Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and Barabas:A Comparative Analysis

The chief aim of this paper is to give an overview of the Elizabethan culture in which Marlowe lived his short life, paying close attention to politics, religion, literature and theatre and those areas that impinged most directly upon him. The Elizabethan period is generally regarded as the greatest one in the history of English literature. Historically, we note in this age the tremendous impetus received from the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the exploration of the New World. It was marked by a strong national spirit, patriotism, religious tolerance, social content, intellectual progress, and unbounded enthusiasm. Such an age of thought, feeling, and vigorous action finds its best expression in the drama;and the wonderful development of the drama, culminating in the dramas of Shakespeare and Marlowe is the significant spirit of the Elizabethan period. Though the age produced some excellent prose works, it is essentially an age of poetry;and poetry is remarkable for its variety, its freshness, its youthful and romantic feeling. Both the poetry and the drama were permeated by Italian influence, which was dominant in English Literature of the period. The literature of this age is, therefore, often called the literature of the Renaissance.