Harwell 1

Trinity Harwell

Ms. Winter

Advanced Placement British Literature, Period 2

13 October 2016

The Renaissance Man and his Power Struggle with Human Nature, as seen through The Tragical

History of Dr. Faustus and Dorian Gray

Throughout history, society has attempted to define the ideal person. During the

Renaissance, the ideal man was the Renaissance Man, someone of high esteem based upon

their everlasting pursuit of knowledge. Christopher Marlowe, through his play The Tragical

History of Dr. Faustus, and Oscar Wilde, through his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, both

condemn the ideological Renaissance Man, though their exact condemnations differ. Marlowe

opposes the idea of the Renaissance Man, as he believes the constant pursuit of knowledge and

power is unjust, and that people should have limits on the amount of knowledge and power they

can obtain; he displays this belief through a Renaissance Man protagonist who turns to evil in

order to gain power. Antithetically, Wilde does not oppose the idea of the Renaissance Man due

to the Renaissance Man himself, but rather, he opposes the idea based on the fact that it cannot

withstand the force of human nature upon it; thus, he displays his belief through the juxtaposition

between a Renaissance Man and the secondary characters around him. Marlowes Renaissance

Man, Dr. Faustus, turns to evil to gain power, though in comparison to the conduct of Wildes

evil-turned character, Dorian Gray, one could argue that Marlowe, despite his condemnation of

the Renaissance Man, accredits the Renaissance Man for at least having a conscience about his
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actions, as Dr. Faustus, who has great intellect, does not commit as heinous crimes as Dorian

Gray, who has little intellect.

Faustus< Renaissance Man who turns to evil to gain power. Uses that power foolishly because he

has a conscience about his actions.

Basil< Renaissance Man who has few flaws, but who dies at the hands of Dorian Gray because

humans give in to evil because it is an easier quicker way to power than being good, and the

Renaissance Man ideal cannot outlive human nature and peoples tendencies to turn to evil.

Dorian Gray< a pretty, silly boy who turns to evil due to Lord Henrys influence, and uses his

power to cause a lot of damage because he isnt smart enough to have a conscience about it.

Tie together Faustuss and Dorians evil by explaining why it is easier to turn to evil rather than

good. Tie together Faustuss conscience and Dorians lack of one and relate it to psychology.

(Note to self: quotes from Pinwheel Discussion are helpful)