Page 130 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes (b) It is a belated morality play
(c) Themes and characters make it a supernatural morality play
(d) The seven sin make it a tragedy.
3. Which of the following is not a theme of morality play?
(a) Man begins in innocence, man falls into temptation, man repents and is saved
or killed
(b) The struggle of man against the seven deadly sins
(c) The contemplation of man with seven deadly sins and to indulge in them
(d) Audience understand the greater concepts of sin and virtu.
Fill in the blanks:

4. The morality plays are a type of ......... in which the protagonist is met by
personification of various moral attributes.
5. Morality plays help the audience understand the greater concepts of ......... and
virtue.
6. Theme was dividing in terms of ......... and main.
7. Faustus follows the path told by ......... and ultimately is ruined.
State whether the following statements are true or false:
8. The appearance of seven deadly sins shows that the playwright in “Doctor Faustus”
adopted some of the conventions of the old morality plays.
9. The morality plays are a type of allegory in which the protagonist is met by
personification of various immoral attributes.
10. Comic scenes were also included in morality plays.

10.2 Doctor Faustus’ Features of a Morality Play

Doctor Faustus has many features of a morality play: the conflict between good and evil, the conflict
between medieval and renaissance values, power as a corrupting influence, magic and the
supernatural, the creation of good and bad angels, the old man as good counsel, the pageant of the
seven deadly sins and the appearance of Faustus’ enemies to ambush and kill him.

10.2.1 Conflict between Good and Evil

The conflict between Good and Evil was a recurring theme in the medieval morality plays. From
this point of view, the play Doctor Faustus is a morality play in which heaven struggles for the soul
of a Renaissance Everyman, namely Doctor Faustus.

Sin, Redemption, and Damnation
Insofar as Doctor Faustus is a Christian play, it deals with the themes at the heart of Christianity’s
understanding of the world. First, there is the idea of sin, which Christianity defines as acts contrary
to the will of God. In making a pact with Lucifer, Faustus commits what is in a sense the ultimate
sin: not only does he disobey God, but he consciously and even eagerly renounces obedience to
him, choosing instead to swear allegiance to the devil. In a Christian framework, however, even the
worst deed can be forgiven through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, God’s son, who, according
to Christian belief, died on the cross for humankind’s sins. Thus, however terrible Faustus’s pact
with Lucifer may be, the possibility of redemption is always open to him. All that he needs to do,

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