From God to Hell Marlowe’s Attempts to Condemn the...

Marlowe’s attempts to condemn the Questioning of Religious Authority Religion’s role in shaping Western civilization is crucial in understanding the evolution of mankind. Firstly, religion was the primary agent of social construction in the early developments of today’s modern states since it used to provide all of the answers to men. Consequently, the studies of theology and the principal role of the church in states was a common trend among western nations. States enforced the study of religion and played an active role in protecting it from possible threats, as seen by the Inquisition and the banning of texts during the sixteenth century. Once scientific thought began to gain popularity in these nations, society found itself questioning†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the fact that Marlowe includes such characters to weigh in the actions of the protagonist signals a clear notion of right and wrong. Faustus’ actions are at fault because they stray from tradition and challenge order and through the Good angel, his acti ons are furthered denounced. Yet, some readers may challenge the view that the purpose of the Good angel is to denounce Faustus’ course of action. Nevertheless, the Good angel results in a clear principle of the correct and incorrect within Faustus’ decision to invoke the devil, which connects through society’s choice of religion over science because of the notion that God is at the center of everything and straying from this results in eternal damnation. Additionally, Marlowe’s angels aim to show Faustus as a divided man. While one is reminding the character of how straying from God’s path will result in damnation, the Bad Angel lures Faustus to seek pleasures and power. When saying, â€Å"think of honor and of wealth,† (Marlowe 20) the Bad angel implies that God provides no honor and riches for man. Moreover, God limits men to reach honor and wealth and this should motivate Faustus’ to take matters into his own hands and seek power in another source. When deciding to invoke the devil, Faustus signals God’s inability to satisfy his ambitions. Scholars such as Paul Catherall claim, â€Å"the restless spirit of the Renaissance is reflected in the acts Faustus performs† (Catherall). Basically, his