The Theme of Power and the Price of Knowledge in the Christian Play "Doctor Faustus"

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Thematic Analysis: Power and the Price of Knowledge in Dr. Faustus
Christopher Marlowe’s text titled The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus was first played in the year 1592. Doctor Faustus is by and large a Christian play. Faustus, who is the main character, is identified by his status as a physician. The setting of much of the play is the university environment wherein he resides. This paper discusses the topic of power and price of knowledge in this text. The significance of this theme is described taking into consideration the problems that the text poses for the characters and the plot. On the whole, this paper explains what Christopher Marlowe’s text implies the theme of power and the price of knowledge.
The author initially introduces Faustus as a man who has gained sufficient knowledge from his education and possessed university degrees in a variety of subjects. In the opening soliloquy, his areas of knowledge are introduced and include theology, law, health, debate, as well as a desire for learning black magic. However, as Doctor Faustus describes his university degrees, showing off and dropping names, he demonstrates a sense of false hope in them. He demonstrates his dissatisfaction with his studies.
The theme of power and the price of knowledge is evident in much of the play. Faustus is a magician rather than a scientist who is in pursuit of power and knowledge. In Dr. Faustus, knowledge and power are important issues. Knowledge is described as a significant issue in the prologue and even in the opening scene of the play. Additionally, knowledge and power are underscored all through the play and also stressed in the final sentences of the text. The following are some of how knowledge is stressed in the play:
“So much he profits in divinityThat shortly he was graced with doctor's name,Excelling all, and sweetly can disputeIn the heavenly matters of theology” (Marlowe Prologue.15-18).
These lines show that Doctor Faustus was a very knowledgeable and smart person, perhaps even a genius, considering that it often took nearly fifteen years for a person to become a doctor of divinity in a medieval university. In another line, he states that “The end of physic is our body's health (Marlowe 1.1.16).” With this line, Faustus is summarizing the study of medicine. He ultimately proves that to attain this end is a very intricate and difficult process, but worth the time spent.
Faustus also says “How am I glutted with conceit of this!Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please,Resolve me of all ambiguities.[…]I'll have them read me strange philosophyMoreover, tell the secrets of all foreign kings. (Marlowe 1.1.76-78, 84-85)”
This pursuit of knowledge changes to become a need for learning the "secrets of all foreign kings (Marlowe)." This suggests how much his longing for knowledge is linked to his equally strong need of having immense power.
As the play starts, Faustus is depicted looking closely at the collected wisdom of centuries of scholarship, and only says “codswallop!” (Marlowe). He then resorts to magic for the power that it could bring him as well as for t...