Binary Oppositions In Christopher Marlowe's Tagedies-A Structuralist Approach

As all of the world's focus and attention is cast on Shakespeare, who is known to almost every household, another great playwright Christopher Marlowe, one of the chief creators of prosperity of dramas in the Renaissance age and the most outstanding figure out of the renowned four "university wits", has long been ignored and underestimated in terms of his significance and contribution to English drama. Therefore, the author of this thesis probes into the deep narrative structure of his two major works by applying the structuralist theories of binary opposition, and thereby exposes on an in-depth level the common theme of the two plays: he who is crazy about commanding the world with his power will be fell by his own craving.This thesis falls into five chapters.The first part is the introduction. Marlowe's contribution and significance to the literary world is summarized and his two popular tragic plays: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Jew of Malta are introduced and literary critics are reviewed, aiming at showing the reason why the author chooses structuralism narrative theory as the theoretical principle, and the significance of this study.The first chapter deals with the structuralist perspective of the two tragedies. Firstly, the author introduces binary opposition, the forceful approach of structuralism. Secondly, the structuralist narrative theories of Greimas and Todorov are cited and analyzed. Thirdly, the author makes a general look into the structuralist characteristics in Marlowe's two tragedies.Chapter two comes to the binary oppositions in The Tragical History of Doctor Fautus. The analysis consists of three aspects: binary oppositions in the double plots, in settings and in characterization. In the end, the pattern of narrative in the play's theme is explored. Through the analysis, conclusion can be drawn: beneath all these surface oppositions, there remains an essential one: order versus disorder.Chapter three deals with the analysis of binary oppositions in The Jew of Malta, still from three aspects of the play: the double plots, settings and characterization, after which comes the exploration of narrative pattern in the theme. The analysis conducted exposes the dynamic confrontation of order and disorder. Last part is conclusion. The author exposes the essential nature of the oppositions in the two tragedies in spite of their various and different forms of presentation: the binary opposition between infinite desire and innate natural limitations; then the author shows the significance of adopting structuralist approach, the artistic value and artistic effect of binary opposition, as well as its impact on writers that follows Marlowe.