Christopher Marlowe shot in the dramatic firmament of England like a dazzling meteor and within the brief span of time got fabulous fame as a dramatic poet. He had drunk deeply at the fiery found of the Renaissance and he had strong passions to animate the contemporary English tragedy. And to top all these dramatic skill and technique, Marlowe was a gifted poet. Marlowe is the father of English tragedy and he made the English tragedy grand and full blooded with thrilling events and splendid actions, sensational and spectacular scenes.
The last scene of Dr. Faustus has been widely admired for the masterly complication or the career of Renaissance humanist who had Presume to rival the position of God with the help of magic. The final impression which this scene leaves on the audience is rightly a mixed one, sympathy for the soul suffering the greatest horror on earth and yet a belief in the justness of his punishment.
In the last scene Marlowe has brilliantly shifted the locality. After letting Faustus travels through space and the whole continent of Europe during the middle part of the play. Marlowe begins him back to Wittenberg. To face the last hour, when Faustus comes to Wittenberg, he is seen with Wagner and the scholars. He once again is in familiar surroundings. The surroundings as well as the information that wants to die, creates sympathy for Faustus. Marlowe presents his hero in a somewhat favourable milieu. He has already prepared a will in which he has bequeathed everyone of his belongings to his life loving servant Wagner. Fosters at the request of the scholars raises the spirit of Helen in act 5 scene 1. The same situation is repeated with little variations in act 5 scene 2. In return to the favour soon to him, Wagner wants to die for the sake of his master. The scholars come to know from Faustus that his malady was due to the deadly sins of both body and soul. As his last hour approaches he forced the scholars to leave him to his fate and to save themselves. We feel sympathy for Faustus despite his sins and he is fascination for the lustful life. Marlowe presents Faustus in a favourable light in the last scene. He has emphasized Faustus dispair which becomes the cause of his final damnation. His speech, “The serpent the tempted eve may be saved but not Faustus” is typical and quite characteristic of his basic nature. His vision of heaven and hell is very significant. He looks at heaven and hell as tradition had taught him all along. Once again it is despair which makes him see this vision.
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Marlowe exploits the spectacle of the devils to emphasize the paradoxical position of Faustus’ freedom and slavery. At the beginning of the scene the devils, Loosipher, Belzebub and Mephistopheles ascend to the balcony and from their preside over Faustus’ agony during the last hour. Their presence does not make Faustus a puppet in their hands. The last soliloquy of Faustus is pregnant with spectacular significance. The closing scene is really of paramount importance. The vision of heaven and hell fetes the clock strikes the 11 o’clock hour. Faustus’ last agony on earth begins the soliloquy the masterpiece of dramatic speech. What is more this soliloquy reverses both thematically and structurally. The open soliloquy of Faustus in this play. All the issues which Faustus raised are now ironically echoed. He had hopes to be a mighty God much more than simple human, Faustus. But the dream of transcends took another shape. He would like his body to be dissolved and become a fag or drop and disappear. He had thought that he would have given away a thousand souls to Mephistopheles but now experience the burden of the one which he had. He had proposed the idea of salvation through Christ. The clock strikes at the midnight hour, the devils come and take him away. What follows him in act 5 scene 3 and the last speech of chorus is nothing but a moralistic conclusion. Thus we see the tragic climate of Faustus’ career and his death has been powerfully presented in the last scene. The last scene is of great importance and Marlowe exhibits dexterously his dramatic skill and perfection.
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