preview

Greed And Power In Renaissance England

Better Essays

Often, the main protagonist of a drama in Renaissance England is male. As the protagonist, the story will follow him and therefore enviably explore his characterisation. In many dramatic texts of the Renaissance period, writers have often focused on the weakness of man, and in particular, their weakness and their greed for power. This essay will attempt to explore how the theme of greed and power was one of the ways used to explore man’s weakness, predominantly focusing on Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy .

In Marlowe’s play, Doctor Faustus is the protagonist whose flaws and weaknesses contribute to his tragic downfall. In Doctor Faustus, the reader witnesses Doctor Faustus’ change in behaviour, …show more content…

For example, he says how he plans to ‘Resolve me of all ambiguities, / Perform what desperate enterprise I will?’ (I. 80-81), ‘I’ll have them read me strange philosophy’ (I. 86) and to discover ‘the secrets of all foreign kings’ (I. 87). This highlights his ambitious side. However, what he planned to do and what he does do with the magic is extremely different. Now that Faustus has obtained the magic, he does not achieve what he planned to do and instead, uses it for petty thing. For example, he conjures up the dead to entertain himself, he uses magic to humiliate and play jokes on peasants. This shows how power ironically makes him weak. It shows how magic and power makes one complacent and lazy and instead of elevating him, it seems to corrupt his sense of virtue and ambition.

Similar, in Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy, the recurring theme of the greed of power is the catalyst in the downfall of man, demonstrating their flaws and weaknesses. As hinted in the title, the play revolves the action of revenge, and in many scenarios, the act of revenge takes place because one wants power, authority and dominance. However, in Act 3, Vindice, the play’s protagonist, says:
‘[…]

Get Access