the iĄaculty oÍ' Graduate Ątudies April, L96[ - MSpace at the ...

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cannot repent. Tet rryithin this enseroble of pathos and.
traiqedy one must not harden against the strength of
proíuse farce which, although often pushing the a-cfion
to ridiculous Iengths, is constanil]' counûerbalanced by
the depi"h and grandeur of Faustusr monolop;ues. Ïhe r'r¡ork
is unified and consistenb v¡ith the purpose içhich 1"he
chorus states in the opening lines:
1l o ô o n Inj'e must per-f orm ?
The form of Faustusl fortunes, good or bad.rT )'
'llhese l^¡ords introduce the drama as the ritual performance
of íateful action with its overpotrrering consequences;
tkiey' also illurninate the scope for the el-einent of free-
will which runs tangent to the theme. It is significant
that this theme is inseparable frorn the character of the
protagonist "
The perspective opened up by it'larlowe to the Iraust
material is centered in the volcanic desire of a lovrly-
born scholastic to aspire to the power of a man-god-king
through knorvledge of black magic " Thror,rgh Lhe Cabbala
and his pact i"¡ith iliiephistophilis and. Lucifer, Faustus
becomes a mighty god- and ernperor of the v¡orld i,'¡ho is able
io surïûon his tlservile s,oiritstl for his narroi¡l and
,4'icqqf.-¡nlrq Ìrlll.rìr,qêq^ 'l'haro i.r tr-roin ir"nnt¡ ìn his
\À¿¡ld.!l uI Vuù Pv-J- ,UUÞçÐ o IIIÇL E J-È) Ur d,Ér\u Jt v¿¡J
acknoiriledgernent that his pursuit of inevitable cloom is
as resolute as the tenacity þ¡ibh ivhich hr:rnanity clings to