Satire in Doctor Faustus
Abstract
The three divergent readings of Marlowe as revolutionary iconoclast, as Christian moralist, or as ambiguous ironist become most pronounced in response to Doctor Faustus. The thesis will explain such divergence of critical opinion by approaching the play as Marlowe 's formal attempt at dramatic satire, not tragedy. The influence of classical comedy on Jonson 's satiric drama has been recognised, but similar study has yet to be conducted into Marlowe 's knowledge and use of classical models. The first Chapter will assess Marlowe's contact with Roman comedy before offering an analysis of his typical mode of satire in the Plautine scenes of The Jew of Malta. The second Chapter will consider whether the satyr-drama of Greece could have influenced Marlowe's satiric conception of Doctor Faustus, and a formal comparison will be made between the two kinds of drama. Their connection is ultimately justified by the Renaissance theories of satire as the direct utterance of satyrs and by there being a demonstrable continuity b e twee n the satyr and the medieval devil. The classical ancestry of the devil creates an ambivalence in the play's spectacle, and it may be argued that the old Grecian deity is used to satirise the play's medieval eschatology. A more orthodox view may see the satyrdevils to bolster the Christian purpose of the play, which is moral rebuke by means of satire. This dialectical development necessitates a Chapter on the relationship of Doctor Faustus to medieval drama, in which special attention is given to the devil in order to appreciate Marlowe's original dramatisation of that theatrical figure. The use of the all-but-obsolete form of the early Morality is seen as a politic way for Marlowe to satirise certain facets of Christian belief, and the drama of Euripides is forwarded as a classical model that helps us understand how the play may be both orthodox and unorthodox. The final Chapter does not seek to identify Faustus with his creator in the Romantic manner; instead it sees him as the primary target of the play's satire. A satiric interpretation need not preclude the idea Marlowe was at times seriously engaged with the tragic aspect of his subject, and the play is seen as tragical satire.
Description
Bibliography: p. 145-150.
Keywords
Citation
Barnes, G. (1979). Satire in Doctor Faustus (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/16174