (1895-1975)
Which university did Faustus go to?
Wittenberg
what is carnival (carnivalesque comedy)?
a literary mode that subverts and liberates the assumptions of the dominant style or atmosphere through humor and chaos
which renaissance discovery happened in 1498?
Vasco de Gama discovered sea route from europe to india
Marlowe's influences (in terms of plays etc)
William Shakespeare, ovid, virgil, machiavelli
name for a sun-centric universe model?
heliocentric
what is the 'Dark Triad'? (modern theory)
the three worst personality traits a person can have: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy
What does the Perseverance of the Saints mean in Calvinism?
those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end
