FATIMA JINNAH WOMEN UNIVERSITY

Atheism in Doctor
Faustus
Marlowes Dr. Faustus promotes an atheistic and anti-religion agenda in the
background of the Renaissance spirit.

Maria Anwar
English Literature

Submitted to: Dr. Akifa Imtiaz

Abstract

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe is one of the remarkable works of literature, though
many scholars call it a morality play, there is sufficient evidence that it is basically atheistic.
Marlowe led a mysterious life and was twice arrested for heresy and atheistic beliefs. The
documents found from his room, gathered from his acquaintances prove he was anti-religion at
heart, a rebel against the Church and thats what is reflected in this play through the character of
Faustus. Hes Marlowes mouthpiece and has autobiographical traces in personality throughout
the play. This study has focused on the atheistic element in the play, and the rationale behind it is
deciphering the text from a new point of view in order to make it more appreciative and rich in
meaning.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Background

4
4

1.2 Research problem

14

1.3 Research Questions15

1.4 Hypothesis..15
1.5 Research Objectives.......15
1.6 Significance of the Study.15
1.7 Research Methodology..16
1.8 Delimitation16

2. Literature Review....17

3. Methodology24

4. Analysis.25
4.1 Marlowes life reflects in Doctor Faustus..25
4.2 Marlowes atheist and the anti-religion in Faustus.28

5. Conclusion33

References.......34

1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
1.1.1 Drama. The term is derived from a Greek word meaning "action" (Classical Greek:
, drama), which comes from the verb meaning "to do" or "to act". Drama is one of the
genres of Literature, which can be in prose or verse form. It can either portray life or tell a story
through characters, involving action, emotions, conflict and dialogue. Drama is meant to be
staged and performed in a theatre in front of an audience. It is said to be a very dense form of
Literature and has many types that evolved from the two basic forms tragedy and comedy.
Historically western drama has its origin in the Classical Greek culture in 5 th century BCE, at that
time it was divided into generic forms tragedy, comedy and satyr. Greek drama used to be
performed on festivals held in celebration of god Dionysus. Later the Romans further developed
the form of drama during their empire.
1.1.1.1 Tragedy. It is a branch of drama that sorrowfully and seriously describes some tragic
event, a misfortune or a disaster in the life of the characters it presents. The Greek dramatists
used these kinds of plays for their cultural festivities and religious occasions; later on this
subgenre attained its full recognition in the Elizabethan age, where Shakespeare, Marlowe and
their contemporaries wrote memorable tragic plays.

1.1.1.2 Comedy. Comedy is an art form that is meant to amuse and make the audience laugh
by holding up a mirror to the society. Comic plays started with Aristotle in the ancient Greece
in 4th century BCE and are found in the modern age literature too. Comedies usually played

with the themes of human follies and vices in order to correct them in the present generation.
Shakespearean comedies are well-known for their literary merit; several other writers
experimented with its form.

1.1.2 Elizabethan Age. After the dark ages or medieval period, Elizabethan age
started with succession of Elizabeth 1 to the throne in 1558 and ended with her death in 1603.
It is deemed to be one of the most splendid times in the history of England during which
literary figures such as Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Roger Ascham, Richard
Hooker, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare flourished under the rich influence
of Renaissance, Humanism, along with scientific and geographical advancements.

1.1.2.1 Renaissance. Renaissance literally means rebirth, it was a movement in the

European history in the 15th century that spread new awareness of an individual, an interest in
the material world and nature and recovery of the cultural heritage of the classical Greece
and Rome. Europe witnesses a break from feudal system of living from 14 th through 16th
century. The urban centers grew and attracted the lower classes with opportunities thus the
aristocracy lost its hegemony over the lower classes. Renaissance further gave way to
Humanism.

1.1.2.2 The rise of Humanism. The spirit of Renaissance expressed itself earlier in the
form of an intellectual movement called Humanism, which started from Italy with its

predecessors Dante and Petrarch. It was initiated by secular men of letters and not the
religious scholars who were dominant in the intellectualism of the medieval ages. Humanism
got its major boost after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the eastern scholars fled to Italy
with books and manuscripts of Greek scholarships. This movement was anthropocentric,
which meant man was the center of universe and had more potential than anything else in the
world. Secondly, it preferred syncretism by combining and finding common truth in all the
philosophical and theological doctrines. Finally, humanism focused on the recovery of lost
human wisdom and rebirth of the human spirit.

1.1.2.3 Travel, geographical expansion and scientific progress. The fear of contagious
disease of Plague and the desire to get out of the house and explore the world made people
tour the continents and trade with different nations. This led to the spread of wealth and
products as well as ideas from one place to another. When these people returned to their
homeland they brought knowledge with them, which influenced culture, literature and
fashion of the times. Christopher Columbus discovered America, British navy came into
being which defeated the Spanish Armada at the sea, and Copernicus formulated a model of
the universe with Sun at its center. Galileo laid the foundation of modern physics by giving
new laws of science. He invented the telescope and supported Copernicus idea of a suncentered solar system, he was unfortunately pronounced heretic by the church though. In
1440 Johannes Gutenberg brought an amazing innovation to printing press, which helped
spread literacy and knowledge to the masses.

1.1.2.4 Reformation and religious controversies. The intellectual stimulation that was
sparked by Humanism led to Reformation in the 16 th century, which was a religious

revolution in the western church. The greatest leaders of this movement were Martin Luther
and John Calvin. Martin Luther posted Ninety-five Theses on the door of Castle Church in
1517 at Wittenberg, Germany. He attacked the Catholic Church for corruption and lack of
spiritual authority, as the church in those days was accumulating wealth by selling
indulgences and involved in political affairs. Martin Luther proposed that faith alone
determined mans salvation and pope had no authority over the purgatory. In 1521 he was
excommunicated, but his reforms brought a fracture to western Christendom with the
emergence of a third branch called Protestantism. Reformation had far-reaching economic,
social and political effects. Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII, oversaw the Protestant
Reformation in England, but it was only during Elizabeth's reign that Protestantism became
firmly established as the national religion. Disagreements in religion became common after
people got alienated to God as a result of the varieties of Catholicism and Protestantism.
Atheistic, Agnostic and superstitious beliefs this encompassed the nation that was confused
which sect of Christianity was to be followed, and Black death became associated to witches
in spite of the prevailing knowledge and learning of the times.

1.1.2.5 Atheism in the Elizabethan era. Atheism is a belief that rejects the
existence of god or a deity. Theism is the opposite belief that stands for faith in a divine
power. Judaism, Islam, Christianity all affirm the reality of One God, and the believer of
these faith depend on the Divine Power for guidance, who created the universe and created
whatever resides in it and that man is sinful and God only can redeem him. Atheism is thus
rejection of all such religious beliefs and has numerous types. Atheists assert that by
empirical method alone we can find the fact of anything that exists in the universe.

Agnosticism on the other hand doubted the existence of God and said it wasnt possible to
know if a God existed.
In Elizabethan era people gained a lot of knowledge through science and literacy rate
increased, it was a time of reason and truth behind all the universe and natural phenomena
which man questioned daringly. Atheism gained believers after Reformation that shook the
whole Christendom, the church and religion was divided and in all this chaos man asked
where the god was? Francis Bacon proposed ideas for gaining empirical knowledge of the
world. Anyone who explored outside the boundaries of established religious doctrine, or
experimenting to discover hidden knowledge of the celestial bodies was termed a heretic and
an atheist. Galileo too was condemned of heresy and some scholars did pay a price for their
renaissance learning. In 1593 the Queen launched a hunt to get heretics out; the Commission
did not distinguish between the alien religions, no religion or atheism. All Separatists,
Barrowists and anti-Catholics along with the printers who published the controversial
writings were hanged. Thus atheism was a capital charge in those times, as it posed a threat
to the sovereignty and political stability of the monarchy. Blasphemy was considered a sin
that would rightly be punished by God himself, an air of doubt, despair, belief and unbelief
was ironically prevalent in this age of learning.

1.1.2.6 Elizabethan attitude to devils, ghosts, magic and superstition. To Elizabethans,

the influence of the Devil on human affairs was almost as prevalent as that of God. While
God was a force for good, the Devil was a force for evil. The Devil was believed to be able to
take on whatever form he chose, human or animal, to tempt his victims to do wicked things.

Many people believed that ghosts, too, were the Devil in disguise. One of the most famous
Elizabethans, William Shakespeare, refers to this belief in his play Hamlet.
Elizabethan belief in superstitions dates back to Dark ages and classical Greek and Roman
culture of gods and goddesses. These beliefs are rooted in old magic and mystical properties
of herbs, chants, omens, animals and numbers. Superstitious people had irrationally
connected things and circumstances to certain bad/evil outcomes. They were afraid of the
unknown supernatural forces that govern the cosmos. The public feared witches and
witchcraft, and old single wise women were usually thought of as witches who owned
animals like cats and could fly in the air with magic. Religious divisions after the
Reformation and concerns about Catholic sorcery against Queen Elizabeth 1 gave strength to
such a belief. The Catholic Church defined witches as any woman who has knowledge of
herbs and plants, thus bringing common housewives under suspicion. In 1562 a witchcraft
law was passed by Queen Elizabeth 1 that pronounced punishment of hanging for witches.
Passing under a ladder, putting shoes on the table, a black cat crossing the path, eclipses and
spilling salt or pepper were associated with evil omens, death, illness or misfortune. These
popular cultural beliefs can be seen in the Literature of this time, especially in dramas of
Shakespeare like Hamlet and Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus.
A good English example of the Elizabethan view of magic mixed with scientific inquiry seen
in Marlowes Doctor Faustus is the life of Dr. John Dee (1527-1609). He was a
mathematician and an astrologer, like Marlowe he had interest in the theatre and the
introduction of stage effects won him the title of a magician at Trinity College, Cambridge.
He boasted of conversing with angels and of possessing supernatural powers. In times of
Queen Mary he was imprisoned for heresy, but Elizabeth 1 kept him as an adviser on

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scientific and astrological matters. Magicians, witches and Sorcerers were thought of being
Devils associates. Skeptic people went to cunning persons for seeking cure to illnesses and
troubles and Catholics were thought to be practicing magic which was forbidden by the
Protestants. It signaled a weak faith in God and His power. People were thought to enter
pacts with the Devil, who had a spiritual form and could possess the bodies of those they
wished to torment. Exorcism was a practice that meant to oust the Devil from the possessed
victims. The Satan was said to rule the kingdom of sin and corruption and his master plan
was to add to his domain all who were skeptical and lacked faith in God.
1.1.3 Elizabethan theatre and audience. Spanning the years 1500 to 1660, the
English Renaissance produced some of the greatest works of literature the world has ever known.
The spirit of optimism, unlimited potential, and the enduring English character all joined
together to generate literature of the first order. At the same time, England modified from an
overlooked barbarian nation to a center of commercial power and influence. This power
naturally permeated into a literature that was bold, sweeping, innovative, and trend-setting. The
two genres that flourished in the Renaissance were poetry and drama, poets experimented with
form, and dramatists revived and reinvented the classical traditions of the classical Greeks and
Romans.
Theatre gained immense popularity as an entertainment and amusement in the social life, with
dramatists like Shakespeare, Kyd, Marlowe and Peele. Shakespearean comedies, tragedies and
historical plays took the world by storm. The Royal court appreciated these finer art forms, and
the dramatists usually eked out good living from their craft. Many noble men became patrons to
these dramatists and encouraged this genre to achieve its bloom in the Elizabethan age. The
Puritans though resisted such entertainment as the cross-dressing and frivolities portrayed could

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have led to sexual corruption in the public sphere. Only in time of the Plague the theatres were
closed to stop the spread of infection, otherwise the poor, the rich and members of all social
classes and professions came to enjoy the plays. The Globe was one of the well-known theatres
that accommodated around 1500 people at a time.
Elizabethan audiences liked food for their imagination; they liked spectacle and physical
brutality, battles, procession, courtly love, idealism and English history. They came to learn and
educate themselves with law, with metaphors, blank verse, monologues, puns and jokes. They
liked devils, ghosts and insanity as well.

1.1.4 Marlowe and his writings. Christopher Marlowe (1564 -1593) was a dramatist
who was mainly concerned with the question of power and its affect on human beings. He was
part of a larger group called the University Wits. He died very young at twenty-nine and led a life
full of mystery, intrigue, violence and remarkable productivity. He was an excellent student at
Cambridge University and was named Canterbury Scholar because of his intention to join the
clergy. He travelled to several continents and read a lot of Classical legendary poetry and
literature.
He was though marked for long absences from the college and it was thought that he was
engaged in espionage activities for the Royal Queen. In 1591 he was sharing a room with
Thomas Kyd renowned for his The Spanish Tragedy (c. 1585-1589). Marlowe received his
Masters degree and wrote wonderful poetry and amazing plays like Tamburlaine, The Jew of
Malta, Edward II and Doctor Faustus. He was second only to Shakespeare, and his blank verse
was called Marlowes Mighty Lines. His works show the richness of the history of its time, the

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social and political conditions, the religious revolution, the scientific discoveries and the popular
culture of witchcraft, superstition and magic.
Christopher Marlowe seen as a subversive playwright certainly marks a decisive move away
from the medieval plays by populating them with characters which are mentally complex and not
just moral props. Marlowe himself being a man of learning and quite controversial in his days for
being associated with spying for the Queen and for holding anti-religion ideas can be held
responsible for giving atheistic bent to some of his works. Throughout his life he was charged of
atheism and pederasty, both capital offenses in Elizabeths England. Many of his contemporaries
considered his play a biting atheistic satire on the Roman Catholicism. Another Marlovian play,
The Jew of Malta with a bloody melodramatic theme, shows the hero Barabas annihilation of a
whole convent full of nuns. Marlowe liked such themes and his rival Kyd also exploited it
in The Spanish Tragedy. In 1593, Marlowe was arrested as an atheist, a capital charge in his day,
following the arrest of Kyd on a charge of atheism. Kyd accused Marlowe of possessing heretical
documents found in their room where they lived together. Thus it can be assumed that Marlowes
social circle included people who had an anti-religion agenda and their writing incorporates such
thoughts.
In 1593 at Deptford, Marlowe was stabbed in a tavern during a brawl and his death was
considered by the contemporaries as a due punishment from the judgment of God for his
homosexuality and atheism. Some critics think he was murdered for holding anti-religion views.
In 1594, Edward II and Dido, Queen of Carthage were published, and Marlowes translation of
Ovids Amores, to be publicly burned in 1599 as heretical, appears also to have been published in
1594, although it is not dated. The Massacre at Paris was probably also published in 1594,
followed ten years later by the publication of Doctor Faustus. Marlowe was a literary giant

13

whos untimely death cut short his bright career as a dramatist, otherwise he would have
exceeded his contemporaries in merit.
1.1.5 Faust legend, magic and Doctor Faustus. Dr. Faustus was written in 1950s a
Renaissance Era of growing humanism and secularism. As humanity and rationality moved to the
centre of human discourse, mans mentality and potential became increasingly significant in
dramatic representation. Doctor Faustus is the story of the Renaissance new man, the
overreacher full of ambition and pride. After getting a doctrate in Theology, Faustus rejects all
worldy knowledge as mundane and aspires for necromancy that can make him into a mighty god,
all powerful. For the achievement of his goal, he thus signs a pact with the Devil for twenty-four
years of service. A lot of critics call this play autobiographical due to Marlowes resemblance
with the central character. It raised questions about the conventional Christian doctrine but yet
had a universal appeal.
The story of Faustus the scholar who sells his soul to the Devil, has been taken from the German
Faustbuch, although its fictional in character, it really is a legend based on a magician who lived
in northern Germany in the 15th century. Faust owes its fame to the original version Faustbuch
(1587) by an anonymous writer; it was a collection of tales about ancient magi, who were wise
men. The magi possessed magical power, knowledge of the alchemy, astrology and necromancy.
By placing Faustus in Wittenberg Germany, where Martin Luther, the German Doctor of
Theology presented his controversial revolutionary document, the Ninety-five Theses; Marlowe
hints at daring action of both characters who tried to rationalize the religion.

1.2 Research Problem

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Marlowes Dr. Faustus promotes an atheistic and anti-religion agenda in the background of the
Renaissance Spirit.
1.3 Research Questions
1. Is Dr. Faustus a mouthpiece for Marlowes own atheistic views?
2. How Dr. Faustus character is a deliberate attempt to challenge the presence of God?
3. Is there a connection between the spirit of Renaissance and Dr. Faustus alliance with
the devil?
1.4 Hypothesis
Dr. Faustus has been written from an atheistic point of view and has anti-religion agenda.
1.5 Research Objectives
1. To decipher the subtext of Dr. Faustus for supporting atheistic ideas.
2. To discover ways in which Dr. Faustus opposes the concept of religion as a
Renaissance man.
3. To show how Marlowes own atheistic views can be seen through Faustus character.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will closely focus on the play Doctor Faustus to find out how this character is similar
to Marlowes own personality. The topic of atheism in the play is important as it highlights the
social, political and historical aspects of the Elizabethan age of which Marlowe was a part.
Literature of that time beautifully and artistically chronicles the changes happening in society,
how Church on one part was trying to reform the institution of religion and on the other people
like Marlowe were promoting Humanism. Faustus is actually representing everyman of every
age who wants to put his human potential to unravel secrets of the Universe and explore
everything from magic to witchcraft and befriending devils. Man fell from Heaven for this very

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sin of exploring the forbidden, thus my topic is an extension of the old tradition and the creation
and fall of man. It makes this research valid for all times as future readers can relate to it. There
will always be characters in literary works that will portray the innate desire of man to look
beyond the known and the visible and be the devils accomplice in atheistic and anti-religion
thoughts. This plays subtext is an evidence of the agenda behind its writing, as Marlowe
expressed his own viewpoint through it and audience was moved.
1.7 Research Methodology
The type of this research is qualitative as it analyses the text thematically for atheistic evidence. I
will support my thesis with in-depth textual analysis of various speeches and monologues of
Faustus that prove my point and reveal anti-religion agenda. The first chapter offers a
background to my study and introduces my topic; while chapter two contextualizes my research
in previous and contemporary literature through its critical reviews. Chapter three will explain
the research methodology in detail. Off and on I shall refer to biographical information about
Marlowe that co-relates to Faustus character in Chapter four. The fifth chapter will offer a
conclusion by summarizing my study and references shall be mentioned at the end.
1.8 Delimitation
This research project is delimited to only one play of Marlowe that is Doctor Faustus. Though
this work has several aspects to interpretation, I will only look at the autobiographical aspect
which reveals writers own atheistic opinions being a renaissance man, and an anti-religion
agenda that caused rebellion in the masses and church goers. The text of this specific play is
actually very influencing and questions mans motives from the onset of life on earth and his
questions and doubts of Gods existence. Other plays of Marlowes have been only mentioned
briefly in chapter one to give a general overview of his themes; they are not part of the analysis
though.

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2.
LITERATURE REVIEW
There has been considerable debate about Marlowes play Dr. Faustus as a controversial work of
literature in a country like England where the Queen was Protestant, the church was undergoing
reformation and Catholics were chased out of the state. Marlowes himself was charged of
heresy, and in this particular play his motive to poke fun of Catholicism and religion in general is
evident from the text which this study will focus on. There are various instances where Faustus
shows anti-religion thoughts and atheistic beliefs, as a rebel who transgresses boundaries of
religion to attain universal power.
Renaissance Literature is full of many such works that show humanism or humans as a centre of
universe, who can reason and argue about organized religion, who can change destiny and
discover the unknown through magical practices, witchcraft or other supernatural tendencies.
Biographical information about Marlowe from various resources too establishes the fact that he
was basically a rebel and charged of heresy many times. Shakespeares Macbeth for instance
shows how witches prophesy the fall of the king and the rise of Macbeth to the throne. The use
of witchcraft in Macbeth, the ghost in Hamlet, of fairies and monster in The Tempest and
Midsummer Nights Dream show the tradition of the use of supernatural in drama in a Christian
England. Along with religious debate going on, people did believe in superstitions, in the power
of certain magical practices and herbs that the religion clearly pronounced as sin and

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transgression. Man was from the very beginning weak in faith and thats why the devil is shown
to take over his spirit and make man do what it wants. This depiction of man as a battleground
for the forces of good and evil looks back to the morality plays and ahead to plays of
psychological complexity such as Shakespeares Hamlet, Prince of Denmark .
Della (1977) says that Marlowe was an innovator also in his choice of themes. Religious
skepticism recurs throughout the plays. Tamburlaine the Great challenged both Christian and
Moslem faiths; The Jew of Malta confounded Christianity and Judaism alike. Marlowes
questioning of humanitys place in the universe reached its height in Doctor Faustus, an
agonized cry of defiance against an orthodoxy represented as chaining humankinds
unquenchable thirst for knowledge. One may infer that the dramatist accepted the existence of a
nondenominational supreme intelligence.
While giving an overview of the famous plays of Marlowe Levin (1952) argues that at the core
of Marlowes heterodoxy was his fascination with humanitys aspirant spirit and illimitable
mind; a theme that did not fit easily into contemporary Christian thought. Marlowes heroes are
self-made, fired by a sense of their own power and greatness, in strong contrast to Shakespeares,
with their orthodox assumption of the privileges and honor due to noble birth.
Marlowes treatment of this theme became more complex over the years. Faustus shares with the
earlier hero Tamburlaine aspirations for worldly power at any cost. Both plays display the
immense power of the individual to unleash massive forces for good or ill. Yet Faustuss odyssey,
unlike Tamburlaines, is intellectual rather than physical, internal rather than external. Whereas
Tamburlaine the Great was a play of action and show, Doctor Faustus is a play of ideas hence,

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perhaps, its more enduring fascination. Tamburlaines approach to life is never seriously
challenged, whereas the obstacles placed in Faustuss path form the premise of the play.
Greg (1946) examines several aspects of the hero's downfall in Doctor Faustus, particularly how
Faustus's pact with Mephistopheles leads not to a rise in grandeur and power, but to mere
worldly gratification. Ultimately, the critic claims, Faustus "commits the sin of demonality, that
is, bodily intercourse with demons." The quotations are taken from Greg's own collation of the
1604 and 1616 quarto editions of Doctor Faustus. An English literary scholar and librarian, Greg
was a pioneer in establishing modern bibliographical scholarship. Combining bibliographical and
critical methods, he developed an approach to editing Shakespeare and other Elizabethan
dramatists.
He says that while working lately on the text of Doctor Faustus, he was struck by certain aspects
of the story as told in Marlowe's play and it seemed worthwhile to draw attention to a few points
in the picture of the hero's downfall, As soon as Faustus has decided that necromancy is the only
study that can give his ambition scope, he seeks the aid of his friends Valdes and Cornelius, who
already are proficient in the art. It would be idle to speculate how far the "atheist" Marlowe,
whom gossip accused of what we call "unnatural" vice, may have dwelt in imagination on the
direst sin of which human flesh is capable. But in presenting the fall and slow moral
disintegration of an ardent if erring spirit, he did not shrink from depicting, beside Faustus'
spiritual sin of bartering his soul to the powers of evil, what is in effect its physical complement
and counterpart, however he may have disguised it in immortal verse (1946, p.97-107).
Stories of people who bargain with the devil in exchange for worldly goods are many. These can
be literal exchanges, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" or W.

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B. Yeats' "The Countess Cathleen." This concept can also be treated thematically, as it is in such
works as William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Herman Melville's
Moby Dick. These tales illustrate, without evoking supernatural deals, characters whose
obsessions drive them to sacrifice all the goodness in their lives. Thus man has always
questioned known ideals and dogmas and has risked his assets in order to get a taste of the
unknown even if it involved sin. There has always been an anti-religion impulse in man, which
writers have brought out like Marlowe did in Faustus. Marlowe being from a religious family
thus was immediately called a bad-Christian and an atheist who showed signs of rebellion and a
humanist spirit in his writing. In many ways, Marlowe's plays typify attitudes in Renaissance
England. The intellectual and aesthetic rebirth known as the Renaissance began in Italy during
the 14th century and, in the next two centuries, spread new ideas throughout Europe. Three
aspects of Renaissance culture; Humanism, Individualism and the New Science figure as
prominent themes in Marlowe's play.
Rejecting medieval social and religious attitudes, Renaissance Humanists privileged individual
over collective values. Humanism encouraged people to realize their happiness and potential in
this, the material world, rather than focusing solely on eternal happiness in the afterlife. By
freeing intellectual inquiry from the confines of theology, a scientific revolution known as the
"New Science" took place. The influence of Galileo and Copernicus spread. Thinkers like
Francis Bacon, who emphasized the observation of nature over study of traditional writings
about nature, developed what we recognize today as the scientific method.
Finally, the era's social, political, and economic changes meant that even people without a title or
inherited wealth could advance in society. This led to the rise of the strong, ambitious personality

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type that characterized an upwardly mobile Renaissance individual. Marlowe's heroes epitomize
this character type, aspiring to a greatness that extends beyond their current status. This
overzealous ambition often results in ruthless and irrational actions; they have the power to make
their own choices, yet those choices lead to their downfall. In this sense, Marlowe's work serves
to caution the viewer against this kind of behavior.
In many ways, Rahn (2011) declares the Renaissance as a period of the over-achiever, of
individuals who aspire for great things which they then struggle to reach. Consider men like Sir
Philip Sidney or Sir Walter Raleigh, admired by their age as courtiers, warriors, and poets.
Renaissance individuals strove for and sometimes attained ambitious goals: Sir Francis Drake
sailed around the world and returned with abundant riches. The period was the first to advance
the concept of the self-made man; a person could achieve considerable status through his actions,
could raise his social standing through ability and determination. When readers of
Machiavelli's The Prince and Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier realized the important role a
person's image played in attaining success, they sought to fashion impressive images for
themselves either through actions or fabrication. If Faustus typifies the Renaissance hero, Doctor
Faustus shows the problems with unbridled individualism. Though Faustus has unlimited power,
his actions are juvenile and selfish. He does no good deed, no charitable action, no feat for the
good of his fellow human.
Marlowe's first stage success, the two-part Tamburlaine, probably appeared on the London stage
in 1587 or 1588. It relates the story of the rise to power of a shepherd who uses military and
political strength to dominate an empire. Tamburlaine personifies a Renaissance ideal. The play
recounts the story of a self-made man who achieves greatness not through a birthright or

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inheritance but through skill, determination, and character. The shepherd Tamburlaine's success
also stems from his Machiavellian attitudes, however. Though the first part of the play ends with
him triumphant, the second part concludes with the hero paying the price for his pride. Still, as
an individual, Tamburlaine embodies the expansive optimism of Renaissance society, offering a
heroism that fails to acknowledge limitation.
Marlowe's next major play, The Jew of Malta, appeared in 1593. Barabas, the protagonist,
resembles Tamburlaine in his intense desire for wealth and revenge. In representing the struggle
between Barabas, a wealthy Jew, and Malta's Catholic elite, Marlowe offers a world in which
values are corrupted by materialism and a ruthless, scheming manner of human relations. In
Marlowe's day, religious conflict permeated English society, which viewed Catholics and Jews
with suspicion. Though the two plays differ, scholars believe that The Jew of Malta influenced
Shakespeare's treatment of similar themes in The Merchant of Venice.
The greatest controversies surrounding Doctor Faustus have turned on the question of
orthodoxy: whether the play serves Protestant theology or subverts it. One school of critical
thought holds that reformation theology provides dramatic unity of the play. Cole (1995) argues
that Doctor Faustus is "thoroughly Christian in conception and import"; pointing out that
Faustus sins knowingly, does not repent, and suffers eternal damnation, a plot that in no way
controverts Christian doctrine. Other commentators emphasize the humanism of the play,
interpreting the character of Faustus as a Promethean image representing the aspirations of the
Renaissance. Although ultimately unsuccessful, the protagonist does revolt against the
limitations of sin and death, and by extension, against the Calvinist doctrine of predestination.
Though seemingly Cole finds the play moralistic, but in my opinion it challenges morality by

22

giving man free will to decide his fate and live his life to the full, be it at the cost of the so-called
damnation. Life itself can be heaven or hell like Mephistophilis tells Faustus, thus a hell after
death is a vague concept for Marlowe.
In a biographically based interpretation, Levin (1961) suggests that Marlowe himself, like
Faustus, was an "impenitent and willful miscreant" committed to subverting Christian values.
The subversive nature of the play is a common theme of late twentieth century criticism. Many
critics now see the drama as raising questions without offering affirmations of either a religious
or a humanist nature. With the advent of Modernism, we do see a break with the tradition not in
literature but also in society. People have started questioning and rationalizing why a thing is
believed to be true, when man has constructed all beliefs he believes in. This is what
Deconstructionist approach does, and thats what Humanism, anthropocentricism of the
Renaissance made Marlowe do. Faustus being bored of all known disciplines, argues logically
why man who is not without sin inherently, should refrain from sinning and not try overreaching
the bounds of knowledge. Divinity doesnt quench his curiosity to question the existence of God,
he must seek answers on his own by applying magic and befriending the Satan. This aim in itself
is anti-religion and atheistic, but still makes us sympathize with Faustus.

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3.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study is Qualitative and revolved around thematic and textual analysis of the play
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. After setting background for my topic through
introduction and literature review I will closely analyse the text of the above mentioned play
for two things namely:
Marlowes atheism displayed through the character of Faustus.
The text supports anti-religion agenda by subtly questioning organized religion
and the existence of God.
In fourth chapter I will systematically connect Marlowes private life and thoughts to Faustuss
character that becomes a mouthpiece for the writers own atheism. Some journals found online
will be quoted that have original documents that caused Marlowe to face capital punishment, his
writings and diaries that were found in his room will also be mentioned. Hence an
autobiographical approach will be taken to analyse the play for proving my research statement.
Many sources for Marlowes life and works have been documented in my paper a with the hope
of giving a broader view of his themes and thoughts. Renaissance as a movement which replaced
the Dark Ages and enlightened man causing him to realize his true potential is very important to
understand the social and historical context of the play. I have elaborated this movement to an
adequate length so that my paper sounds and reads coherent and wholesome.
The conclusion in chapter Five will summarise my whole research of this aspect of the play
under discussion but will leave other avenues open for future researchers who find Faustus as a
curious, funny and foolish at the same time. Man will always aspire for new heights like Doctor
Faustus did.
4.

ANALYSIS

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4.1 Marlowes life reflects in Doctor Faustus

"Contrition, prayer, repentance: what of them?" Faustus asks, and the question Marlowe
wrote for his hero echoed the uncertainty over religious beliefs and practices felt by many of
Queen Elizabeth's subjects. Indeed, in writing Doctor Faustus, Marlowe reflected the
growing debate among Protestants that grew progressively more intense at his university
during his years there. For unlike Oxford, Cambridge in the later 1580s was the battlefield on
which the Calvinist and anti-Calvinist advocates played out their strategies, and the young
Marlowe was surely an impressionable witness.
On this scene of religious strife, Marlowe began his Cambridge University career as a student
of divinity at Corpus Christi College in early December 1580. His program in his first year
would have involved attending lectures in rhetoric (Quintilian, Hermogenes, and Cicero),
preparing lessons for his tutor, studying the Old and New Testaments, and attending chapel
sermons.
Marlowe's Doctor Faustus directly engages these controversies. His plot roughly follows the
story-line of the English Faustbook, but the issues it raises are not discussed in this source.
The theological significance of Dr. Faustus's choices can perhaps best be understood by
referring to what Perkins himself wrote in a work that grew out of sermons in the 1590s,
when a fresh outbreak of popular interest in the discovery and detection of witches would
make it a very topical treatment. According to Perkins, the practice of witchcraft is like the
sin in Eden of desiring to become a god, motivated by a longing either to win "credit and
countenance amongst men" or, "not satisfied with the measure of inward gifts received, as of
knowledge, wit, understanding, memory and suchlike, ... to search out such things as God

25

would have kept secret." This is what Marlowe describes as the "world of profit and delight, /
Of power, of honor, of omnipotence": his hero wants "to practise more than heavenly power
permits." (Pinciss, 1993, pp. 249-264)
Are but obeyd in their seuerall prouinces:
But his dominion that exceedes in this,
Stretcheth as farre as doth the minde of man.
A sound Magician is a mighty god:
Heere Faustus trie thy braines to gaine a deitie. (lines 88-93)
Marlowe's Faustus is "not satisfied" with the achievements of his education. Had he been a
student at Cambridge, for example, his program of study- disputations in divinity on such topics
as free will, justification, and grace; systematic and analytic sermons on biblical passages; and
the presentation and defense of theses-would have trained him in such matters as God would not
have kept secret from us. To conduct these disputations, analyses, and defenses, the study of
logic or dialectics was prescribed in the undergraduate curriculum in the third and fourth years
that Marlowe studied in B.A. Aristotle was the required text; as Faustus says, he would "live and
die in Aristotles workes" (line 35). But in his very next words Faustus quotes a precept of the
controversial French reformer, Peter Ramus, who advocated revising the traditional
scholasticism of the university curriculum that blended Aristotle with St. Thomas Aquinas.
Now comparing Marlowes Cambridge years with Faustus education and career, Faustus is also
a doctor of Divinity, he too has studied Aristotle, logic and argues very well. To this point we see
autobiographical element in the text :

26

Sweet Analytics tis thou hast ravishd me!

Is, to dispute well, logics chiefest end?

Afford this art no greater miracle? (line 6-9)
And then we see Faustus aspire for higher knowledge, as earthly studies dont suit his status, he
shuns Divinity thinking The reward of sin is death and that no ones without sin hence
What will be shall be? Divinity, adieu!
These metaphysics of Magicians,
And necromantic books are heavenly;
.
Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires,
O, what a world of profit and delight,
Of power, of honour, of omnipotence, (line 46-52)
The above quotation from Scene I shows clearly that Faustus wants more than what he has, he
wants to be more like an omnipotent God. He doesnt want divinity or Bible but a book of magic
to achieve his aim, and thus be an accomplice of the devil. Thus we see how atheism starts
working at the core of this play that challenges Gods power to magic. Marlowe being from
theological studies too was not a hard core Christian but rather a rebel like Faustus. We see the
writer clearly speaking his thoughts through Faustuss mouth.

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4.2 Marlowe's atheist and the anti-religion in Faustus

Kocher (1940) in his article tells that in a paper which he laid before the Privy Council at some
time shortly before Marlowe was stabbed to death on May 30, 1593, Richard ore Marlowe was
stabbed to death on May 30, 1593, Richard Baines specified a number of blasphemies which he
said the dramatist had uttered. Though most scholars today incline to believe the charges true, the
circumstances surrounding them remain dark. It will therefore be of some value to show by an
examination of the Baines document itself that the whole, or the greater part, of it is nothing
more or less than a record of Marlowe's share in a single conversation at which Baines himself or
some informant of his must have been present.
A look at the document will show that if a few relatively minor transpositions are made in the
order of the statements attributed to Marlowe, they reveal a progress and transition of ideas
which strongly suggest that the course of a single discussion is being traced. The thoughts follow
one another with a naturalness of association which seems to preclude their having been either
merely fabricated by Baines or even collected by him from Marlowe's actual talk on a number of
scattered occasions. Transpositions are necessary where Baines, setting down the trend of the
conversation from memory, remembers a statement after he has passed on from the topic to
which it clearly belongs. I here reproduce in full the Baines document,1 indicating before the
various statements the
order in which I believe
Marlowe made them:

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A note Containing the opinion of on Christopher Marly Concerning his damnable (opini)
Judgment of Religion, and scorn of Gods word,
la That the Indians and many Authors of antiquity haue assuredly writen of aboue 16 thousand
yeares agone wheras (Moyses) Adam is (said) proued to haue lived within 6 thowsand yeares.
1b He affirmeth that Moyses was but a Jugler & that one Heriots being Sir W Raleighs man Can
do more then he.
1dThat Moyses made the Jewes to travell xl yeares in the wildernes, (which Id Jorney might
haue bin done in lesse then one yeare) ere they Came to the promised land to thintent that those
who were privy to most of his subtilties might perish and so an everlasting superstition Remain
in the hartes of the people,
le That the first beginning of Religioun was only to keep men in awe.
lc That it was an easy matter for Moyses being brought up in all the artes of the Egiptians to
abuse the Jewes being a rude & grosse people.
2a That Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest.
2c That he was the sonne of a Carpenter, and that if the Jewes among whome he was borne did
Crucify him theie best knew him and whence he Came. That Crist deserved better to dy then
Barrabas and that the Jewes made a good Choise, though Barrabas were both a thief and a
murtherer. That if there be any god or any good Religion, then it is in the papistes be cause the
service of god is performed with more Cerimonies, as Elevation of the mass, organs, singing
men, Shaven Crownes & eta. That all protestantes are Hypocritical asses.

29

If Marlowe made these remarks at one time, they simply cannot be the chance delivery of a
chance occasion. Some of them, and perhaps the general scheme of the whole, may be traceable
to a lost, unpublished, "atheistical" tract written by Marlowe himself. There are several
references to the existence of one or more such tracts. In 1640 Simon Aldrich, a Cambridge
scholar and fellow in the years 1593 to 1607 and a man of critical and cultured mind in short, a
most creditable witness told the Kentish poet Henry Oxinden "that Mario who wrot Hero &
Leander was an Atheist & had writ a booke against the Scripture, how it was all one man's
making, & would have printed it but could not be suffered." Then there is the well-known
declaration assigned to Richard Cholmley "that Marlowe told him that he hath read the atheist
lecture to Sir Walter Raleigh and others." The most probable meaning of "read the atheist
lecture" is that Marlowe did literally read a manuscript, perhaps the identical one mentioned by
Aldrich, to Raleigh's circle. Such diaries were found from his room too for which he was arrested
by the Royal court for capital punishment.
Comparing these blasphemous tracts of written by Marlowe in which religion, Christ, God and
religious figures like Moses have been mocked at to the blasphemous dialogues of Faustus with
the Devil and his playing tricks with the Pope, ridiculing friars proves that Faustus is actually
Marlowes mouthpiece. Faustus as learned as Marlowe showed conceit, pride and insatiable
desire for power and an interest in anti-religion activities.
In Act 1scene 1 when Faustus asks Valdes and Cornelius to teach him to conjure, he tells them
that :
Both law and physic are for petty wits;
Divinity is basest of three (line 95-96)

30

In Act 1 scene 3 Faustus is shown conjuring the Devil by making incantations out of religious
scripture, he traces a circle on the ground and says:
Within this circle is Jehovahs name,
Forward and backward anagrammatizd,
The breviated names of holy saints,
Along with playing with names of saints he calls Mephistophilis ugly when he appears and tells
him to shape himself into a Franciscan friar, because the holy look suits the devil best.
Marlowe is ironically humiliating the monks, clearly anti-religion attitude shown here.
Mephistophilis tells him that he heard Faustus rack the name of God, abjure the scriptures
thats why he flew here to get his soul. Faustus signing the pact with the devil thus shows
rebellion against God and denial of obedience to holy scripture just like Marlowes atheistic
lectures and blasphemous tracts.
Faustus though inside aware of his sin keeps telling himself:
Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub:
.
The God thous servst is thine own appetite,
Wherein is fixd the love of belzebub:
To him Ill build a church and an alter

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Several other evidences from the text show atheistic and anti-religion thoughts that Marlowe
himself entertained and uttered through Faustus in subtle ways making this play controversial
and his life mysterious.

5. CONCLUSION

32

This study hence concludes that Doctor Faustus is an atheistic play, and has several examples of
anti-religion agenda. Marlowes Cambridge years, his mysterious life, his job as a spy to the
Queen and his sudden murder pose many questions to his being a very rebellious character in
real life as well. No doubt hes a dramatist of wonderful genius and artistic skill; he will always
be remembered for his literary merit keeping his atheism aside. He made his characters speak his
thoughts; every writer is influences by his socio-political environment and is subjective in his
writing displaying spirit of the time. Marlowes age was an age of enlightenment, discovery and
scientific learning and experimentation, thats what Faustus is fond of. He aspires for the greatest
of knowledge and power, to look beyond this world into the heavens if not through religion then
through magic. Such a character though is damnable according to organized religion, but is
worth sympathizing for. Faustus only proved he was human and frail, but his motivation and
courage are commendable. When religion fails to provide man with answers to his queries then,
man finds a way to end his curiosity by other means. Elizabethan England may fear Faustus
passion but they loved the person in him, a hero in the true sense of the word. Marlowe is only
second to Shakespeare for his characterization is of utmost perfection and the autobiographical
element of this play made him all the more interesting. Atheism, agnosticism will always prevail
in a world full of hypocrites who call themselves religious, Marlowe at least didnt pose to be a
monk when he was inside an atheist.

REFERENCES
Alchin, L. K. (2012, May 16). Elizabethan era. Retrieved from www.elizabethan-era.org.uk

33

Friedenreich, Kenneth (Ed.). (1979). Christopher Marlowe: An Annotated Bibliography of

Criticism Since 1950. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
Hilton, Della. (1977) Who Was Kit Marlowe? The Story of the Poet and Playwright. New York:
Taplinger.
Hoffman, Calvin. (1955) The Murder of the Man Who Was Shakespeare. New York: Julian
Messner.
Knoll, Robert E. (1968) Christopher Marlowe. New York: Twayne Publishers.
Kocher, P. H. (1940). Marlowes atheist lecture: Journal of English and Germanic Philology .
(Vol. 39, pp. 98-106). University of Illinois Press. DOI:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27704574. Retrieved from November 17, 2014
Levin, Harry. (1952) The Overreacher: A Study of Christopher Marlowe. Cambridge, Mass.:
Harvard University Press.
Norman, Charles. (1971) Christopher Marlowe: The Muses Darling. Indianapolis: BobbsMerrill Co.
Pinciss, Gerald M. (1975) Christopher Marlowe. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.