Research Paper on:
Early Modern Culture and Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
period and the ones of the modern world. By 1400, Italian scholars had begun to reintroduce Europe to the works of Greek and Roman authors and learning was no  longer seen as something that should be devoted solely to securing salvation, but as a way to address the concerns of ordinary life as well (Damrosch, 1999). The scholars responsible  for the rebirth of secular culture became known as "humanists," because they read "humane" as well as "sacred" letters (Damrosch, 1999, p. 362). The humanist concerns of the early  modern period, as the Renaissance is sometimes known, impacted all walks of life, including the dramatic stage. Previously medieval morality plays painted simplistic plots in which everything was black and  white, good or bad. However, the early modern stage dramatized a more realistic view of life in which "virtue and vice" were shown to be intertwined (Damrosch, 1999). At  the very beginning of the seventeenth century in 1604, playwright Christopher Marlowe turned the medieval morality play upside down with his play The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Throughout the  Middle Ages, plays typically featured the heros struggle against sin, which was inevitably ended with the protagonists "acknowledgement of grace" (Damrosch, 1999, p. 370). In Dr. Faustus, however, the  protagonist does not only not fight against sin, he embraces it, and categorically refuses all attempts at redemption. The following examination of Marlowes masterpiece shows that the plot for  Dr. Faustus encompasses and reflects the changing philosophical and theological concerns of that era, and also expresses the apprehension that many people felt at the rapidity of such social  change. The play begins with Faustus in his study, considering what courses of study to follow next. It is obvious that Faustus has mastered the scope of human learning.