Religious n thelogical theme in Dr Faustus

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TOPIC: "Religious and theological themes In Doctor Faustus"
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1) Satire of the Pope and Catholicism
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Doctor
Faustus was written at a time of religious
conflict and controversy in England.
Marlowe, through his work as a
government agent (see Author section)
was well acquainted with the nature of the
conflict. The main anxiety was that, after
the reformation of the English Church
under Henry VIII, his eldest daughter's
brief return to Catholicism, and the
consolidation of Protestantism in the long
reign of Elizabeth I, the country would be
invaded or otherwise undermined and
returned to Catholicism. (See Religious /
philosophical context > Protestant versus
Catholic )
In this atmosphere, it is hardly surprising
that Doctor Faustus contains a good deal
of satire of the Pope and his court as
representatives of the Catholic faith  The worldly interests in food
and drink exhibited by the Pope, his
cardinals and bishops carry the weight of
the play's religious satire. Faustus and
Mephastophilis play practical jokes on the
Pope and his monks , exposing them as
non-spiritual and materialistic. The Pope's
inability to deal with the apparent
presence of evil spirits at his court is also
the target of Marlowe's satire and this is
strengthened by the jokes about the
excommunication ritual and the mocking
remarks about
about Purgatory .
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2) Grace and damnation
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The play is full of references to grace and
damnation . Faustus' practice of black
magic and his pact with Mephastophilis,
the agent of God's enemy Satan,
condemns him to damnation and eternal
punishment in Hell. But throughout the
play, almost until its last lines, Faustus is
conscious of the possibility of repentance
and salvation , by the intervention of God's
grace and mercy . This is the message
carried by the Good Angel and the Old
Man (see Characterisation > Good and Evil
Angels and the Old Man ). Both these
characters remind Faustus that God's
forgiveness is granted to even the
greatest of sinners , provided that they are
truly penitent . It is for this reason that
Mephastophilis is always alarmed when
Faustus calls on God for help: he
understands the power of God's grace as
well as his punishments. And it is the
sense that he has cut himself off from
God that makes Faustus' final speech so
anguished and poignant.
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3) Good and evil
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The conflict between good and evil and
God and the devil lies at the heart of the
play, and the battleground is Faustus'
soul . The Good and Evil Angels,
representing the two sides of Faustus'
character, are constantly fighting for its
possession, while the Old Man is a living
example of an individual whose soul
belongs firmly to God. Other characters
also vie for Faustus' soul: Valdes and
Cornelius tempt him towards necromancy
and conjuring the devil, while Wagner and
the scholars try to persuade him in the
opposite direction.