Dr. Faustus and the Faerie Queene Compared and Contrasted: Protestant Christianity

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Faerie Queene are both excellent representations of the form of Protestant Christianity that was found in Elizabethan England. Though slightly different, they share an obvious anti-Catholic theme, and the true nature of faith seems to be at stake in both works. Other common Protestant Christian themes, such as the importance of Biblical authority, are also present in these works. Through comparison, the theology that is represented in these works reflects the religious and political problems that were present in Elizabethan England during that era.

The first and perhaps most important thing to note is that both Doctor Faustus and The Faerie Queene are strongly anti-Catholic. In the play, a passing jab is made at the Catholic Church when Faustus plays a trick on the Pope. Other than that, there is nothing else overtly anti-Catholic; there are only a few other strongly Protestant themes which differ from Catholic theology. The main thing to note is that Faustus' downfall starts when he twists, misinterprets, and misrepresents scripture in the beginning of the play. The Faerie Queene, on the other hand, is rife with anti-Catholic imagery. The Catholic Church, at one point, is clearly depicted as the Whore of Babylon from the book of Revelation. This type of specific, Biblical allegory (which is also found in various other forms and degrees of complexity in other parts of the poem) does not just criticize the Catholic Church, but it exhibits very, very Protestant themes that are in themselves representative of anti-Catholic ideas from the Protestant Reformation. The biggest is perhaps the importance of the Bible. The fact that Spenser uses the Bible in his complex allegorical criticism of Catholicism shows how Protestants of the time viewed the Bible's importance and authority. However, it is interesting that more credence is given to the "one true church" itself (Una) than the word of God in the story. Una is always the one sending the hero places and commanding him, but one never sees the hero being led by the word of God. This seems to be a problem since, supposedly, the Catholic Church is really guilty of the same thing in giving more authority to the church than the Bible. Perhaps this is representative of some of the religious hypocrisy and other problems during Spenser's day.

Additionally, the Doctor Faustus story is very dark. Though the attribution of this "darkness" to a certain part of the play is at first difficult, the grim nature is still clearly present. Part of this is probably the immediacy of everything coming from the actual spoken dialogue in this tragedy; this was obviously affected by Marlowe's aptitude as a writer. Also, it is a tragedy. The unhappy ending that Faustus had been approaching over the course of the play contributes to this. Faustus' ending monologue also ends the play with a "bang" that doubtless stays and will stay with most people (including myself) forever. Though it is tempting to attribute the darkness of this piece to the prominent role of the demon, Mephistopheles, this would be unfair. After all, The Faerie Queene is filled with fantastically horrible monsters and beasts of all sorts, yet it is quite a cheerful story. In the end, it is Marlowe's use of the main character, Dr. Faustus, as a sort of "evil" character whose existence ends in great tragedy that makes the story darker. Instead of writing through the lens of cheerful allegory like Spenser, it is interesting that Marlowe explores theological issues from the perspective of Evil (though unrelated, this is what the C.S. Lewis did several centuries after Marlowe in writing The Screwtape Letters. Interestingly enough, temptation is also a central theme in The Screwtape Letters).

Finally, Doctor Faustus is significantly shorter than The Faerie Queene, which is, of course, an epic poem. As such, it is no surprise that the complexity of Doctor Faustus is not as great as The Faerie Queene. However, both works accomplish their goals very well. Doctor Faustus explores temptation and the related topics of the salvation of the human soul and choice. Since this is a smaller topic, the stage play was the perfect format; Marlowe tells us the tale of Doctor Faustus in a short and sweet, but powerful manner. On the other hand, The Faerie Queene is significantly longer. Its many references touch upon a variety of different subjects from Bible prophecy in Revelation to Paul's explanation of the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith, and much more. Despite this, there are a few main themes, such as the nature of true faith and the "one true church." In fact, adventurous allegory seems to be the best format for this purpose; Spenser gives what seems like an elongated sermon, but in a very, very enjoyable and easy-to-remember format.

In the end, both works are excellent examples of Protestant Christian literature. They have their differences, but this is really only due to differences in the medium in which the stories are presented. Below that, the central Protestant themes of anti-Catholicism and the importance of the Bible are evident.

Sources:
Book - The Norton Anthology of English Literature, eighth edition, volume 1