Dr Faustus and Prometheus Case

Doctor Faustus and Prometheus

The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus from the Renaissance period written by Christopher Marlowe was a tragedy that featured a hero who was knowledgeable, arrogant and prideful. In fact, there seemed to be not one redeeming quality in Dr. Faustus. When compared to the admirable Prometheus in Percy Shelly's Prometheus Unbound, Dr. Faustus is sadly lacking nobility in every aspect of his character. Their intentions and those of their authors in creating them are different. Despite these differences they are both Byronic heroes.

It is necessary to understand the traits of a Byronic hero before one can understand these two characters. A hero that comes from a troubled past that provokes a deep flaw in character is a Byronic hero. This flaw is usually the downfall of the character in the end of the story. What truly sets the Byronic hero apart from other types of heroes is the key aspect that the reader sympathizes with the hero despite the flaw and actions of the character.

The Renaissance period was influenced by a prevalent concept of "The Great Chain of Being" that simply put was that every existing thing in the universe had its "place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order, which was pictured as a chain vertically extended. (Introduction to the Renaissance) According to the chain of being concept, all existing things have their exact place and function in the universe, and to deviate from one's proper place was to betray one's nature and to question God's divine order. Some Renaissance writers were fascinated by the thought of changing boundaries set by the chain of being. Christopher Marlowe was one such writer in his creation of Dr Faustus. While displaying the grand spirit of human aspiration and the more questionable hunger for superhuman powers, Faustus seems to be both exalted and punished. This drama and its hero were said to be "embodiment of Renaissance ambiguity in this regard, suggesting both its fear of and its fascination with pushing beyond human limitations." (Introduction to the Renaissance). Dr. Faustus was a university man and not of nobility. Marlowe was a commoner, though educated and perhaps wondered why uneducated aristocrats of his time were higher than he in the chain of being and this thinking was portrayed in his work.

Dr. Faustus was not content with his lot in life or rather his link in the great chain of being. His selfish intents of wanting otherworldly knowledge and to be God-like were not admirable. The pride and insolence that was his tragic flaw and his actions of contracting with Lucifer does not prevent the readers from sympathizing with his downfall. One may look unfavorably upon him but sympathy was still evoked proving the key component is present in labeling him a Byronic hero.

The Romantic Period is famous for bringing about a new kind of hero;