Apostasy and Phenomenology of Desire in Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus
Abstract
The present article posits that the employment of sacred language by Faustus can be interpreted as a manifestation of his existential defiance of both theological determinism and the narrative of salvation. Faustus’s work is characterised by a juxtaposition of two contrasting figures: Christ’s sacrificial submission and the self-authored descent into damnation. Within this framework, Faustus constructs a pseudo-theological temporality that effectively collapses the eschatological promise of Christianity. The present study draws on exegetical interpretations of John 19:30 to explore how Faustus’ selective and distorted use of scripture constitutes a wilful rejection of grace. The study goes on to situate Faustus’ trajectory within both doctrinal and phenomenological frameworks, examining his descent into despair through Gerard H. Cox’s theological model of sin against the Holy Ghost (1973) and Edward W. Snow’s ontological account of subjectivity and lack (1977). In this way, Faustus emerges not only as a figure of intellectual and spiritual hubris but also as a tragic cipher of early modern secularity, suspended between the collapse of metaphysical certainty and the unfulfilled promise of agency. The analysis contributes to contemporary debates in theology, Renaissance tragedy and phenomenology by tracing how the undoing of salvation in Doctor Faustus reveals the limits of free will, the aesthetics of despair, and the unresolved tension between divine order and human desire.
Keywords
References
- Cox, G. H. (1973). Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and “Sin against the Holy Ghost.” Huntington Library Quarterly, 36(2), 119-137. https://doi.org/10.2307/3817245
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- Kuwornu-Adjaottor, J. E. T. (2019). The meaning and significance of Tetelestai in John 19:30 [Unpublished manuscript]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337415360
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- Snow, E. A. (1977). Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and the ends of desire. In A. Kernan (Ed.) Two Renaissance mythmakers: Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture
Journal Section
Research Note
Authors
Nazım Çapkın
*
0009-0002-6444-6805
Türkiye
Publication Date
April 6, 2026
Submission Date
August 3, 2025
Acceptance Date
April 6, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 20 Number: 1