Preview

The Dangers and Delights of Ambition: Comparing Ambition in Marlowe's Dr Faustus and Milton's Paradise Lost

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2077 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Dangers and Delights of Ambition: Comparing Ambition in Marlowe's Dr Faustus and Milton's Paradise Lost
Ambition can consume and overwhelm the initial drive of achieving one's goals, and morph into a manipulative, devastating obsession. However it can also be seen as an empowering trait that liberates one from the status and conformation that they are subjected to. However it can be seen that if left unguarded this consuming desire can catch men, such as Faustus in Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus and Satan, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, in its throes, resulting in their ultimate destruction. This corrupting ambition so prevalent in powerful men, overtakes the rational senses and can become the reason for eternal damnation.
It can be said that Faustus is not portrayed entirely as a villain; he is a tragic hero, a protagonist whose character flaws lead to his downfall. The traditional meaning of 'Hamartia' can be applied here as it implies that due to mistake of an individual, it causes their downfall. Faustus' mistake was clearly presumption, pride and love of vain, earthly, moral pleasures. Marlowe fills him with tragic grandeur in the early scenes of the play and his ability to make "spirits fetch what (he) please". The logic he uses to reject religion may be flawed, but there is something impressive in the breadth of his ambition, that "stetcheth" as far as man's imagination, even if he pursues it through blasphemous means. In Faustus’s soliloquy after the two angels have whispered in his ears, his rhetoric outlines the modern quest for control over nature, in this case through magic rather than through science, in glowing, inspiring language. He offers a long list of impressive goals, including the acquirement of "strange philosophy", "for orient pearl" and "gold", that he believes he will achieve once he has mastered the dark arts. While the audience is not expected to approve of his quest, his ambitions are impressive. Later, the actual uses to which he puts his magical powers are trivial, however, at this point in the play, Faustus’s dreams are admirable.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Demon and Fact Faustus

    • 1012 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Faustus appears vulnerable and naïve upon conjuring for the first time, pathetic fallacy adding to the sombre mood, as 'gloomy shadow(s)' overcast the scene, obscuring what is about to happen, leaving the audience in the dark and instilling a sense of terror. Therefore when Mephistopheles appears as a devil it is presumably through fear that Faustus describes him as 'too ugly' such is the heightened sense of tension and feeling of the sublime he experiences. As opposed to reacting to Faustus' needs Mephistopheles immediately gains control and begins surreptitiously asserting his dominance over him, taking advantage of the fact Faustus is clearly out of his depth, and resorting to imperatives, commanding Mephistopheles to 'speak!' hinting that desperation is starting to creep in. Throughout the play it appears as though Mephistopheles is praying on Faustus' weaknesses, identifying his 'aspiring pride' as a pressure point and luring him towards the idea of becoming the 'sole king' of all the earth. Once overcome with the thought of being a 'great emperor' Faustus is obviously convinced that selling his soul is the best option he has and appears to disregard any rational logic, allowing Mephistopheles to sit back only issuing short replies like 'I will' in return to the overly ambitious notions filling Faustus'…

    • 1012 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marlowe's Dr. Faustus tells the classic tale of a short-sighted person selling his or her soul to the Devil in order for immediate reward and benefit. The tragic part of this play is that Faustus realized extremely early on in the play that he is condemning himself to eternal punishment. Within his mind, he rationalizes his decision by…

    • 364 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marlowe was an English playwright of the Elizabethan era. He was considered as the foremost dramatist of his time. In Harold Bloom’s Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, he stated that the original texts of the play was presented “without the punctuation of act division or scene enumeration (13).” This was the most common form of plays written in this period. Doctor Faustus is about a dissatisfied scholar that seeks intelligence and ultimate power through black magic. He learned black magic through the help of his magician friends, Valdes and Cornelius. Faustus summoned Mephistopheles, and then he sold his soul in exchange of the devil’s service and power. Themes of this play are pride and sin. We all know that pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins and that is the greatest sin committed by Faustus. Pride is the root of all evil which made him…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ambition is usually seen as the primary tool to promote achievement. In the novel Frankenstein, there are three outstanding examples of people with ambitions, and each person achieves their goal in a different way. Mary Shelley uses the journeys of Robert Walton, Frankenstein, and the creature to warn against ambition for the purposes of self-gratification, as they ultimately lead to the detriment of the lives of others.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What would the human race be without ambition? Beyond it's definition of desiring success, it has come to mean so much more; it is the thing which keeps us all striving for greatness; it is what has brought about some of the most revolutionary, world-altering inventions the world has ever seen. On the other hand, it has also been the downfall of great leaders and societies who reached too high. In Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is a man who finds that ambition has taken him and those that he cares about down a deadly path, yet still refuses to admit defeat. His ultimate end is brought on by unchecked ambition designed to benefit only his own ego.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obsession in the gothic

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the prologue of ‘Doctor Faustus’ it already begins to establish Faustus’ thirst for knowledge and how this resulted in his tragic downfall. Firstly, the Chorus compares Faustus to the Icarus myth “his waxen wings did mount above his reach”, which suggests that Faustus’ fixation with necromancy is not a power he is supposed to possess, and that his fate will end similarly to Icarus. Furthermore, it states that Faustus “glutted” for “learning”. The word gluttony highlights that Faustus’ obsession for knowledge can only result in tragedy because it’s one of the seven deadly sins, and also indicates how extreme Faustus’ obsession is. This is because gluttony’s definition is to gorge yourself with something, and is often to the extent of harm. However, you could argue that Faustus’ greed is not completely based around academic knowledge, and he actually desires rival God in terms of power and knowledge. For instance, when Faustus is listing what he would “most, desires” he wanted strength that “exceeded….the mind of man” and was in comparison to “a mighty god.”…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The White Devil” by Webster and “Paradise Lost Boox IX” by Milton there are a handful of characters that are driven by ambition. These characters often make foolish decisions to achieve their goals, often with consequences. Both Webster and Milton present ambition as a positive motivation but show that being over ambitious for personal gain has detrimental effects.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The devil, in literature, is always a catalyst of change for those who encounter him. He is a force working underground, moving against what is widely considered virtuous and good, and it is contact with him that often changes the course of characters lives, and even the world. In Paradise Lost and a book based on it, The Golden Compass, ‘the devil', in both cases, is an advocate for moving away from the control of God and the Church. Where the stories differ, is in the author's intent for these actions. In the former, John Milton uses the devil to display how vanity and pride are the sins that halt us in an opportunity to live blissfully, with and under God. Philip Pullman, in his twist on Paradise Lost, The Golden Compass, claims that the original sin was the first, and most essential, step in human beings claiming their free will. He writes the devil (Lord Asriel) as a manipulative, selfish but ultimately admirable character. One who stands his ground and holds onto his beliefs with an intense passion. Milton's Satan, on the other hand, comes off originally as charming, but slowly presents himself to be weak and unsure, and his ideals are eventually presented as a mask for his insatiable pride. When Milton's Satan tricks Adam and Eve into leaving paradise, they are ultimately worse off. Pullman, on the other hand, shows that human beings are essentially crippled without their right and ability to sin and make choices. It is through their differing portrayals of Satan, that Milton and Pullman present their respective cases on how the original sin caused man to lose paradise and eternal bliss, or find free will.…

    • 2358 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Barbara F McManus (1999) outlines Aristotle’s view from ‘The Poetics’, stating that a tragic hero will “mistakenly bring on his own downfall”. How do Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare’s Hamlet characters relate to this?…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The characters of the book ‘Frankenstein’ portray the characteristic of ambition very clearly throughout the entire novel. Victor Frankenstein goes through a lot of turmoil at the beginning of his life. After being found in the icy cold arctic and growing up with Elizabeth, his sister, and unfortunately losing Caroline, he found a love for science, grabbed it and ran with it. Victor continued to pursue science and then had a thought to create, who most know now, as Frankenstein.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Definitions of Evil; Paradise Lost, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, Lord of the Flies, and Beowulf…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Thomas Zimmerman Mrs. Simpson English 10H P.3 9 February, 2018 Following Ambition’s Path Ambition. When used by most humans, it can lead to dynamic or destructive outcomes, yet nobody really knows where it comes from. This brings up two very important questions: ¨Where does ambition come from, and what is its purpose?¨ In modern day life, these questions can be answered effortlessly.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Faustus Explication

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages

    2) Marlowe’s play begins with the Chorus’ introduction of Dr. Faustus reading to himself in his study, contemplating the rewards of black magic over leading a pious life. His struggle is projected as pleas from Good and Bad Angel to either abstain from or carry on with using magic. Faustus, with the help of friends Cornelius and Valdes, begins his journey: he summons Mephistophilis and is bluntly warned about the dangers of associating with Lucifer. The sub-plot mirrors this with Wagner first utilizing black magic to intimidate the clown and lure him into the practice. The action switches back to the tragic hero, now considering his actions and more passionately seeking advice for his decision. He stupidly disregards further warning, and even after his blood congeals, promises his soul in a blood-pact. To solidify his pledge for twenty-four years of demonic power, Lucifer and the seven deadly sins are called and from this point onward, Faustus begins listening to the ‘loudest’ voice over the most reasonable one. His first “feat” is pulling vulgar pranks on the pope. Next he summons a phantom of Alexander the Great for Charles V, but victimizes a skeptical knight. Once again, Dr. Faustus deteriorates: this time to entertain a duke and…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    faustus forbidden essay

    • 1192 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At the beginning of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, the reader quickly learns that the central character is highly educated and ambitious, as well as remarkably arrogant. Before we are introduced to him as he sits in his study, we are told that he is “swollen with cunning” and has grown tired of traditional studies and seeks a new darker path of study. This endeavour will cause him to “mount above his reach” in his quest for more knowledge and it is immediately clear that his thirst for greater knowledge coupled with his pride will eventually lead to his demise.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the story Doctor Faustus, the famously brilliant German scholar, becomes disenchanted with traditional knowledge: that of logic, law, medicine and religion, as he believes they have nothing more to give to him. He then turns to necromancy and, aided by Valdes and Cornelius, he manages to summon Mephistophilis, a devil. Despite Mephistophilis’s warnings about hell, Faustus tells the devil to return to Lucifer, his master, with an offer of Faustus’ soul in exchange for twenty-four years of service from Mephistophilis.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays