Elizabethan Age Essay

Elizabethan age was an epoch of pyrotechnic juxtaposition of whole new-fangled avenue of thoughts and avalanche of ideologies, which flowed in words of great literary geniuses. It began with the spirit of conversion marked by the quest for adventure and material wealth. It was the age when the minds of the people were lured by the new visions of distant lands rich in gold jewels and were swayed by the captivating close luck charm of the beauty and loveliness. Music, Dance and Mirth bestowed a signifi green goddesst break up in their lives.On the other trade, Elizabethan era also motto the decay of moral set. From the nobleman class to gentry and from royalties to peasantry people in an inexhaustible pursuit of materialism devoid from spirituality, adopted cupidity and fuck up values. The literature world delved full-bodied into the psyche of the masses to illustrate the home whereby in their quest for lavish spirit, they forgot that the tragic curiosity is waiting f or them. some(prenominal) Marlowe and Shakespeare created the characters in their enduring plays Dr. Faustus and crossroads who became the emblem of tragic heroes.They both enjoyed royalties because of their noble birth tho both of their lives ended in tragedy in virtue of their most tragic flaw in their character. Their flaw was their greed and pride, which led them to pursue their infernal designs and eventu eachy their death. Marlowes hero is Dr. Faustus who had extraordinary qualities and was a super human further his consuming passion reaches beyond the ordinary aspiration until he meets with his fate. It was not the matter of his own resolve precisely it was a struggle betwixt his overweening head and in its insatiable ambition, and the limitations, which it search to overcome.On the other hand, we cannot say small town was lacking in moral values that he was also a conqueror and his greed to revenge the murder of his breed surpassed all his good actions and deeds . For the power and wealth, Claudius murdered King hamlet whose sense wanders and tortures the young hamlet to ponder upon some foul play. Dr. Faustuss over ambitious need and zeal induced him to sell his psyche to darkness. He abjured the scriptures, the Trinity and messiah to make full his inordinate ambition to gain super human powers by gaining mastery over unholy art of magic.By selling the soul to Devil, he lives a Blasphemous disembodied spirit full of vain and vile pleasures for complete twenty-four years and did not even hesitate to diss and assault the Pope with the Holy Fathers at Rome. though he feels a constant dis induee going on in his soul among his overweening ambition and conscience (a struggle between the seven sulphurous sins and ethics or moral principles), between the Good Angel and monstrous Angel that externalize the inner conflict. But Dr Faustus surrenders himself to the allurements of the Evil Angel, thereby surface his way for eternal damna tion.In his inordinate passion to unravel all the mysteries of the universe, he forgot that he cannot overpower the time and when ultimately the time came for the evil angel to take his soul, he realizes that his sins are unpardonable and nothing can save him from eternal damnation. And before the devils snatch away his soul to the anxious hell, the excruciating pangs of a deeply agonized soul finds the most touching expression in Faustuss final soliloquy. My God, my God, look not so fierce to me Adders and serpents, let me breathe a whileUgly hell, yaw not come not Lucifer Ill burn my books Ah, Mephistophilis (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus depiction XIV) Shakespeares juncture also had a tragic end-but the end of Hamlet was not due to the flaw in his moral character but the waver of the mind of the noble soul to vindicate the death of his start come out of the closet. The play began with the presence of supernatural element in the prepare of the Ghost of Hamlets father. Both Be rnardo and Horatio accepted the Ghost as a portent, or as foreshadowing a coming event.The figure of Ghost implied the outgrowth of foul play that would change the course of Hamlets life and the impending doom owing to the Greed of Hamlets uncle, Claudius who later ascended the thr angiotensin converting enzyme of Denmark and married Hamlets set about. The indecent haste in which she had remarried do Hamlet think foul play behind his fathers murder and he remarked, O God a fauna that wants discourse of reason,/would have mourned longer and made him generalize, Frailty thy name is char (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet cultivate I, expression II 146).Prince Hamlet stubborn to avenge the death of his father but as he was thoughtful by nature, he delayed the revenge and instead entered in a deep melancholy. Claudius and Gertrude in a bid to k nowadays about the cause of Hamlets behavior made Hamlets friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to sustain a watch on him. On the other hand, Hamlet was blind to dealk the revenge of his father and called upon the traveling actors to act a play portraiture the scene in the way he had imagined his father was murdered. He invited Claudius to imagine the play and if he reacted at the scene, Hamlet would be ensured about Claudius guilt.And the resembling happened, as soon as the scene came, Claudius left the room in haste and Hamlet got the proof. Hamlet went to kill Claudius but when he set in motion him praying, Hamlet stopped as the killing at that time would soused that Claudius soul would go to heaven. Claudius was so scared now that he decided to send Hamlet to England, but meanwhile Hamlet went to meet his mother where Polonius was hidden. Hamlet thought that Claudius was hiding there and in a couple of rage, he picked up the sword and instead of killing Claudius, he killed Polonius. audience the news of the death of Polonius, Opthelia went mad with grief and killed herself by drowning in the river. Polonius son , Laertes now wanted to avenge his father and sisters death. Taking the favor of situation, Claudius instigated Laertes for a duet with Hamlet, and gave him a sword of poison and also nimble a toast to poison Hamlet to death in font he won the battle. In a sword fighting later on the Ophelias funeral, Hamlet could hit Laertes first but declined to take a drink instead Gertrude, Hamlets mother took a drink and died on the spot.Laertes was able to wound Hamlet and after Laertes revealed the real perpetrator to Hamlet, he too died due to the cut on his arm by his own sword. Wounded Hamlet did not hesitate even for a morsel he picked up a poisoned sword, stabbed Claudius and forced him to drink the be of the poisoned wine. Claudius went into the eternal doom and Hamlet too died but after winning his revenge. In play Dr. Faustus, Marlowe had captured the moral value of greed for materialistic matters in the form of Dr.Faustuss aspirations for gaining the knowledge of black magic , and for this purpose, he bid good-by to the religious values of medieval period, in other words to divinity. These metaphysics of magicians And necromantic books are heavenly O, what a world of profit and de debile Of power, of note of Omnipotence, Is promised to the studious artizen All things that move between the quiet poles Shall be at my command (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus injection I) These lines project Dr Faustus was pelf with power, whereas, in Hamlet, the principal(prenominal) protagonist of William Shakespeare is a noble soul and possesses strong moral convictions.Though he too kills Polonius but it was out of revenge and erroneously misinterpretation him for Claudius, his fathers murderer. He thinks it is his moral duty to revenge his fathers death then only his fathers soul will rest in peace. He is a true vocalisation of medieval period. He is as said by Herlinde Pauer-Studer in her book, Norms, value and Society, He acts on his moral sense of duty, even thoug h he knows that he is doing it at the cost of his happiness and life. (Studer-Pauer 1994) He put on his antic disposition and says, The time is out of joint, O unsaved spite, That ever I was born to set it right. (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet Act I Scene V) The second comparison can be made between Hamlet and Dr. Faustus in the way both Hamlet and Dr Faustus carried out their plans to fulfill their ciphers. Dr. Faustus defies the medieval conventions of love, selfishness and trust to become all powerful and wealthy and essay to become evil by killing his own ministers. He is a true representative of Renaissance period whereby man can go into an extreme extent to achieve his aims. With the help of spirits Dr, Faustus feels Ill levy soldiers with the coin they bring,and chase the Prince of Parma from the land, and reign sole king of all our provinces. (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus Scene I) Whereas on the other hand though Hamlets aim was good but the route he adopted was not unchangi ng with Christian ethics. He followed dishonest ways like deception and homicide to harbor on with the plan of revenge. I am myself indifferent honest but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious What should such fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth. (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet Act III, Scene I) But there are indisputable elements of good deeds and the values of medieval ages that still are visible in the human souls and in their thoughts and actions. Both Marlowe and Shakespeare created the characters that were not evil in the real sense. Before applying on their evil deeds the goodness, which prevail in their soul makes them to give second thoughts in the form of the consequences of their deeds. This is third aspect in the way Shakespeare and Marlowe made protagonists think of the consequences, which they can face if they follow their whims.Hamlet was in a state of dilemma, To be or No t to be (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet Act III, Scene I) whether to take revenge by killing or not, and the consequences of his actions predominate large on him. His soul was arguing whether his actions followed the norms of the society or not? Is it evil to punish the evil or killing is wrong altogether. If one goes by the rule utilitarianism, one must follow the rules and which would bring inferior for all. (Studer-Pauer 1994) and in this concept what Hamlet did is absolutely right but match to the law of the land what he did was wrong and way he carried out his executions had serious lapses.These lapses occurred only because his other side of the soul was not permitting him to carry on with the killings. His character of being a noble soul came to light in the scene when he was going to kill Claudius but when he saw him praying he could not kill him. Whereas Dr. Faustus finally sold his soul to Evil, still the good side of his was again and again prompted him to go cover to divini ty and seek forgiveness from Jesus. His conscious mind was rebelling against his whims in the form of Good Angels but he did not bother to listen. This is the finest example in English literature to prove the biggest reality of the mans nature. creation is not born evil but even if he is succumbing to evil designs, there within deep his heart and soul, his consciousness will keep on prompting him what he is doing is wrong. This is the difference between Hamlet and Dr Faustus. Hamlet wants to take revenge but his virtuous character and goodness in him was making him delay the revenge. He did take revenge finally but at the cost of his own life and the life of so many an(prenominal) others. Whereas though the Dr Faustuss conscious mind was prompting him to recede but he want only more and more of wealth and power.Claudius got punish for the sins he committed not by his choice but by fate, and Laertes repented, Laertes, poisoned by his own sword, declares, I am justly killd with my ow n treachery. (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet V Scene II 318). Whereas Dr. Faustuss end was the result of his own deed-his deal with devil Lucifer and he lamented, On God, whom Faustus hath abjured On God whom Faustus hath Blasphemed Ah, my God, I would weep But the Devil draws in my tears. Gush forth blood, instead of tears yea, life and soul-O, he be my tongue I would life up my handsbut see they hold em, they hold em (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus Scene III) there was a certain fascination associated with the transition, which was carried on in the period of renaissance and the plays try to show the same. On one hand, there was whole new lease of life in the form of scientific and technological developments and on the other hand moral values were loosing ground. People were not thinking that for every(prenominal) scratch line there is an end. With this there was a sense of insecurity too, which is so destined. The bill points were made keeping in view the social circumstances of th e time.There was reformation in every sphere of life and people were brush by the waves of these reformations. These reformations were like magic for them. With the magical powers of scientific discoveries and technological advancement, every one wanted to gain wealth, power and prestige without adhering to religious norms and wanted life of sexual fulfillment and pleasurable living even at the cost of killing near and dear ones.REFERENCESBaker J. , Bredemann A. , & Brussart B. , McLeer A. , Tuck Tiffany & Wolowicz T. 1997. Renaissance Attitudes Towards Faustus as a Magician.Retrieved on family 25, 2007 from http//www. english. uga. edu/cdesmet/tiffany/faustus. htm Collins J. (2006) An Introspective weigh at Corruption from Hamlet Spoiled Fruits, Stolen Nation Retrieved on September 24, 2007 from W. W. W http//www. associatedcontent. com/article/70560/an_introspective_look_at_corruption. html Marlowe C. Doctor Faustus (1588) New York P. F. Collier & password Company, 190914 Shakes peare W. Hamlet (1600) The Norton Shakespeare W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. , New York, NY 1997 Studer-Pauer, Herlinde (1994) Norms, Values, and Society Netherlands Kluwer Academic Publishers.