The theme of Marlowe's tragedies : thirst for power.

The thirst for power, a universal human aspiration, is the recurrent theme of Marlowe's six tragedies. It appears in various forms: in Dido, it is Aeneas' love of fame and glory; in Tamburlaine, it is the Scythian shepherd's aspiration to conquer dominions; in Faustus, it is a scholar's yearning for supernatural power through knowledge; in The Jew of Malta, it is Barabas' desire to sway kingdom by wealth; in The Guise, it is the Duke's lust for a royal crown; in Edward II, it is Mortimer's ambition to rule over a king and Edward's lack of power. As a man of his age, Marlowe's delineation of this aspiration reflects the Elizabethan spirit. Not only the raison d'être of the dominance and the recurrence of this theme is manifest in the political, social, and intellectual backgrounds of that age, but also the evolution of its treatment corresponds to a change in the spirit of the age--from an optimistic striving for power so as to extol the individuality of the nation and of man to a pessimistic acceptance of fate and an epicurean crave for life in a conditioned world. Through the Elizabethan humanistic fallacy, this theme gradually loses its dominance until, in Edward II, the dignity of man is extolled through his sufferings which replace the thirst for power.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1957

Author dc:creator

• Tung, Mason.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Smith, Charles G. (Professor)

• Marlowe, Christopher, 1564-1593 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Power (Philosophy) in literature.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14479

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14479