White magicians in the English literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Divine power and human aspiration

While the practice of magic was generally condemned by both religious and political authorities in both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, historical evidence suggests that reliance on magic was widespread in these times. It is also clear that many of these practitioners considered themselves justified despite official disapproval because they were involved in what we might call "white magic" or "natural magic" though the line between this and what was often referred to as "black magic," "sorcery," "necromancy," or "witchcraft" was often hotly debated. Because ideas about magic were bound up with contemporary religious, social, political, and scientific philosophies, magicians were often central to works of literature in both periods. This study compares the depiction of the white magician in the English literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in order to illuminate where and how their culture and aesthetics converge and diverge. Chapter One offers a definition of white magic. In general, white magicians sought to elevate their souls through contact with the divine and strove to channel its power in order to do good. Magicians in fact and fiction were influenced by Neoplatonism. Neoplatonist white magicians were interested in exploring the powers of the natural world through astrology, alchemy, and the summoning of spirits. Chapter One argues that the terms "white magic" and "black magic" best express the emphasis authors placed on magicians' intentions and actions. Chapter Two examines Merlin, perhaps the most influential of all magician characters. Through the figure of Merlin, medieval authors struggled with the permeable boundaries of the magical worldview and the right uses of power. Chapter Three examines how Sir Thomas Malory's depiction of magic in Le Morte D'Arthur demonstrates that beginning in the later Middle Ages, the definition and understanding of magic changed. A gender divide was created in which women were associated with witchcraft and men with white magic. Chapter Four compares and contrasts the Renaissance characters Friar Bacon, Doctor Faustus, and Prospero, concluding that they embodied their authors' answers to questions about the limits of intellect and ambition and about power and responsibility.