Task 5

What aspects of the play do you consider to be relevant to the study of The Gothic?
What dramatic impact would these features impart in performance?

The idea of Heaven and Hell - A religious aspect
One of the most obviously Gothic features that is present throughout is the idea of Heaven and Hell, usually presented in binary opposition to each other, and some kind of afterlife and divine being. This is shown through the character of Mephistopheles, as he himself says "Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it" implying that he himself embodies hell, and that it's not simply a place, but an idea and a state of psychological being. Throughout the entire play there is a recurring lexical field of divinity and belief, with words like "God", "Heavenly" and "Church" as well as numerous others being evidenced. Not only this, but the religious message of repenting and redemption is also evidenced several times throughout the play, as shown by Faustus' deliberation to do just this on occasions.

The Supernatural
Examples of this during the play is the constant conjuring of objects out of thin air by Mephistopheles, the idea of raising the dead, and most prominently the summoning of the spectre of Helen of Troy. These all add to the drama of the play, and make the events seem more shocking when put alongside the chiastic structure of the play.

Lack of boundaries or blurring of lines
One of the most interesting and debating factors of this play is the strange relationship between Mephistopheles and Faustus. There have been some accusations of a homo-erotic edge to the way they interact, and this could be an interesting factor in the blurring of boundaries, which is a common factor of the Gothic genre. There is also the blurring of the boundary between life and death, this life and the next and the two worlds, the world as we know it and Hell. We could say that Faustus blurs the line between ignorance and intelligence, as in some areas he is extremely knowledgable, but does this knowledge actually make him ignorant? Does he know almost too much?

An over-reaching protagonist
Faustus undoubtedly fits this ideal of an over-reaching protagonist. The evidence for this is overwhelming and some of it has been addressed in task 4. The very fact he is scompared to Icarus from the off is a clear signifier of this, and continually throughout we see him over-reaching to attain a God like status that, as the chorus says at the end "To practise more than heavenly power permits".

Gore and blood
Although most of the gore and blood in this particular play is done in a comedic way (as we see in the scene where Faustus loses his leg), there are some parts that are very real indeed, even if not described in a graphic way. The scene where the Old man who represents wisdom is torn apart is extremely Gothic and unsettling.

A psychological aspect
Marlowe was extremely ahead of his time and a very forward thinking man. He raises some very complex and philisophical ideas that even now we cannot fully answer. He was probably one of the first people of this time to even question that Hell ans Heaven may not be a physical place, but may be a psychological state. Not only this, but he questioned society and the way it works, and several other controversial ideas at the time.