"Religion hides many evils from suspicion" (I, ii, 279-280)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Religion, as Barabas describes it in this quote from the Jew of Malta, acts as a measure to defend one's actions as moral or righteous. Christopher Marlowe presents this use of religion in Doctor Faustus and The Jew of Malta. The protagonists of both plays believe in an idea about the nature of religion similar to Marlowe's own uncertainty. Marlowe's study of divinity is at odds with his encouragement of atheism in his life and his double life as a spy. This struggle for the role of religions in society and politics appears in the characters of Dr. Faustus and Barabas. In Doctor Faustus and The Jew of Malta, the protagonists justify their corruption and their actions against societal laws with religion. The character of Dr. Faustus presents a knowledge that Francis Bacon describes as "a proud knowledge of good and evil, with the intention in man to give himself the law and no longer depend on the commandments of God, which was the form of temptation” (Bacon 7). . Bacon believes that it is not the amount of knowledge that destroys humans, but the unhealthy goal of defying God. Faustus meets Bacon's destructive aim with his divine ambitions. He attributes his lack of spiritual understanding to the religious limitations that Bacon emphasizes. He refuses to recognize these God-given limitations and therefore forms an alliance with the evil spirit Lucifer. Faustus exchanges his soul for knowledge as well as the desire to “give himself the law”. He justifies this decision by the lack of reconciliation between intellectual ambition and religion. Faustus desires “Be on earth as Jupiter is in heaven, / Lord and commander of these elements” (i, 76-77). This reinforces his rejection of divine limitations as well as his problematic goals for knowledge. Like Marlowe, Faustus is a man conscious of scholastic theology. He wants to go beyond human capabilities and pursue a divine and supernatural understanding of the universe. Lucifer and Mephastophilis represent another responsible for the fall of Faustus. Faustus uses this pact to explain his desire to know all the answers to theological questions. “How saturated with pride am I on this subject! / Must I force the spirits to seek for me what I want. / Resolve all ambiguities for me” (i, 78-80). Evil characters overpower the wickedness of divine control, placing the decision to overpower God as an action that these spirits impose on the protagonist. Faustus excuses the practice of playing God because the devil gives him this desire. Faustus uses magic to access information and creates his own universal laws. He displays his magic to take control of his audience, impressing them with his conjurations of powerful characters from history. This magic goes beyond human boundaries and proves that he is trying to become divine. The impression of others through his powers fades when his damnation reveals selfish intentions and pride towards God. All humans must balance these intellectual expectations with their beliefs. Marlowe shows this common struggle in the contrast between the scholars and Dr. Faustus. Scholars represent participation in positive scientific learning that respects the laws of society and nature without religious manipulation. When Faustus begins to abuse his magic, the scholars comment on his situation. If he were a stranger and not my ally, should I mourn him. But come,let's inform the rector and see if he is at his grave. the council can recover it (ii, 33-35). This comment resembles Bacon's view of scholasticism and religion: God has fashioned the mind of man like a mirror or glass capable of the image of the universal world and joyful in receiving its impression, as the eye rejoices to receive the light, and not only rejoices to contemplate the variety of things and vicissitudes of the times, but elevated also to discover and discern the ordinances and decrees which, through all these changes, are infallibly observed ( Bacon 7). Bacon explains the need for healthy intellectual ambitions, and he also warns against the overuse of learning to become divine. Marlowe approaches scholasticism in the same way with the Scholars. They understand God's influence in their quest for knowledge, unlike Faustus. Scholars' interest in Faustus shows the greatness of their understanding of the world. They observe Faustus' magic and predict the final outcome of his demise. This prophetic comment and desire to save Faustus reappears near the end of the play, at a time closer to Faustus' death. “Yet Faustus, lift up his eyes to heaven; / remember that the mercies of God are infinite /… Yet Faustus, call on God” (XIII, 13-14, 27). Marlowe contrasts the scholars' goals for knowledge with those of Faustus in order to show the corrupt actions Faustus takes in the name of religion in order to advance his knowledge. Faustus rejects much more than the intellectual limitations caused by religion. He uses the mixed messages and internal conflicts that arise within Protestantism to justify his continued following of Lucifer. Faustus goes through a superficial conflict to discover the true nature of repentance. He faces a Good and a Bad Angel in a debate between the desire for repentance and his inevitable damnation. His dilemma serves to prove that his motives are not entirely against God. This tricks readers into believing that Faustus's move toward salvation is honest, but that Lucifer's spirit is holding him back. However, it is his personal decision to stay connected to the devil, and he only wants to invoke the public's pity by blaming Lucifer. Furthermore, Faustus believes that the confusion in Protestant theology provides reason to reject God's grace. The Good Angel defends an aspect of Protestantism, by presenting a merciful God who will save Faustus if he repents. The Bad Angel, on the other hand, believes that Faustus' transition to spiritual and magical power eliminates any chance of forgiveness. These dueling ideas culminate in Faustus' apparent frustration as he confronts this dilemma between the angels. My heart is so hardened that I cannot repent! I can scarcely name salvation, faith, or heaven, but fearful echoes ring in my ears: “Faustus, thou art damned”; then swords and knives, poison, guns, halters, and poisoned steel, are placed before me to kill me: and long before that, I should have killed myself, if sweet pleasure had not overcome the deep despair... I am resolute! Faustus will never repent (v, 194-201, 208). This conflict with the Protestant religion continues through the character of the Old Man: By what sweet path you can reach the goal Which will lead you to heavenly rest. Break the heart, shed blood and mix it with tears, Tears falling from the repentant heaviness Of your vilest and most loathsome filth, The stench of which corrupts the inner soul With such blatant crimes of heinous sins, Which no commiseration can expel; But mercy, Faustus, of this gentle savior, whose blood alone must wash away their guilt (XII, 28-37). The language of the Old Man delivers two messagescontradictory. It straddles two different Protestant ideas about redemption. He begins by valuing God's mercy and Faustus' chance for forgiveness. He shifts to violent language about the corruption that Faustus embodies, arguing for the little hope in Faustus' salvation. The contradiction continues when he acknowledges the involvement of the human will in proactively seeking God's grace, a praise of Faustus' apparent desire to repent, but then states that mercy might not be possible. Faustus attributes this theological confusion to his spiritual and physical death. He cannot repent while Christian messages compete and vary. The scholars' belief in prayer and repentance, as well as the old man's confusion about God's wrath, push Faustus further into the magical world and make his attempt to conquer the divine more powerful. The only character he meets with strengthening convictions is Lucifer who never deviates from his pact. The character of Mephastophilis, however, represents what Faustus becomes after his death. Why it's hell, and I haven't come out. Do you think that I, who have seen the face of God and tasted the eternal joys of heaven, am not tormented by ten thousand hells while being deprived of eternal happiness! O Faustus, leave these frivolous requests, Which terrorize my failing soul (iii, 77-83). Like Faustus, the character of Mephastophilis refuses to accept the power of God. Although he is mortal, he participates in the internal struggle common to humanity. The reader finds glimpses of remorse in his warnings to Faustus. He embarks on an evil and magical quest for knowledge. Mephastophilis' refusal to repent turns him into an unhappy spirit cast out of heaven. Faustus does not heed the warning, and therefore will never be satisfied with his magical abilities but will rest eternally in the torments of hell. Cleanth Brooks argues that “Faustus learns something in the course of the play, and in learning he undergoes a change and becomes a different man” (Brooks 105). The way Faustus plays with the nature of repentance in the text contradicts the idea that he is changing intellectually. He remains a hypocritical character, deceptively struggling with repentance only to use religious issues to justify his transformation into a magical spirit. For example, Faustus fears repentance because of the possible rejection of God. However, he then uses repentance as a threat against Mephastophilis. This calls into question the sincerity of Faustus' desire to pursue God and end his devotion to Lucifer. “When I contemplate the heavens, then I repent / And I curse you, wicked Mephastophilis, / Because you have deprived me of these joys” (v, 177-179). Faustus' attempts at reconciliation with repentance are not credible struggles, only contrived words spoken in beneficial situations to justify the acquisition of supernatural powers. Another irony occurs with Faustus' devotion to Lucifer. Belzebub, to whom Faustus devotes himself. This word of damnation does not terrify him, Because he confuses the hell of Elysée: His ghost be with the old philosophers (III, 57-61). Faustus claims loyalty to Lucifer; however, he aims to dominate all spirits, including the devil. The Jew of Malta's protagonist also abuses religious ideas to recover and gain power. The play opens with Barabas's self-characterization as a Jew. His Jewish faith explains his abundant wealth. He defines his status and societal ambition as “blessings promised to the Jews” (I, I, 102) but “do not come to be kings” (I, I, 126). This proud declaration of Jewish heritage contradicts a later message after he lost hisproperty: My gold, my gold and all my wealth are gone. My God, did I deserve this scourge? What will you oppose to me, unhappy star, To make me desperate in my poverty? (I, ii, 256-259). The association with the divine makes Barabas appear to be a pious and conscious member of the Jewish community. This appears in more detail after the government imposed its tax policy on the Jews. David Bevington argues the falsity of Barabas's religious justification: Readers are "suddenly confronted with the irony of finding Barabas the sympathetic victim of Christian betrayal...The defense of Barabas becomes, by a curious inversion, the plea of a wronged, sensitive and sensitive man. defenseless person” (Bevington 36). Marlowe offers the first clues to Barabas' deceptive nature, casting doubt on the sincerity of his religious justifications for justice and power. His self-definition as a Jew is juxtaposed with his selfish obsession with wealth. “No, let them fight, conquer and kill everything, / So they will spare me, my daughter and my riches” (I, I, 149-150). He displays indifferent feelings towards the State of Malta and his only constant passion throughout the play is based on his wealth. The fact that he opens the room with evil thoughts makes his religious motivations for reclaiming power unbelievable. Additionally, Barabas admits to committing crimes against non-Christians. “As for me, I wander nights abroad / And kill sick people who groan under the walls: / Sometimes I go and search wells” (II, iii, 175-177). He hates “the invalids, the orphans, and the helpless, without distinction of sect or nationality” (Bevington 38). Additionally, his abuse of the law and the harm he does to others are present before he invokes Christian prejudice against Jews to justify violence and revenge. Despite his previous life marked by greed and crime, the play primarily focuses on Barabas' problematic interaction with Christians. It begins with a confrontation between the governor and Barabas that sparks vengeful anger for the rest of the play. This situation presents Barabas as the sympathetic character mentioned above because of the cruelty that the governor, as a Christian, inflicts on the Jews. No, the Jews, like the infidels. For through our suffering from your hateful lives, which are cursed in the sight of heaven, these taxes and afflictions are inflicted, and therefore we are determined (I, ii, 63-65). This scene offers Barabas several religious reasons to avenge his power and pride. Christian-influenced government follows the idea that a person's religion defines their character; they therefore justify their taxation of Jews by their historical treatment of Christians, mainly the persecution of Jesus. The hateful action against the Jews shows their political use of faith. They accuse Barabas of coveting wealth, but they demonstrate theft. With what irony the governor makes the theft, not only of Barabas' property but also of scriptural sanctions, the foundation of his religion, and with what power Barabas can level the accusation against these Christians. ' faces for their unjust deeds (Cutts 154). Additionally, these Christians are guilty of another religious abuse: threatening to baptize Jews as punishment. This gives an even greater negativity towards the value of the Christian religion at this point in the play. Barabas uses Christian treatment of the Jews as an excuse for his destructive actions. He bows to the governor's motives while Barabas displays the same malice toward them that he uses earlier to describe Christians in general. This initial injustice that he suffers “provides an understandable motivation for the Jew's hatred and subsequent acts of vengeance. He is put in a position where he must fight back, so that his misanthropic behavior is made plausible” (Bevington 37). The first act of destructive deception in which Barabas participates occurs with Abigail's encouragement to feign interest in convent life. He is doing this for personal gain as he has hidden money in his foreclosed house and wants Abigail to get the wealth back. “But stay, what star shines yonder in the East? / The Loadstarre of my life, if Abigall” (II, I, 41-42). This quote comments on the confusion surrounding religious sincerity in the play. Here Barabas compares Abigail to an eastern star. The star symbol represents the arrival of Christ, or a savior figure. Abigail's recovery of her father's wealth acts as Barabas' salvation. The idea of ​​his own offspring saving his world gives Barabas a haunting association with divine power. This is ironic given that, as a Jew, he does not follow the New Testament idea that the bright star is linked to the arrival of the savior Christ. “We Jews can faun like spaniels when we please / And when we smile we bite, yet our looks / as innocent and harmless as a lamb” (II, iii, 20-22). Barabas uses trickery and deception to destroy the lives of others. He reaffirms that his actions are cursed by his Jewish faith. His destruction of Lodowicke and Mathias not only hurts the Christian governor, but also Abigail, and more. Develops Barabas as a man who claims to attack Christianity but turns out to be acting with selfish motives of power and control. Be first though devoid of these affections, compassion, love, vain hope and heartless fear, be moved by nothing, you see. have pity on no one, but smile at yourself when Christians groan (II, iii, 170-174). Barabas' heartlessness shines through when he pits two of Abigail's suitors against each other, Lodowicke and Mathias. He grants each of these men his blessing in their courtship with Abigail, deceiving them with his innocent, lamb-like looks. Its bite lies in its astute involvement in the situational killing of men. He reaffirms the necessity of their death as retaliation against the unjust policies of the Christian governor. Lodowicke and Mathias embody the attitude of love despite religious beliefs or wealth. "'It is not their wealth, but his esteem, / Yet I need your consent" (II, iii, 299-300). This concept is foreign to Barabas who lives only for his own gain. “But I have sworn to thwart both their hopes, / And to take revenge on the Governor” (II, iii, 144-145). The process (of evil) does not proceed logically, but is elaborated and intensified by repeated example. ...Each subsequent incident becomes more ridiculous and more improbable than the last, as the reign of pure vice becomes more and more separated from its original motive (Bevington 41). By the end of the play, Barabas loses the basis of his argument that associates Christians with his necessary violence. He succeeds in murdering Lodowicke, Mathias, Abigail, two brothers and countless nuns, all innocent victims, uninvolved in the tax dispute. The separation of the motif described by Bevington culminates in the artificial alliance with Calymath, a Turkish invader. Now, as for Calymath and his company, I have made here a delicate gallery, the floor of which, this cable being cut, falls to pieces; so that he sinks into a deep pit after his healing (V, v, 32-36). Barabas befriends Calymath in order to overthrow the governor and usurp control of Malta. However, he turns against Calymath and places a death trap in his path. The plan fails, 1995.