Magic & Religion

• The title Doctor Faustus refers to the play's protagonist, as well as the historic figure Dr John Faustus - an English version of the name Johann Faust, who was a self-proclaimed magician and wizard at a time where witchcraft was feared by Catholics & Protestants
• Doctor Faustus is based on the historic figure Dr John Faustus, an English version of the name Johann Faust, who was an alchemist and a practitioner of necromancy (black magic)
• Johann Faust was born in 1466 or 1480 and died in 1541
• Dr Faustus is ostensibly (apparently) based on the erudite and archetypal adept of renaissance magic Johann Georg Faust
• Johann Georg Faust was a practitioner of necromancy and magician at a time where witchcraft was feared and condemned by Catholics & Protestants
• Reflecting England's Religious Climate, Marlowe takes a humorous aim at Catholicism and the Pope. Most notably in Act 3 Scene 1, Faustus visits Rome after selling his soul to Lucifer for Limitless Power & knowledge and uses his magic to torment the Pope, which would've delighted his Protestant Audience
• Doctor Faustus also explores the consequences of rejecting religious beliefs
• In the Renaissance, Religious was not exempt from spirit of scepticism
• In his pursuit of knowledge, Faustus rejects earlier accepted authorities, including the Bible & Divine Revelation and tried to discover dark & hidden knowledge
• However, in the play's closing moments, Faustus realizes that his sceptical questioning of sacred doctrine and rejection of religion have damned him to a fate he cannot escape
• Religion was eventually banned on the Elizabethan stage because of its sensitive nature, but Dr Faustus to deal directly with a religious topic
• Religion involves faith or belief in the supernatural and the existence of good and evil
• In Elizabethan England, the idea of religion involving the supernatural, the good and Evil was also common in the belief of witchcraft
• The Renaissance was a period of interest for alchemy, astrology and magic
• In parts of Europe, Witches were hunted and tortured, but this hysteria did not reach in England. However, in 1562, Queen Elizabeth I passed a harsh witchcraft law
• The character Doctor Faustus, who makes a pact with a devil and becomes a magician, was seen as a witch by Elizabethan audiences
• Dr Faustus' downfall and fate were viewed in light of redemption, salvation and eternal damnation, all of which are Christian Ideas (Marlowe wanted people to prevent them from being eternally damned and redeem themselves)
• Christians are not allowed to practice magic as it is extremely forbidden by the Bible in Leviticus 17:7
• In the Renaissance, the conflict between magic and religion was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, religious authorities discouraged magic as it violates Christian morals
• In the Renaissance, the conflict between magic and religion was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, intellectuals & magicians such as John Dee and Cornelius Agrippa were interested in magic and encouraged people to question ideas to achieve esoteric wisdom
• Doctor Faustus serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge, highlighting the moral and existential dilemmas inherent in the conflict between magic and religion
• Faustus's tragic fate underscores the enduring tensions between human ambition and divine authority, offering a compelling exploration of the complexities of faith, morality, and free will in Renaissance society
• Marlowe constructs the play as a Political & Religious Diatribe, attacking the Catholic Church and their power on individual's life, helping others to embrace Humanism, Secularism & Atheism (blasphemous in the Renaissance)