Tragic Conflict in Dr. Faustus

                                    Tragic Conflict in Dr. Faustus
Conflict or crisis is the essence and soul of drama. Every dramatic creation hinges upon some conflict. A conflict or crisis may be of two sort; external and internal, Physical and mental, material and spiritual. External crisis rises when the hero or protagonist confronts hostile circumstances or social forces. Internal conflict occurs when the hero is caught up in contrary mental or spiritual forces. Usually, these forces stand for heart and mind, imagination and reason, dream and reality. Marlowe’s Dr.Faustus is a perfect exponent of inner or spiritual conflict. The play highlights those crises in Faustus which result from the tussle between his aspirations and apprehensions, his heart and conscience. Broadly speaking, this conflict of Faustus is actually the symbolic reflection of the tension which existed between medieval and Renaissance forces of this time.
Let us discuss how, throughout the play, Faustus keeps on hanging between two different forces, different directions and different destinations. When the play starts, Dr. Faustus is sitting in his study. He is in a sort of mini crisis. He is at sea about his future target of study. He is not satisfied with his present achievements as they have failed to make him more than a man. Faustus ‘ desire to be more than a man originates from his presumption. Renaissance also accounts for this desire. In fact Dr. Faustus is torn by two contrary forces, i.e. those of Renaissance and medieval Christianity. On one side Renaissance attracts him as it advocates freedom from old and restrictive order, assertion of individualism, quest for knowledge, desire for  pelf and power, love for beauty and sensuous joys and craze for adventure. But these Renaissance attractions are retarded by medieval apprehensions. He is apprehensive of the risk of being damned due to the pursuit of Renaissance dreams. This breeds crisis and conflict in the mind of Dr. Faustus. The exterior form of this crisis is the appearance of Good and Bad Angles on the stage.
                                       Good Angel: “O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside”
                                       Bad Angel: “Go forward, Faustus in that famous art”
In spite of his spiritual apprehensions he is infatuated by his dream and decides to practice necromancy and abjure divinity. He exclaims that he is glutted with notion of obtaining the power and status he avidly desires.
                                                     How am I glutted with conceit of this!
However before signing the deed of gift with the devil, Faustus is again gripped by inner conflict. Sitting in his study he ponders upon his return to God in order to save himself from damnation.
                                                 “O something sounds in mind ears”
                                                 Abjure this magic, turn to God again!
He shuns these qualms by admitting;
                                                 “The god thou serv’st is thine own appetite”
At this juncture again the good and bad angels appear and externalize his combat with his conscience. Good angels reveals upon him that contrition, prayer and repentance are means to reach heaven. Evil angel denounces these means as illusion, fruits of lunacy.
The inner conflict is rekindled by Mephistopheles refusal to say who made the world. This refusal sparks doubts in Faustus mind and he thinks of repenting. At this Mephistopheles invokes the aid of Lucifer and Beelzebub. The chief devil not only intimidates him but also gratifies him with the show of seven deadly sins.
After suffering from crises of soul exteriorized by good and bad angels, Dr.Faustus goes through an other spiritual and inner crisis, this time in form of old man’s exhortations.
                                                            “O gentle Faustus, leave this damned art,
                                                             Though thou hast now offended like a man,
                                                                     Do not preserve in it like a devil.”
This good counsel has an immediate effect upon evil-exhausted Faustus and he thinks of pondering upon his sins. But he lacks in God’s mercy and the result id despair which thrusts the final nail into the coffin of his damnation and with this all his crises and conflicts come to an end.
                                                        “Damn’d art thou, Faustus, damn’d ; despair and die.”