To an extent Doctor Faustus could be seen as a morality play; a morality play the is really a fusion of allegory and the religious drama of the miracle plays is a genre of theatre that was hugely popular in the early half of the 15 century, disappeared after the second half, but reappeared in Elizabethan drama. The plays were exquisite and memorable with unique variations and basic narrative structure. The general theme of the moralities was theological and the protagonist was the struggle between the good and evil powers for capturing the man’s soul and good always won.The story of whole morality play centres round the single towering figure. The seven deadly sins were found engaged in physical and verbal battle with cardinal virtues. The antics of vices and devils etc offered a considerable opportunity for low comedy.
The morality play often ended with a solemn moral. In the light of these points we may call Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus” a belated morality play in spite of its tragic ending. It has been mentioned that in morality plays the characters were personified abstractions of vice or virtues.In “Dr.
Faustus” also we find the Good and Evil angels, the former stand for the path of virtue and the latter for sin and damnation, one for conscience and the other for desires. Then we have the old man appearing, telling Faustus that he is there “to guide’ that steps unto the way of life”. He symbolizes the forces of righteousness and morality. The seven deadly sins are also there in a grand spectacle to cheer up the despairing soul of Faustus.
If the, general theme of morality plays was theological dealing with the struggle of forces of good and evil for man’s soul, then “Dr.Faustus” may be called a religious or morality play to a very great extent. We find Marlowe’s hero, Faustus, abjuring the scriptures, the Trinity and Christ. He sells his soul to the devil out of his own ambition to gain: “a world of profit and delight, Of power, of honour, of omnipotence.
” Through knowledge by mastering the art of magic he said the books are “Metaphysics of magicians and necromantic books are heavenly. ”By selling his soul to the Devil he lives a life full of vain and obscene pleasures ust for only twenty-four years. There is struggle between his overwhelming ambition which are externalized by good angel and evil angel. But Faustus has already accepted the opinion of Evil Angel, who says: “Be thou on earth as Jove in the sky. ” Faustus is also fascinated by the thought: “A sound magician is a mighty god, Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity.
” Through this story Marlowe gives the lesson that the man, who desires to be God, is doomed to Internal damnation.Further more this does not conduct the main conventions of a morality play as Faustus does not listen to the “old man”----- and ask for gods forgiveness and help, When the final hours approaches, ironically Faustus find’s himself at the edge of eternal damnation and cries with deep sorrow: “My God, my God, look not so fierce to me! ” he to late, he is not returned joyfully to god and in which case leads to a fated ending, unconventional to the successful ending that a morality play consisted of.Such a tragic hero cannot be the hero of a morality play. Though we see that in spite of its entire links with medieval miracle plays or moralities, Dr. Faustus can never be treated wholly as a morality play.
It is the greatest heroic tragedy before Shakespeare with its enormous stress on characterization and inner conflict in the soul of a towering personality. We may call this play the last of the Morality plays and the beginning of tragedy that was developed by Shakespeare.
