Dangers arise when humans play God: A comparative analysis of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Abstract

This research paper attempts to associate Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The eras, in which both were written, were characterized by an urge to aspire to new knowledge and new power. They were the historical periods in which man sought control over everything. Marlowe lived during the period of the Renaissance in England. The age in which Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus saw the full flowering of the Renaissance. The Renaissance could be seen as a revolt movement against the dominance of the Church. During the Renaissance there was curiosity which tended to enlighten men both about themselves and about the world and the universe around them. An impulse towards emancipation, a spirit of inquiry, and an assertion of individualism are the leading characteristics of the new movement. If we take the age in which Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley, it also witnessed attempts to search for new forms of knowledge. Humans wanted to enhance their power in every field and went in search of new nations to establish power and order. Humans wanted to acquire more resources. The over advancement that brought possibility in each and everything tempted people to question the authority of God. What follows is everlasting perdition according to traditional Christianity. This is what both Doctor Faustus and Frankenstein demonstrate. Even though the themes can be elaborated to further levels of interpretation, this research paper limits its scope only to the above mentioned theme. This particular theme is perennial, as it is applicable to any society. Adopting qualitative methodology, this research employed secondary data collection by which ideas and interpretations are elicited from several books.