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Dr. Faustus and Religious Culture

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Title: Dr. Faustus and Religious Culture


1
Dr. Faustus and Religious Culture
  • A look at Marlowes play text and Whites
    article, Theatre and Religious Culture

2
Marlowe Time!
  • Born 1564
  • Educated at Kings School and went to Cambridge
    (1580)
  • Arrested! (May 1593)
  • Died at hands of Ingram Frizer

3
What? Two Texts?
  • A text(1604) features some 36 lines not featured
    in B text
  • B text(1616) features some 676 lines not featured
    in A text
  • Once thought B was original text and A was bad
    folio copied from memory
  • Dr. Faustus originally written in 1588-89

4
And Now Dr. Faustus
  • In style of a renaissance morality play!
  • Play built around orthodox Christian ideals
    (scene reading)
  • Themes Divided Man, Corrupting power, and
    Renaissance values vs. Medieval Values.

5
Dr. Johann Faust
  • Obvious basis for our title character
  • Born late 15th Century and claimed to have
    practiced the Dark Arts
  • Magical Powers?
  • Numerous accounts of his powers combined and
    published in a biography published in 1587 in
    Frankfurt

6
Calvinism and Religious Historical Background
  • Dr. Faustus written during reformation (began
    1516)
  • Battle between Catholics and Protestants often
    took place on the stage
  • Marlowe was attacked as being neither (quote pg.
    viii in introduction)
  • Calvins theories on Protestantism became the
    dominant branch of this movement up into the 17th
    Century

7
John Calvin (1509-1564)
  • A lawyer dedicated to the idea of reforming the
    church
  • Went into Geneva in 1535 and enforced strict
    moral code based on Christian scriptures
  • Strict Huh? Exiled from Geneva in 1538
  • Completed his work on Protestant doctrine in
    Strasbourg. Work called, The Institutes of the
    Christian Church.
  • Back to Geneva in 1540 and re-imposed strict
    moral code.
  • Geneva became protestant capital. Refuge for
    protestants driven out of home countries.

8
Whites, Theatre and Religious Culture
  • Discusses the reformation and the complication of
    the relationship between Religion and Theatre
  • Pre-reformation religious topics in theatre were
    fairly taboo- popular topics however were
    personal faith and ecclesiastical reform
  • Divides article into three sections Traditional
    Theatre and Early Reformation, Theatre and
    Anti-Theatrical Criticism, and Drama of Religious
    Controversy

9
Traditional Theatre and Early Reformation
  • Reformation! King tries to cut ties with Catholic
    church but the traditional plays (morality plays
    and mystery cycles) are still performed
  • Corpus Christi cycle shutdown in 1548
  • Thomas Cromwell in 1530 notes power of theatre-
    and makes an attempt to spread Protestantism to
    the illiterate masses
  • Bale and his Fellows performed these protestant
    plays with money from the crown

10
Traditional Theatre and Early Reformation (Contd)
  • Bale attempted to attack the theatricality of the
    Catholics through his plays
  • This contradiction was considered to be
    controversial by the remaining catholic public
  • This contradiction also gave birth to the
    anti-theatrical movement

11
Theatre and Anti-Theatrical Criticism
  • Anti-theatrical moralists were opposed to the
    idea of mixing divine truth with idolatrous
    renderings
  • Churches were empty and theatres were full.
    Priests wondering what was being preached
  • The actor became an, intolerable affront to the
    gospel message
  • These anti-stage moralists were supported by
    Calvin who was most opposed to gender reversal in
    theatre
  • Anti-Catholics supported theatre and saw the
    priest as a player, and the world as, The
    Theatre of Gods judgements(pg.141)

12
Drama of Religious Controversy
  • In 1589 a board of censors was established by the
    crown
  • After 89 board was not really heard of
    (disbanded?). Rule clear however- policy of the
    crown could not be challenged!
  • The protestant play revisited. Instead of
    attacking the Catholics they start idealizing
    themselves
  • White moves into religious matter in secular
    drama and names Dr. Faustus , as being the most
    penetrating exercise in religious self scrutiny

13
Back to FaustusDiscussion Time
  • The intro of our Marlowe text suggests that
    orthodox Christian attitude of audiences at this
    time would have them pre-condemn Faustus. Would
    this effect how the audience would react to the
    tragic nature of this play (lessen the purgation
    of pity and fear)? Does this viewpoint thusly
    weaken the power of the play?

14
Discussion (contd)
  • Now what is an atheist doing writing a morality
    play? Considering the historical context the
    essay provided and the fact that heavy censorship
    was in place during the same year this play was
    written (1589)- can we assume that Marlowe just
    happens to be a clever, cynical, sarcastic, son
    of a bitch? Or is there more there?
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