Two years before the birth of Elizabeth I, the skies over Western Europe exploded in atmospheric
chaos when A yellow tailed comet blazed across the heavens followed by flags, fireballs, and flaming
crosses. For the incredulous onlookers, "God and Satan were once again in mortal conflict, and, as never
before, men's souls stood in jeopardy . Calvin and Loyola sparked the flames of the reformation that led
to a permanent schism in Western Christendom. Erasmus and More helped advance the humanist
movement, and by the time Henry VIII was declared the Supreme Head on Earth, the English
Renaissance was in full swing. The gloom of the medieval past gave way to an energized, exciting and
experimental period that was essentially ambiguous. The early modern period is distinguished by its zest
for life, its desire for knowledge, and its celebration of the individual. The pursuit of wealth and
knowledge changed the delicate class structure of Elizabethan England. Merchants and traders
became wealthier and more powerful than the aristocracy; the guild system broke down, and
masterless men lost their place in the social order. It is in this changing world that Marlowe's
morality tale of Dr. Faustus is told.

The 16th century which produced this play saw men like Faustus who perceived myth
as fundamental and a dramatic representation of the deepest instinctual life in the universe.
Marlowe's hero, Dr. Faustus, is the quintessential Renaissance man; a lover of knowledge,
beauty, and power, operating in a society that had not yet released its grip on the medieval
contempt for the world. The 15th century's obsession with death, fear of devils and damnation
are played out in Marlowe's tragedy, revealing the underlying misgivings of an excessive and
immoderate age.

When first introduced to Faustus he is contemplating the wealth of his knowledge: from the
philosophy of Aristotle, to Galen's medicine, Justinian law, and the Bible, Faustus dismisses
them all. In a parody of this insatiable desire for new, practical knowledge, Faustus instead turns
to magic as his new pursuit. And with true Renaissance conceit, claims "A sound magician is a
demi-god". Faustus is confronted with two opposing forces, one representing the exciting,
experimental and forward-looking world, the other embodying the fear and melancholy of the
medieval past. In making a pact with Lucifer, Faustus commits what is in a sense the ultimate
sin: not only does he disobey God, but he consciously and even eagerly renounces obedience to
him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the devil. The play offers countless moments in
which Faustus considers doing just that, urged on by the good angel on his shoulder or by the old
man in scene 12—both of whom can be seen either as emissaries of God, personifications of
Faustus’s conscience, or both who attempt to instill the old morals of contrition, prayer and
repentance on Faustus while the bad angel speaks for the spirit of the age: "No, Faustus, think of
honour and of wealth" (II.i.22). Without a second thought, Faustus chooses magic and muses on
the wealth he might conjure: "Indian for gold, ocean for orient pearl...pleasant fruits and princely
delicates" (I.i.84-85). The capricious and petty magic that Faustus practices is the paradox of the
play.

Each time, Faustus decides to remain loyal to hell rather than seek heaven It seems that ",
Faustus's magic has no purpose except to provide pleasure. Despite his fantasies of accumulated
wealth, Faustus does nothing with his power except spend his time in "pleasure and dalliance
followed by periods of fear and doubt. A Renaissance man would have empathized with Faustus
but would have agreed that he went too far. The desire for new, practical knowledge, and the lust
for riches and beauty did not include the complete denial of salvation and heaven. Orthodox
Christianity still prevailed. Faustus threatened both social and religious structures; although he
seemed to want to repent, he had passed the point of no return In his last hour, Faustus tries to
find God but cannot make the spiritual leap necessary for redemption. He has lost his faith and
once again turns to the classical knowledge he once dismissed: "Ah, Pythagoras'
metempsychosis, were that true, this soul should fly from me, and I be chang'd / Unto some
brutish beast". For Faustus, as with Marlowe's other heros, it is the belief that the human
potential to possess, own, use and destroy with liberty will eventually exact a heavy price.
Marlowe's overreaching stars have no faith, and therefore, must fall victim to the medieval
anxiety and ambivalence that lay just below the surface of their modern age.